Grain and Feed Association of Illinois

What Grain and Feed Association of Illinois does

The Grain and Feed Association of Illinois (GFAI) is a non-profit trade association founded in 1893 (originally as the Illinois Grain Dealers Association) and headquartered at 3521 Hollis Drive in Springfield, Illinois. It represents more than 90% of the commercial grain storage space in Illinois, with members spanning grain elevators, grain handling facilities, processors, feed mills, ethanol producers, and industry suppliers including ADM, Bunge, GROWMARK, The Scoular Company, and Consolidated Grain & Barge. The association operates under a member-elected Board of Directors and is led day-to-day by three staff: Executive Vice-President Jeffrey Adkisson, SHES Director John Lee, and Director of Association Services Amanda Eichholz.

GFAI's core offering is its membership program, which bundles regulatory advocacy with a suite of member benefits: the Safety-Health-Environmental Services (SHES) program providing OSHA/EPA compliance consulting and customizable safety manuals; the GFAI Energy Consortium, a separate Illinois not-for-profit that aggregates electricity and natural gas procurement for members through partnerships with Homefield Energy, Constellation, and advisor Latham, Ervin, Vognsen & Associates; hands-on training at the Agricenter in Bloomington, IL; the ELEVATE professional development program; grain grading courses; and the Industry Immersion and Country Grain Elevator Management scholarships. Recent product activity includes the 2026 Digital Directory and a Grain Safety Essential Video launched in 2025.

GFAI is funded primarily through recurring annual membership dues supplemented by fees for training events, scholarships, and product sales (safety videos, directory listings). Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The association is governed by its member companies rather than outside investors, and its operating scope is restricted to Illinois. There is no disclosed use of AI, ML, or proprietary technology platforms; the organization functions as a membership, advocacy, and service-coordination body rather than a technology company.

Name

Grain and Feed Association of Illinois

Website

https://gfai.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1893

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Grain and Feed Association of Illinois (GFAI) is a 1893-founded non-profit trade association representing over 90% of commercial grain storage in Illinois. It serves grain elevators, feed mills, processors, and suppliers through advocacy, the SHES safety program, an energy procurement consortium, training, and scholarships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association Services

NAICS

Oilseed and Grain Farming (1111)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Supplier Approval, Verification & Food Safety Risk Management (GFSI-aligned) (AFALADAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

On-Farm Grain Quality Testing & Sampling (Mycotoxins, Dockage) (AFAOABAH)

Keywords

• Grain industry association
• Trade association services
• Safety compliance training
• Energy procurement consortium
• Industry scholarship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Springfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The association generates revenue through membership dues from grain elevators, grain handling facilities, processors, feed mills, and service companies in the grain and feed industry.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Grain and Feed Association of Illinois (GFAI) is a not-for-profit trade association that represents grain elevators, feed mills, processors, and industry service companies in Illinois. It provides member benefits including collective industry advocacy, regulatory compliance consulting (SHES Program), group energy procurement through the GFAI Energy Consortium, safety training resources, scholarships, and professional development events. Founded in 1893, GFAI represents more than 90% of the commercial grain storage space in Illinois.

Product overview

Grain and Feed Association of Illinois operates as a member-focused trade association offering a unified membership program that encompasses industry representation, advocacy, and member benefits. The core GFAI Membership provides access to the SHES Program for safety compliance, the GFAI Energy Consortium for energy risk management, and various training resources including the Grain Safety Essential Video, Agricenter Training Services, and professional development events like GFAI ELEVATE. Educational initiatives include the Industry Immersion Scholarship and Country Grain Elevator Management Scholarship programs. Additional services encompass Grain Grading training and the GFAI Digital Directory.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GFAI Energy Consortium: An Illinois not-for-profit corporation formed by GFAI to provide energy risk management solutions for grain elevators, feed mills, and related entities through strategic purchases of electricity and natural gas.
• GFAI ELEVATE
• SHES Program
• Industry Immersion Scholarship
• Country Grain Elevator Management Scholarship

