Aerial view of silos and fields

Sustainability

Elevating sustainability through cooperative strength

Caring for people and the environment will always be at the heart of the agricultural cooperative system. That is why CHS is embedding sustainability into our strategy and operations with the goal of creating value for our owners, our people and communities while supporting environmental success.

Our fiscal year 2025 sustainability report

In fiscal year 2025, CHS continued to create connections to empower agriculture through:

  • Increasing operational efficiency and understanding our emissions footprint through greenhouse gas (GHG) data collection
  • Expanding low-carbon opportunities for growers through products, partnerships and joint ventures
  • Advancing supply chain traceability and non- deforestation efforts in South America
  • Investing nearly $8.7 million into communities and rural America – significantly advancing initiatives in year two of our 3-year strategy
  • Matching contributions for local projects in more than 400 rural communities across the CHS trade territory
2025 sustainability report (English)
2025 sustainability report (Spanish)
2025 sustainability report (Portuguese)

“Nearly 100 years ago, our CHS predecessors recognized the value of working together, striving for shared success through cooperation. We apply that same cooperative thinking to our sustainability efforts today, making every decision with an eye to what’s best for our company, our people and our world. We are proud of what we accomplished in fiscal year 2025. We will continue investing in responsible and resilient supply chains, supporting our communities and reducing our impact on the climate as we fulfill our purpose of creating connections to empower agriculture.”

Jay Debertin, president and CEO, and C.J. Blew, chair, Board of Directors​

Our sustainability focus areas

Climate icon

Reduce our impact on the climate

Forest icon

Responsible sourcing of our key ag commodities

People icon

Strengthen our connections by serving people and communities

Sustainability in action

Corn seedlings

Optimizing nutrient management

CHS is fully engaged with planning and advancing The Fertilizer Institute’s 4Rs Nutrient Stewardship program. We put 4Rs principles into practice by providing agronomic recommendations and developing products that maximize nutrient availability to grow crops and improve soil health.

E-crane

Leveraging technology

An electric crane, or E-Crane, is in use by CHS at a private terminal along the Paraná Guazú River in Argentina. This crane is designed to maintain equilibrium at all times and reduce energy consumption. This new technology will also reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

Cows eating hay from a trough

Sustainability in livestock production

In 2023, CHS joined the iFEEDER Sustainability Road Map Project to help implement animal feed objectives identified in the first project phase around data and information management, sustainability research, life cycle assessments, and educational resources and training. CHS personnel serve on the iFEEDER board of trustees.

Volunteers working in a garden

Volunteering in our communities

CHS employees volunteered more than 23,000 hours in more than 35 communities in 2023. Projects included packing 32,500 meals to ensure access to affordable, healthy food and writing 175 cards for military members. During the CHS Giving Campaign, 830 employees raised $1.3 million for more than 740 nonprofit organizations.

Drone flying over grain bins

Increasing safety with drone applications

CHS is using innovative drone technologies to capture and apply data across the company to boost productivity, increase efficiency and improve safety. From inspecting grain to checking grain-handling equipment, drones help enhance productivity and accelerate decision-making, while improving safety for employees by reducing the need to inspect elevated and/or enclosed spaces.

Young adults sitting around a table

Developing new leaders

Encouraging young people to step into leadership roles is key to sustainability of the cooperative system. Cooperatives nominate young farmer-owners to attend the annual CHS New Leaders Forum, where participants learn about the cooperative model and benefits of cooperative ownership, gain skills in advocacy and communication, interact with members of the CHS Board of Directors and other CHS leaders, and network with other young leaders from around the U.S.

See how we invest in co-op communities and future ag leaders

Learn more
A group of young men and women sitting at a table

Engaging stakeholders in sustainability

CHS members engage in activities related to sustainability throughout the year as we gather their input and ideas, answer questions and work together toward a more sustainable future.

Providing commodity market information, sharing new production approaches and offering opportunities to build leadership skills are just some of the ways CHS helps farmer-owners and cooperative leaders build knowledge for personal and business success. We have recently hosted education sessions at the CHS annual meeting, engaged with new leaders, participated in employee engagement activities and more to drive awareness of sustainability efforts.