CHS to build a new grain shuttle facility in southeast South Dakota

For further information, contact:
Jen Johnson
605.222.2243
jennifer.johnson2@chsinc.com

CHS to build a new grain shuttle facility in southeast South Dakota

Sioux Falls, S.D., (Jan. 17, 2023) — CHS Inc. will begin construction this spring on a new grain shuttle facility in southeast South Dakota, a strategic location in its Pacific Northwest corridor.

“We continue to reinvest in projects that bring even more value to our owners while expanding customer-focused retail solutions for area farmers,” says Rick Dusek, executive vice president of CHS ag retail operations. “Our continued focus is on making investments on behalf of our farmer-owners that will strengthen rural America and help meet the growing demand for agricultural products and services.”

The new facility will include industry-leading technology and the latest safety features in the new 1.1-million-bushel grain facility. It will be built near the intersection of Interstate 29 and State Highway 44 in southeast South Dakota and tie into an existing rail loop currently used for CHS agronomy operations. The facility will feature fast and efficient receiving and loadout capabilities to bring area farmers even more market access in the Pacific Northwest grain corridor and other important markets.

“This investment in infrastructure and supply chain capabilities is part of a coordinated and focused effort to drive operational and efficiency gains throughout our expansive CHS network,” says Kent Mulder, CHS vice president of operations in South Dakota and the Southern Plains. “Our operational footprint and assets are the strength of our supply chain and this important project delivers on our strategy to have safe, efficient assets in the right places to best serve our farmer-owners’ increasing need for speed and space and connect them to global markets.”

The new facility will create a safer environment for employees, farmers and community members through cleaner operating conditions and updated equipment with enhanced safety features.

“The strength of rural America relies on agriculture, and CHS is well-positioned to grow and expand opportunities for our farmer-owners through these strategic investments,” Mulder says.

CHS Inc. (www.chsinc.com) is 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 creating connections to empower agriculture, helping its farmer-owners, customers and other stakeholders grow their businesses through its domestic and global operations. CHS supplies energy, crop nutrients, seed, crop protection products, grain marketing services, production and agricultural services, animal nutrition products, foods and food ingredients, and risk management services. The company operates petroleum refineries and 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 Reform 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, financial condition and results of operations, 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 place undue reliance 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 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, 2022. These factors may include: changes in commodity prices; the impact of government policies, mandates, regulations and trade agreements; global and regional political, economic, legal and other risks of doing business globally; the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine; the impact of inflation; the impact of epidemics, pandemics, outbreaks of disease and other adverse public health developments, including COVID-19; the impact of market acceptance of alternatives to refined petroleum products; consolidation among our suppliers and customers; nonperformance by contractual counterparties; changes in federal income tax laws or our tax status; the impact of compliance or noncompliance with applicable laws and regulations; the impact of any governmental investigations; the impact of environmental liabilities and litigation; actual or perceived quality, safety or health risks associated with our products; the impact of seasonality; the effectiveness of our risk management strategies; business interruptions, casualty losses and supply chain issues; the impact of workforce factors; our funding needs and financing sources; financial institutions’ and other capital sources’ policies concerning energy-related businesses; uncertainty regarding the transition away from LIBOR and the replacement of LIBOR with an alternative reference rate; technological improvements that decrease the demand for our agronomy and energy products; our ability to complete, integrate and benefit from acquisitions, strategic alliances, joint ventures, divestitures and other nonordinary course-of-business events; security breaches or other disruptions to our information technology systems or assets; the impact of our environmental, social and governance practices, including failures or delays in achieving our strategies or expectations related to climate change or other environmental matters; the impairment of long-lived assets; and other factors affecting our businesses generally. 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 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 except as required by applicable law.

CHS Foundation supports university precision agriculture and diversity initiatives at Northeast Community College and University of Nebraska-Lincoln

The CHS Foundation recently awarded $1 million to support student learning and success at seven colleges and universities. The funding supported five precision agriculture and two diversity and inclusion projects, including two in Nebraska.   

The CHS Foundation awarded Northeast Community College, Norfolk, Neb., a $250,000 grant to outfit an existing mobile learning lab with more equipment and provide support for taking the simulator into even more high school and college ag classrooms.  The trailer includes activities like soil moisture probes, a two-row precision planter and a variable rate sprayer.  