Products and services

• GFAI Membership
• GFAI Energy Consortium
• Safety-Health-Environmental Services (SHES) Program
• Industry Immersion Scholarship
• Country Grain Elevator Management Scholarship
• Grain Safety Essentials Video
• Agricenter Training Services
• GFAI ELEVATE
• Safe Grain Handling Operations 2 Day Course
• Grain Grading
• GFAI 2026 Digital Directory

Named customers21 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Homefield EnergycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHomefield Energy serves as the Electricity Administrator for the GFAI Energy Consortium, providing electricity procurement services to members at competitive rates through the program's collective purchasing power.
• ConstellationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerConstellation serves as the Natural Gas Administrator for the GFAI Energy Consortium, providing natural gas procurement services to members through the program's collective purchasing power.
• Latham, Ervin, Vognsen & Associates, Inc.coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLEV Energy Advisors serves as the Consortium Advisor and Consultant, providing independent energy advisory services to the GFAI Energy Consortium board and program participants for responsible energy procurement decisions.
• Agricenter in Bloomington, ILminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHands-on training facility used by GFAI for safety training courses including Safe Grain Handling Operations. Real equipment and real-life scenarios are used to facilitate memorable learning experiences.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Feed Industry Association: National trade association representing the US feed industry, including many of the same feed mill members GFAI serves in Illinois. AFIA overlaps with GFAI on regulatory advocacy (FDA, feed safety), industry communications, and member training programming but at the national level.
• National Grain and Feed Association: National US trade association serving the grain, feed, processing, and export industry with advocacy, safety programs, and member services. NGFA is the broader incumbent counterpart to GFAI's state-level mandate, and the two frequently coordinate on federal regulatory and policy issues affecting the same Illinois grain and feed operators.

Direct peers

• Kansas Grain and Feed Dealers Association: Kansas state association representing grain elevators, feed mills, and agribusiness suppliers with regulatory, safety, and training services. Operates a near-identical model to GFAI (membership, advocacy, safety resources, conventions) in another major grain-producing state.
• Michigan Agri-Business Association: Michigan state agribusiness trade association serving grain elevators, feed companies, and suppliers. Direct state-level peer running parallel safety, regulatory, and advocacy programs to GFAI in a Midwest grain-producing state.
• Ohio AgriBusiness Association: Ohio state agribusiness association serving grain handlers, fertilizer and feed suppliers, and service companies. Comparable direct peer offering regulatory advocacy, safety resources, scholarships, and member events similar to GFAI's program stack.
• Nebraska Grain and Feed Association: Nebraska state-level trade association serving grain elevators, feed manufacturers, and allied industries. Provides advocacy, safety, and member benefit programming that mirrors GFAI's structure for a neighboring Corn Belt state.
• Indiana Grain and Feed Association: Indiana state grain and feed trade association offering advocacy, safety programs, and member services to grain handlers, feed mills, and processors. Direct state-level peer with the same member composition and service mix as GFAI in a neighboring state.
• Iowa Grain and Feed Association: Iowa state-level trade association serving grain elevators, feed manufacturers, and agribusiness suppliers. Closest direct functional peer to GFAI with a comparable mix of safety training, regulatory advocacy, scholarships, and energy or insurance service programs for an adjacent Corn Belt state.

Regional players

• Illinois Farm Bureau: Illinois statewide general agricultural advocacy organization representing farmer members across multiple commodities. Adjacent rather than direct peer - shares Illinois-only geography and overlapping advocacy channels but serves producers broadly rather than the grain elevator and feed mill segment GFAI focuses on.

Others

• Ag Processing Inc: Farmer-owned cooperative agribusiness engaged in soybean processing, grain merchandising, and renewable fuels. Member of GFAI via board representation and operates in adjacent segments (grain handling, processing) covered by GFAI's value proposition, making it an industry participant rather than a direct trade association peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/grainandfeed
• Facebookfacebook.com/GrainAndFeed

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Grain and Feed Association of Illinois