What happens when the world’s biggest buyer suddenly backs away from U.S. soybeans? That’s been a question on everyone’s mind since July 6, 2018, when the United States implemented China-specific tariffs. The move embroiled U.S. farmers and cooperatives in a trade war that hit the soybean world particularly hard. Spring USDA data shows 2018–2019 soybean export inspections down nearly 34 percent from the year before, with farms and cooperatives struggling to handle huge carryover and reduced cash flow.
The 2019 CHS Owners Forums will be held at 11 sites across the country in May and June. As an owner of CHS, we invite you to join us at the forum nearest you to hear business updates from CHS leadership including CHS President and CEO Jay Debertin. We will also take a look at industry trends and will be asking for your input on how we can make connections that support long-term success. Forums will wrap up with lunch at noon. Please register to reserve your spot.
May 14, 2019 –Ten high school seniors from the local CHS trade area have been named recipients of $500 CHS scholarships.
“CHS is
committed to making a long-lasting, measurable impact on rural America and the
agricultural industry,” said Kent Mulder, general manager. “It’s an honor and
our commitment to ensure we’re helping make an impact in the endeavors of our
future ag leaders. We congratulate the recipients as they finish out their high
school year and set their sights to make a great impact on the agricultural
industry.”
The recipients of CHS scholarships include:
Jared Hauswedell, Tyler, MN – attending Lake Area Tech Trevor Benson, Lyons, SD – attending South Dakota State University Lincoln Burggraff, Colton, SD – attending South Dakota State University Brooklyn Ludeman, Tracy, MN – attending South Dakota State University Cayden Buysse, Tracy, MN – attending South Dakota State University Brooklyn Knudson, Canton, SD – attending Lake Area Tech William Stegenga, Luverne, MN – attending Lake Area Tech Cooper Hansen, Tyler, MN – attending Bethany Lutheran College Aaron Goodale, Chester, SD – attending South Dakota State University Allyson Beninga, Inwood, IA – attending Iowa State University
CHS was
impressed with the outstanding scholarship applications received in the first
year of this program. In order to be eligible for a CHS scholarship, applicants
must be pursuing a career in agriculture and live within the CHS trade
territory.
Weed issues seem to grow every year, which
is why we now offer a superior surfactant to boost herbicide performance. CHS
Level Best® was
introduced in 2018. In its first year it was applied to more than 1 million
acres of farmland, receiving strongly positive reviews from farmers and
applicators.
Whether your spring to-do list includes building a fence or planting trees – breaking ground should always be done with caution. April is National Safe Digging Month so remember, your best line of defense before digging is to call 811, a free service that marks underground utilities and pipelines. Many of these are less than a foot underground.
The process is simple: Call 811 or visit clickbeforeyoudig.com three days
before a digging project, wait for underground utilities to be marked and don’t dig within two feet of those markers.
It’s best to call 811 any time you break ground, even if you think you know where a utility line is located. “In the U.S., an underground utility is hit every nine minutes, causing dangerous consequences,” says Tina Beach, public awareness specialist for CHS. “It takes a lifetime to build a farm, and it takes just one free call to keep it safe.”
By Mimi Falkman, senior marketing specialist, CHS Lubricants
Planting season is always a busy time of year on the farm,
but it can be especially tight when winter overstays its welcome. A short spring means there’s even less time than usual for farmers to complete some of the most important work of the year.
During a condensed planting season, equipment is under added
stress because it needs to work overtime to meet demands. To keep machines protected and operating at peak performance during a shorter spring, farmers can set themselves up for success by
preparing their equipment and fluids while the fields are still wet.
Kent Mulder 605-582-2415 kent.mulder@chsinc.com or Lisa Graham-Peterson 651-355-4523 lisa.graham@chsinc.com
BRANDON, SOUTH DAKOTA, April 15, 2019 – Eligible farmer-owners of the CHS retail business based out of Brandon, South Dakota, shared in the recent distribution of cash patronage and equity based on business done with the co-op.