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln received $80,000 to continue an inclusive student mentor program.  The program will build relationships between minority high school and undergraduate students and agricultural professionals with diverse backgrounds. The goal is to increase women and minority participation in STEM-related agricultural careers.  

“We believe precision agriculture and diversity and inclusion are two of the most pressing issues facing the future of agriculture,” says Nanci Lilja, president, CHS Foundation. “The ag industry needs to be innovative in the way we attract talent and how we evolve our agronomic practices for the future. These seven colleges and universities are delivering on those innovations and have unique approaches to reaching the next generation of ag leaders.”  

The CHS Foundation is funded by gifts from CHS Inc., and develops the next generation of ag leaders through support of cooperative education, ag leadership programs, and university initiatives. For more on the CHS Foundation and funding initiatives, visit chsfoundation.org.  

Les Klukas named Energy Manager for CHS based out of Brandon, SD

Les Klukas has been with CHS for the past 21 years and the cooperative system for 30 years. He started his career with Farmers Coop of Balaton, which is now part of CHS based out of Brandon, SD. Les grew up in Balaton where he graduated high school and went on to attend St. Cloud State University, obtaining his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management.

Les began his career as a Certified Energy Specialist in 1998 in Western IA, where he later managed the energy department.  In 2002, Les started with CHS Propane as a Wholesale Account Manager and later transitioned to CHS Hedging as an Energy Market analyst in 2008.  He returned to CHS Propane in 2013 as a Sr. Account Manager before moving to the CHS Energy Equipment group in 2017. 

Les will learn and develop the knowledge for the CHS trade territory based out of Brandon, SD in the coming months and lead the group upon Chuck Springman’s retirement on September 1, 2020. Having Les on staff for the next few months will allow Chuck to mentor, train and transition the remarkable energy business that has been built over the years under Chuck’s direction.  With Les’ wealth of experience in the energy industry, we look forward to a smooth transition and continuing the high-quality products and service you’ve come to know and trust.

Good Friday Hours

We wish you and your family a very blessed Easter weekend.

All locations will be running normal hours except for those with adjusted hours below.

Adjusted hours:

  • Marshall Office – Closing at Noon
  • Kanaranzi location – Closed
  • Canton Grain – Closing at Noon
  • Ruthton Office – Closing at Noon (Grain and agronomy open normal hours.)

General Manager Update On COVID-19

March 19, 2020

As you are aware, the impact of the global pandemic caused by COVID-19 continues to rapidly evolve. Safety is a core value for CHS and includes a focus on the health and wellbeing of our employees, families, customers and owners, and the communities in which we live and work.

We understand that spring is here, and I want to emphasize; we are open for business. We are simply adjusting some protocols. CHS based out of Brandon, S.D. has implemented the following changes effective Thursday, March 19th, until further notice: 

  • We are limiting access at all locations. We respectfully ask you to contact us through phone or email whenever possible. Some of our locations have enacted split shift schedules; staff that can work remotely, have been asked to do so and will be available via phone or e-mail.
  • If you need a grain check, please contact us and we will mail it promptly, deliver it to local bank for deposit or setup a pickup location outside of the office. 
  • All visitors to our office will be required to complete a questionnaire before entering our facilities. We are also asking all staff and visitors to adhere to the 6-foot distance recommended by the CDC to reduce virus spread.
  • For in-home propane leak checks, inspections or service; customers will be asked to complete a simple screening questionnaire prior to any CHS employee providing in-home service work.    
  • We have restricted face-to-face meetings. Our sales staff will conduct business via phone, text or email. As a company that prides itself on the relationships we have built, this will be a difficult change. However, face-to-face meetings pose a greater risk for everyone involved. If you need to conduct critical business that requires an in-person meeting, please call for an appointment to confirm access to the facility and availability of staff.
  • We ask you to call ahead for product pickup whenever possible, our team will ensure that everything is ready to load upon your arrival.
  •  For those customers or vendors delivering grain or picking up products, we ask that you limit your time in the office to essential business. At some locations, we are asking drivers to remain in their cab. Please check our location policies or watch for information and direction upon arrival.

We will adjust our practices as necessary in the coming days, weeks or months. Rest assured, it is our commitment that we will continue to provide excellent service and support throughout this unprecedented time, even if we must do it differently. We value your business, your trust in CHS and appreciate your understanding during this time. We look forward to resuming normal interactions as soon as it is deemed safe to do so.

Kent Mulder
General Manager
CHS based out of Brandon, S.D.

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