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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 takes an outcome-based approach to sustainability with a long-term view on people, community, economic viability and environmental success.
Cotton field
Setting our sustainability focus areas

In early fiscal year 2023, CHS engaged 25 external stakeholders and more than 100 employees. This activity also included members of our strategic leadership team, including President and CEO Jay Debertin, as well as members of the CHS Board of Directors. The CHS team led the rigorous process, which included a survey, one-on-one interviews and internal listening sessions. The team asked each participant to describe perceived opportunities and challenges and overall sentiment about sustainability.

Through thorough analysis, including a third-party consultant, the team identified and categorized common themes for internal and external stakeholders. Each step in this critical assessment process contributed to development of four focus areas and the decision to work toward aligning those focus areas and strategy with six of the 17 United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Jay Debertin, President and chief executive officer, and Dan Schurr, Chair, Board of Directors
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At CHS, we believe sustainability is inherent in what we do: making agriculture more productive, helping communities thrive and feeding a growing global population while using fewer resources. Our current and future investments will play a critical role in this work as we leverage innovative solutions and technologies to drive continuous improvement and enhance outcomes.

Jay Debertin, CEO and Dan Schurr, Chair, Board of Directors
Megan Rock, Vice president, sustainability and innovation, and chief sustainability officer
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The agriculture industry and CHS have always evolved to meet new challenges, adapting to uncertainty and change. As a company intrinsically linked to the land, we believe our business model should drive sustainable outcomes that improve agriculture and rural America.

Megan Rock, chief sustainability officer

Sustainability in action

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

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.