GROWMARK and Decision Commodities have formed an alliance to deliver and develop grain risk management products and services. 

Decision Commodities provides innovative forward contracts to grain producers. The company’s market based pricing tool, Decision Contracts, provides farmers a means of protecting themselves from adverse price movements. The company works closely with local grain elevators to offer the Decision Contracts program. 

The working relationship is designed to enhance marketing of Decision Contracts among GROWMARK member cooperatives and to develop new products and services that support the ability of cooperatives to successfully offer new generation grain contracts.

According to Davis Anderson, GROWMARK vice president of grain, GROWMARK member cooperatives were looking to find innovative grain/risk management products and services to help improve the profitability of their farmer-customers.

“Decision Commodities has demonstrated the success of its business model working with local cooperative elevators. The partnership between GROWMARK and Decision Commodities will accelerate the use of the company’s contracts and provide a foundation for competitive success among our member cooperatives in the area of producer risk management services,” Anderson says. "We believe that the farmer grain contract pricing system offered by Decision Commodities will increase the volume of grain in our member cooperative grain system. This will make more bushels available to our alliance with ADM and strengthen the overall GROWMARK cooperative system."

According to Louie Blank, manager of GROWMARK subsidiary MID-CO COMMODITIES, Inc., "Decision Commodities will complement the risk management services provided to member cooperatives through MID-CO. Our branch offices that handle producer accounts will also be able to utilize and support the Decision Commodities Decision Contracts if they fit a farmer’s risk management profile."

As part of the partnership, new services and products will be developed through shared work and resources of GROWMARK and Decision Commodities. GROWMARK will be making an investment in Decision Commodities and will have a seat on the board of directors. 

“While there are many services and tools available for producers to manage grain price risk, none have gained appreciable acceptance or use by the vast majority of farm producers,” said Kevin Kimle, President of Decision Commodities. “This partnership will accelerate our efforts to change that, one customer at a time. We look forward to our work together.” 

GROWMARK is a regional, federated cooperative system made up of local grain and farm supply cooperatives across the Midwest.