United Farmers Cooperative Joins Optimization by Landus
Jun 09, 2021
United Farmers Cooperative (UFC) announced today it has entered into agreement with Landus to join the Landus Optimization Network. Landus is a farmer-owned agricultural cooperative headquartered in Ames, Iowa. As Iowa’s largest cooperative, Landus employs 600 full-time employees at locations in more than 60 communities to serve their 7,000 farmer-owners. UFC is the second agriculture retail company from Minnesota and fourth overall to participate in this innovative alternative to a traditional merger or acquisition.
The Landus Optimization Network, launched in April 2021, is an innovative alternative to traditional mergers and acquisitions for agriculture retail. Participating companies maintain autonomy, preserve local community presence, and enhance member-owner relationships while participating in a shared platform of strength. The model is designed for collaboration and optimization on grain, feed, soybean processing, agronomy, data, technology, logistics, and back-office functions. It also provides the opportunity to maximize capital investments, infrastructure capacity, and employee talent.
“It’s exciting to see the momentum starting to build for this new way to collaborate. It speaks volumes about the need for a better way to work across organizations who serve farmers directly,” said Matt Carstens, President and CEO, Landus. “We welcome UFC to our growing network of farmer facing businesses in Minnesota.”
Effective today June 9, 2021, UFC became an optimization partner with Landus while continuing to maintain a separate Board of Directors, employees, and operations.
“We are in a constant state of change across our industry, and it is partnership opportunities like this that inspire me,” said Mitch Altermatt, CEO & General Manager, UFC. “Now more than ever, we need to focus on the growers’ current and future needs, and this ‘local collaboration’ approach is a significant step in the right direction. We look forward to sharing resources and learning from this group of forward thinkers.”
Financial terms of the agreement are not being disclosed. Agreements are tailored to the strengths of each party and developed on a case-by-case basis. Refer to previous announcements here.
For further information about the Landus Optimization Network and its benefits, refer to the list of frequently asked questions here.
The Landus Optimization Network, launched in April 2021, is an innovative alternative to traditional mergers and acquisitions for agriculture retail. Participating companies maintain autonomy, preserve local community presence, and enhance member-owner relationships while participating in a shared platform of strength. The model is designed for collaboration and optimization on grain, feed, soybean processing, agronomy, data, technology, logistics, and back-office functions. It also provides the opportunity to maximize capital investments, infrastructure capacity, and employee talent.
“It’s exciting to see the momentum starting to build for this new way to collaborate. It speaks volumes about the need for a better way to work across organizations who serve farmers directly,” said Matt Carstens, President and CEO, Landus. “We welcome UFC to our growing network of farmer facing businesses in Minnesota.”
Effective today June 9, 2021, UFC became an optimization partner with Landus while continuing to maintain a separate Board of Directors, employees, and operations.
“We are in a constant state of change across our industry, and it is partnership opportunities like this that inspire me,” said Mitch Altermatt, CEO & General Manager, UFC. “Now more than ever, we need to focus on the growers’ current and future needs, and this ‘local collaboration’ approach is a significant step in the right direction. We look forward to sharing resources and learning from this group of forward thinkers.”
Financial terms of the agreement are not being disclosed. Agreements are tailored to the strengths of each party and developed on a case-by-case basis. Refer to previous announcements here.
For further information about the Landus Optimization Network and its benefits, refer to the list of frequently asked questions here.