AgVantage FS (Waverly, IA) and Nexus Cooperative (Charles City, IA) have reached an agreement whereby Nexus will acquire the Aplington, Chapin, and Dewar, Iowa, grain assets from AgVantage FS, and AgVantage FS will acquire the Elgin, Lamont, and Randalia, Iowa, agronomy assets from Nexus. This asset exchange follows extensive discussion between the two cooperatives around how each could better utilize their facilities, staff, and other resources to improve operational efficiencies in service to their members.

In a deal that closed Thursday, June 27, with COFCO International, GROWMARK became the sole owner of one of the most influential grain warehouses in the state of Illinois due to its connection with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME). The purchase also marks the first time the facility will be owned by an American agricultural cooperative.

Fifty-four students have been selected to receive scholarships totaling $2,000 each through the GROWMARK Foundation. Nearly 500 students from across the United States and Ontario, Canada, applied for the scholarships. Students who received the scholarships will have those funds available for the fall 2024 semester.

Cooperative Ventures has announced an investment in Traction Ag, Inc., a leader in farm accounting technology and developer of the first cloud-based accounting software delivering solutions to farmers across the United States. A joint venture between two leading farmer-owned cooperatives, CHS and GROWMARK, Cooperative Ventures focuses on developing mutually beneficial commercial relationships between startups and cooperative partners. Traction Ag’s $10 million Series A round was led by Cooperative Ventures and joined by Plymouth Growth and existing investors.