#38 – CHS: Empowering Agriculture

“To create connections that empower agriculture.”

This is the purpose statement of CHS Inc., a Minnesota-based Fortune 100 cooperative owned by agricultural cooperatives, farmers, ranchers, and thousands of stockholders across the United States.

Rooted in the American Midwest, CHS has evolved from its origins as Cenex Harvest States into one of the largest agribusiness cooperatives in the world.

Since adopting the “CHS Inc.” name in 2003, it has operated across a vast range of activities, from food processing and retail to farm supply, financial services, and energy distribution.

But beyond the size and scope of its operations, what sets CHS apart is how clearly its purpose reflects its structure: it’s a company owned by the very people it serves.

Empowerment is the logic of mutual benefit that drives every connection the cooperative builds: between producers and markets, between rural communities and global trade, between tradition and innovation.

In an era when agriculture is facing deep structural, environmental, and generational challenges, CHS reminds us that connection is a form of collective strength.