CHS is the third-largest US exporter of grain, moving more than one billion bushels of grain to more than 60 countries through its network of elevators and terminals in North and South America, Europe and Asia. This Temco export grain facility in Tacoma WA, is a joint venture between Cargill and CHS, as are the Temco facilities in Kalama and Portland.
In a ten year period CHS’s revenues have climbed from $7.85bn to $40bn
The largest co-op in the US is unknown to most Americans — but it is a critical element of the country’s economy.
CHS Inc. is a farmer-owned co-op headquartered in Inver Grove, Minnesota, just south of St Paul. It was formed in 1998 through a merger of Cenex and Harvest States, both date back to the 1930s. The co-op is owned by 325,000 farmer members – either directly or indirectly, via about 1,100 local co-ops across the US Midwest and Northwest.
In 2012, CHS will for the first time in its history achieve sales of over $40 billion. That places CHS as No.1 on the National Cooperative Bank (NCB) list of the top 100 co-operatives in the USA. Net income for CHS in 2012 was $1.26bn, the first time any US co-op has earned over the $1bn net income mark. In 2012, CHS distributed $421 million in patronage to its co-operative owners.
The history of CHS is an interesting one of multiple mergers of farmer-owned co-operatives over many decades. However, as CHS grew in size its corporate capacity grew in many directions. Today, CHS’s operations span the globe with numerous co-op and non-co-op partnerships in many of the countries where CHS is creating and building markets.