Value-Added Corner
Identifying ‘better ideas’ helps
MaxYield Co-op double sales
“We view ourselves less as a traditional input supplier and more as an entrepreneurial solutions finder,” says MaxYield Cooperative CEO
Keith Heim. Photo courtesy MaxYield Cooperative
ike the farm sector itself, gas to its mix of operations. The operation remains a traditional,
Iowa’s MaxYield “The two Value-Added Producer 100 percent farmer-owned cooperative
Cooperative has had its Grants were instrumental in our that handles more than 80 million
ups and downs since its decisionmaking process,” MaxYield bushels of corn and 5 million bushels of
first stockholders met in CEO Keith Heim explains. “The soybeans per year. MaxYield also
1915. But with plenty of local faith and feasibility studies clearly showed that provides solutions by managing
investment, and support from various the time was not yet right for methane sophisticated marketing, seed, fertilizer,
USDA programs, MaxYield Cooper- digestion here, and that we should feed and fuel needs both for farmers
ative (previously West Bend Elevator continue to expand the biodiesel retail and for major bioenergy companies,
Co.) and its 18 locations across north- market share but hold off on entering such as Global Ethanol.
west Iowa are on a healthy growth curve. into biodiesel production.” “In the last fiscal year, we have
One reason for the recent, well- become a very ‘Lead with Seed’
directed growth of this co-op, New solutions company,” Arndt explains. “That’s what
headquartered in West Bend, Iowa, is Billing itself as “not your grand- we call it, because seed-trait technology
USDA’s Value Added Producer Grant father’s cooperative,” Heim says “we today demands that we focus on seed
(VAPG) program. Under the program’s view ourselves less as a traditional input solutions for our clients. Agriculture is
50/50 match rules, MaxYield received supplier and more as an entrepreneurial probably the most exciting thing going
$30,500 in VAPG funding to study the solutio