Owners of Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥, a global agribusiness and the nation’s leading cooperative, elected five board members to three-year terms during the 2025 Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ Annual Meeting held Dec. 4-5 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The following leaders were reelected to the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ Board of Directors:
- Alan Holm, who raises corn, soybeans, sweet corn, peas and alfalfa with his family near Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, and represents Region 1 (Minnesota).
- Kevin Throener, who raises crops and operates a cow-calf operation with his family near Cogswell, North Dakota. He represents Region 3 (North Dakota).
- Hal Clemensen, who raises corn and soybeans near Aberdeen, South Dakota. He represents Region 4 (South Dakota).
- Mark Farrell, who operates a family corn and soybean farm near Cross Plains, Wisconsin, and represents Region 5 (Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin).
- Jerrad Stroh who produces corn and soybeans on his family farm near Juniata, Nebraska, and represents Region 8 (Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas).
Board officer succession
The following Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ Board members were elected to one-year officer terms:
- C.J. Blew, Castleton, Kansas, elected chair
- Jon Erickson, Minot, North Dakota, elected first vice chair
- Scott Cordes, Wanamingo, Minnesota, reelected second vice chair
- Russ Kehl, Quincy, Washington, reelected secretary-treasurer
- Alan Holm, Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, reelected assistant secretary-treasurer
New Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ Board Chair C.J. Blew steps into the role held by Dan Schurr, LeClaire, Iowa, since 2017. Schurr announced in September 2025 that he would not seek reelection to his Board seat at the conclusion of his term in December 2026 and would not seek reelection for the chair role following the 2025 Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ Annual Meeting. Schurr’s final term in 2026 will mark 20 years of service to Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ and the cooperative system.
“I am dedicated to the cooperative system and Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥,” said Schurr. “I also believe strongly in the fresh thinking and new perspectives made possible through effective succession. While I have thoroughly enjoyed my service to Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ and its owners, it’s time for a new Board member to step in to help propel Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ into the future.”
“We thank Dan for his two decades of commitment to Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ and will continue to benefit from his experience and insights,” said Blew. “I am energized and excited to build on his legacy as we continue creating connections to empower agriculture through the strength of Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ and the cooperative system.”
Nominating committee elected
Also at the annual meeting, 16 members of the newly formed Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ Nominating Committee were elected. This group will work to secure the best candidates to lead Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ into the future as members of the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ Board of Directors and will recommend Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ Board candidates for the 2026 election.
Elected to one-year terms on the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ Nominating Committee were:
- Region 1: Ryan Mackenthun, Minnesota
- Region 2: Wagner Harmon, Montana
- Region 3: Darren Sletten, North Dakota
- Region 4: Miles Mendel, South Dakota
- Region 5: Jeremy Mills, Indiana
- Region 6: Adam Clark, Idaho
- Region 7: Glenn Christ, Iowa
- Region 8: Jeff Loschen, Nebraska
Elected to two-year terms on the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ Nominating Committee were:
- Region 1: Chad Okeson, Minnesota
- Region 2: Dan Schuler, Montana
- Region 3: Adam Leiphon, North Dakota
- Region 4: Tyler Fischer, South Dakota
- Region 5: Tom Walker, Wisconsin
- Region 6: John Schumacher, Idaho
- Region 7: Tracy Studer, Iowa
- Region 8: Rick Brune, Nebraska
Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥. (www.chsinc.com) creates connections to empower agriculture. As a leading global agribusiness and the largest farmer-owned cooperative in the United States, Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ serves customers in 65 countries and employs approximately 10,000 people worldwide. We provide critical crop inputs, market access and risk management services that help farmers feed the world. Our diversified agronomy, grains, foods and energy businesses recorded revenues of $35.5 billion in fiscal year 2025. Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ is committed to reducing our impact on the planet, finding and developing new solutions in agriculture and energy, and investing in ways to build a better future for our owners, customers, employees and communities.
