CHS and ag co-op Growmark decide not to merge

The two cooperatives began an “exploratory process” early this year.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
April 29, 2024 at 3:16PM
CHS HQ in Inver Grove Heights, Minn. CHS, Inc. is the company name. It results from a merger of Cenex and Harvest States. Story is slugged COOP0502. CHS, headquartered in Inver Heights, is the countryís top-grossing agriculture co-op. ORG XMIT: MIN2012091216174209
CHS headquarters in Inver Grove Heights. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

CHS won’t be merging with Illinois-based Growmark after all.

After several months of discussions that kicked off in January, the two agricultural cooperatives decided “no new opportunities will be pursued at this time,” according to CHS.

“CHS and Growmark have had a long-standing relationship, and in cooperative spirit, our teams will continue to work collaboratively on key strategic projects in ways that benefit our farmer-owners and customers across both cooperatives,” CHS said.

The two co-ops created the $50 million ag-tech venture capital fund Cooperative Ventures in 2021.

Based in Inver Grove Heights, CHS is the nation’s largest agricultural cooperative by sales, with more than $45 billion in revenue last year. Growmark had about $15 billion in sales in its most recently reported fiscal year. A combination would have given both a wider geographic reach in North America.

about the writer

about the writer

Brooks Johnson

Business Reporter

Brooks Johnson is a business reporter covering Minnesota’s food industry, agribusinesses and 3M.

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