The Equity
The Equity is the largest independent agricultural cooperative in Illinois, serving growers and rural customers across 18+ locations in Illinois and Indiana through agronomy, grain, feed, energy, and retail divisions under member-owned cooperative governance.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1919
- HeadquartersEffingham, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Equity does
The Equity (legal name: The Equity, formerly Effingham Equity Cooperative Union Exchange) is an independent agricultural cooperative founded in 1919 and headquartered at 201 W Roadway Ave, Effingham, Illinois. It operates 18 full-time branches plus 4 seasonal locations across approximately 20,000 square miles of south-central Illinois and southwest Indiana, self-described as the largest independent agricultural cooperative in Illinois. The cooperative serves agricultural producers and growers through five divisions: Agronomy (crop protection, seed, crop nutrition, custom application, precision agriculture via Planters Precision, and spray drone application via Green Creek Drones), Grain (marketing, cash bids, futures, hedging via GO EDGE, grain elevators at multiple locations), Feed & Livestock (specialty and show feeds including EQUITY ELITE private-label products for beef, dairy, swine, equine, goats, sheep, poultry, rabbits, and show animals), Energy (propane delivery, refined fuels, lubricants, DEF, and GO LEVEL PAY budget billing), and Farm & Home Store retail (hardware, lawn/garden, pet supplies, propane cylinder refilling with online ordering and curbside pickup). The GTM motion is sales-led through dedicated branch staff, complemented by the My Account web and mobile portal (iOS/Android) that integrates grain scale tickets, cash bids, electronically signed grain contracts, field maps, soil tests, and application activity notifications; GO FLEX provides one-year operating lines of credit to growers and partner financing is offered through John Deere Financial, TruChoice Financial, CHS Capital, and ProPartners Financial. The cooperative is member-owned under a stockholder governance model with an elected board and is currently not accepting new cash propane or home heating customers through February 2025 due to staffing constraints.
The Equity firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Equity
- Legal name
- The Equity
- Website
- https://theequity.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1919
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- The Equity is the largest independent agricultural cooperative in Illinois, serving growers and rural customers across 18+ locations in Illinois and Indiana through agronomy, grain, feed, energy, and retail divisions under member-owned cooperative governance.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where The Equity is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Effingham
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices19 records
Markets served
The Equity business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Agronomy Products and Services: Sale of crop protection products, seed, crop nutrition/fertilizers, and custom application services including precision agriculture and drone spraying. Products purchased through agronomy locations with credit terms available.
- Grain Marketing Services: Grain purchasing and marketing services including cash bids, futures, GO EDGE marketing program, average price program, and grain contract strategies. Operates grain elevators at multiple locations.
- Feed Products: Sale of feed products for beef, dairy, swine, equine, goats, sheep, poultry, rabbits, and show animals. Includes bagged and bulk feed sold through locations and Farm & Home Stores.
- Energy Products: Sale of propane, refined fuels, lubricants, and Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF). Includes delivery services, propane tank leasing, and billing programs like GO LEVEL PAY.
- GO FLEX Financing: Agricultural input financing program allowing growers to establish operating lines of credit for seed, fertilizer, crop protection, and other inputs. Interest accrues from disbursement date with maturity typically March 1.
- Farm & Home Retail Store: Retail hardware and home improvement store sales including automotive, building materials, cleaning supplies, storage products. Also offers bagged feed, pet food, propane cylinder refilling. Both physical stores and online ordering with curbside pickup.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly Line of Credit - Standard Terms |
| Subscription | Monthly | GO LEVEL PAY - Residential Propane Budget Program |
| Subscription | Annual | GO FLEX - Agricultural Input Financing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
The Equity product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Equity is an independent agricultural cooperative that supplies agricultural producers with crop inputs (seed, fertilizer, crop protection), custom application services, precision agriculture and drone-based spraying, grain marketing and hedging, livestock feed, propane/refined fuel/lubricants delivery, and farm/home retail goods. It operates 18 full-time locations across south-central Illinois and southwest Indiana serving approximately 20,000 square miles, and is organized into five divisions: Agronomy, Grain, Feed & Livestock, Energy, and Farm & Home Store.
Product overview
The Equity is an independent agricultural cooperative offering a multi-divisional portfolio of products and services organized into five core divisions: Agronomy (crop protection, seed, precision agriculture, drone application), Grain (marketing, cash bids, hedging), Feed & Livestock (specialty feeds for multiple animal species), Energy (propane, refined fuels, lubricants), and Farm & Home Store (retail hardware). The company operates two affiliates—Planters Precision (precision planter/sprayer equipment services) and Green Creek Drones (spray drone application)—alongside branded sub-products including GO SMART, GO EDGE, GO Effect, GO FLEX financing, GO LEVEL PAY energy budgeting, and Planters + GCD Coin loyalty program. The portfolio includes proprietary feed brand EQUITY ELITE and technology platforms (My Account customer portal with mobile app, Grain App) that provide integrated account management, field mapping, and grain marketing capabilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Planters Precision: Precision agronomy services offering custom planter, sprayer, and combine installs and rebuilds with five service trucks for on-farm or field service calls.
