Landus Cooperative recently swapped facilities with another agriculture cooperative.

Landus Cooperative CEO Matt Carstens tells Raccoon Valley Radio in response to the agriculture industry consolidations and condensing of the market, they wanted to create synergies with other cooperatives so they could continue to thrive. He says the Landus Board of Directors unanimously approved trading facilities with Heartland Cooperative, including Earlham for Panora and Woodward for Rippey.

“Heartland (Cooperative) had more activity by the two, Earlham and Woodward, and we had more activity around Rippey and Panora. It just made sense for the farmer and the farmer’s money to do that. Especially now that you’ve got all the ethanol plants, and feed mills, and other avenues for grain that we felt like this would help us compete more and successfully for and with our farmers in the marketplace, long-term.”  

Carstens notes the Panora facility will help offset some of the grain that will be involved with a new feed mill with AMVC in Audubon, with their new agreement from earlier this year.

“So that’s going to take 7-8 million bushels, which is way more than what Hamlin stores. So various facilities like Manilla and now Panora will be going to feed that feed mill. So that was a really good strategic fit there for us and adding value to that Panora market through that feed mill that’s going to be built with AMVC.”  

Carstens adds the Rippey facility is less than five miles from their agronomy plant in Perry, which he believes having both a grain and agronomy facilities that close together will help improve their operations overall.