“We’re extremely proud to share this important cooperative membership benefit with our customers,” said Kent Mulder, general manager. “Delivering an economic return to them on the business they do with CHS is one more way we help our owners grow.”
This locally based retail division of CHS Inc. allocated a total of $7,608,217.06 in patronage dividends to its eligible members based on business done Sept. 1, 2017 – Aug. 31, 2018, of which $1,344,372.01 is being paid out in cash.
Overall, CHS Inc. will return $150 million in cash patronage and equity redemption to its farmer-owners in 2019, part of the cooperative’s commitment to sharing profits with our owners and returning money to rural America where it can be reinvested in the community. More than 840 local cooperatives and 25,000 farmers share in this distribution of cash patronage and equity redemptions.
The percentage returned to owners is determined annually by the CHS Board of Directors and based on performance, financial strength and long-term growth opportunities.
“Returning cash to our owners enables farmers, ranchers and cooperatives to invest in their own futures,” said Dan Schurr, chairman of the CHS Board.
In the past 12 years, CHS has returned about $3.6 billion to its owners in the form of cash patronage.
The Brandon-based retail business delivers agronomy, energy, feed and grain products and services to South Dakota, Minnesota and Nebraska ag producers and other customers from 22 locations. It is part of CHS Inc., a leading global agribusiness owned by farmers, ranchers and cooperatives across the United States. Diversified in energy, agronomy, grains and foods, CHS is committed to helping its customers, farmer-owners and other stakeholders grow their businesses through its domestic and global operations. CHS supplies energy, crop nutrients, grain marketing services, animal feed, food and food ingredients along with financial and risk management services. The company operates petroleum refineries/pipelines and manufactures, markets and distributes Cenex® brand refined fuels, lubricants, propane and renewable energy products.
This document and other CHS Inc. publicly available documents contain, and CHS officers and representatives may from time to time make, “forward–looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Report Act of 1995. Forward–looking statements can be identified by words such as “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “goal,” “seek,” “believe,” “project,” “estimate,” “expect,” “strategy,” “future,” “likely,” “may,” “should,” “will” and similar references to future periods. Forward–looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on CHS current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of its businesses, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward–looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of CHS control. CHS actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward–looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward–looking statements. Important factors that could cause CHS actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward–looking statements are discussed or identified in CHS public filings made with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including in the “Risk Factors” discussion in Item 1A of CHS Annual Report on Form 10–K for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2018. Any forward–looking statements made by CHS in this document are based only on information currently available to CHS and speak only as of the date on which the statement is made. CHS undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward–looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
CHS Inc.
reported net income of $248.8 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2019 and
$596.3 million for the first six months of fiscal 2019.
“Our
strong performance in the second quarter reflects our hard work at serving our
owners and other customers better. We’ve refocused on serving our customers and
improving our operations, and that has shown positive results in our financials
for the first half of fiscal 2019,” said Jay Debertin, CHS president and
chief executive officer. “Our performance also reflects the benefit of a
diverse platform across business units that serves our cooperative and
farmer-owners.”
Grain powers American agriculture. During Stand-Up for Grain Safety Week, March 25 through 29, we want to remind everyone working on farms and in grain-handling facilities to respect and understand the risks associated with working with grain.
“It’s important to continue to work with the industry, our
employees and our farmer-owners on the hazards in the grain industry, while
stressing safe practices and controls to ensure their safety,” says Matt
Surdick, manager, Country Operations Environment, Health and Safety, CHS.
When most people think of agriculture, they wonder how we are going to feed the growing population of 9.6 billion by 2050. And while that’s an important question to consider, I find myself thinking more often about the individuals needed to fill the talent pipeline to feed that growing population.
With nearly 4 in 10 agriculture jobs going unfilled each
year and the average-age of farmers ever increasing, it’s going to take a
pragmatic, creative approach to encourage young people to pursue careers in
agriculture.