- Green Creek Drones
- The Equity Farm & Home Store
- GO Brands
Products and services
- Agronomy Services Comprehensive agronomy offerings including crop protection, seed, crop nutrition, custom fertilizer and chemical application, precision agriculture (Planters Precision installs and rebuilds), and drone-based spraying (Green Creek Drones). Available to agricultural growers through agronomy branch locations with GO FLEX financing.
- Grain Services Grain purchasing and marketing services including cash bids, futures, GO EDGE marketing program, average price program, contract strategies, grain text updates, and a dedicated grain mobile app. Operates grain elevators at multiple Illinois locations.
- Feed & Livestock
Quantifiable outcome
- 20,000 square miles of market coverage with 18+ locations
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use The Equity
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Equity technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
Feature4 records
The Equity partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- Planters PrecisioncoreAffiliated precision agronomy brand offering custom planter, sprayer, and combine installs and rebuild services. Five service trucks provide on-farm or field service calls. Three locations in Montrose, Gays, and Moweaqua serve The Equity customers.
- Green Creek DronescoreCutting-edge spray drone company providing custom aerial crop protection application. Offers sales, training, and service expertise. Works in partnership with The Equity to provide custom spray application within The Equity's trade territory.
- Climate FieldviewsupportingClimate Fieldview agricultural data platform integration available through The Equity for precision agriculture mapping and field management.
- WinField UnitedsupportingWinField United agronomy products and services available through The Equity locations.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Equity competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CHS Inc. CHS is the largest US agricultural cooperative, operating energy, agronomy, grain, and retail divisions similar to The Equity. Both are member-owned co-ops providing multi-division farm services, though CHS operates at national scale.
- GROWMARK: GROWMARK is a regional agricultural cooperative serving Illinois and surrounding states with agronomy, grain, energy, and retail services. Highly comparable to The Equity in business model, geography overlap, and member-owned cooperative structure.
- Land O'Lakes: Land O'Lakes is a member-owned agricultural cooperative with crop inputs, livestock feed (Purina), and dairy businesses. Comparable cooperative structure and feed/livestock overlap with The Equity's feed division, though much larger and nationally focused.
- Heartland Co-op: Heartland Co-op is an Iowa-based agricultural cooperative offering grain, agronomy, and feed services. Similar full-service cooperative model to The Equity, serving Midwest growers with comparable input distribution and grain marketing offerings.
- MFA Incorporated: MFA is a Missouri-based agricultural cooperative offering crop protection, seed, fertilizer, grain, livestock feed, and energy products. Closely matches The Equity's five-division portfolio and member-owned structure across a contiguous Midwest geography.
- Co-Alliance Cooperative: Co-Alliance is an Indiana-based agricultural cooperative offering agronomy, energy, grain, and retail services. Directly comparable to The Equity in geography (overlapping Indiana footprint), business mix, and member-owned structure.
- Premier Companies: Premier Companies is an Indiana-based agricultural cooperative serving growers with agronomy, energy, and grain services. Comparable cooperative model with overlapping Indiana geography and similar five-division service offering to The Equity.
Broad incumbents
- Cargill: Cargill is a global agribusiness giant with grain origination, crop inputs, and animal nutrition operations. Overlaps with The Equity's grain and feed businesses but operates at vastly larger scale and broader geography as a broad incumbent.
- ADM: ADM is a global agricultural processor and grain originator with Ag Services and Nutrition divisions. Competes with The Equity in grain origination and feed/nutrition, but at vastly larger scale as a public broad incumbent.
Others
- WinField United: WinField United is a crop inputs and agronomy brand owned by Land O'Lakes that supplies seed, crop protection, and digital tools to retailers including The Equity. Already a partner/supplier to The Equity, relevant as a competitive benchmark and channel partner.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Equity social profiles
Digital presenceThe Equity financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Equity leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles20 records
The Equity subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
The Equity funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Equity M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Equity
What does The Equity do?
The Equity is an independent agricultural cooperative that supplies agricultural producers with crop inputs (seed, fertilizer, crop protection), custom application services, precision agriculture and drone-based spraying, grain marketing and hedging, livestock feed, propane/refined fuel/lubricants delivery, and farm/home retail goods. It operates 18 full-time locations across south-central Illinois and southwest Indiana serving approximately 20,000 square miles, and is organized into five divisions: Agronomy, Grain, Feed & Livestock, Energy, and Farm & Home Store.
Is The Equity a public or private company?
The Equity is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was The Equity founded?
The Equity was founded in 1919. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is The Equity based?
The Equity is headquartered in Effingham, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Equity make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Agronomy Products and Services are the primary driver. The others are grain Marketing Services, feed Products, energy Products, GO FLEX Financing and farm & Home Retail Store.
Who are The Equity's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CHS Inc., GROWMARK, Land O'Lakes, Heartland Co-op, MFA Incorporated, Co-Alliance Cooperative and Premier Companies. Broad incumbents are Cargill and ADM. WinField United is listed as an others.
Does The Equity have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Equity.