What Premier Cooperative does

Premier Cooperative is an Illinois farmer-owned agricultural cooperative headquartered in Champaign, IL, operating 25 grain elevator and facility locations across central Illinois counties (including Tolono, Sidney, Ivesdale, Thomasboro, Rossville, and Farmer City). The cooperative serves its agricultural producer members through three primary product lines: grain marketing and handling (with grain-delivery, cash-bid, contract, drying, and on-farm pick-up services anchored at physical elevator sites with railroad and interstate highway shipping access), energy products (fuel, propane, lubricants, and DEF delivered to farm operations), and agronomy services delivered through a strategic partnership with United Prairie covering crop inputs and precision agriculture offerings. Technology infrastructure centers on the Premier+ digital member portal, which provides 24/7 grain selling and offer submission, customized reporting, farm yield and nutrient information, and integrated local weather data; the cooperative also operates a fuel monitor and app program, a rain gauge tracking dataset running since 2021, and harvest-hours/statistics dashboards. Premier generates revenue through transaction-based grain handling (elevator throughput and merchandising) and energy product sales, with agronomy routed via the United Prairie partnership. As a member-owned cooperative under a Board of Directors governance structure, Premier distributes surplus to its member-patrons and does not have external venture, private equity, or public-market ownership.

Name

Premier Cooperative

Legal name

Premier Cooperative, Inc.

Website

https://premiercooperative.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Premier Cooperative is an Illinois farmer-owned cooperative operating 25 grain elevator locations across the state, providing member farmers with grain marketing, energy products (fuel, propane, lubricants, DEF), and agronomy services through its United Prairie partnership and Premier+ digital platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Cooperative Services

NAICS

Grain and Field Bean Merchant Wholesalers (424510), Farm Product Warehousing and Storage (493130)

SIC

Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Grain Merchandising & Origination Facilities (AFAOAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bulk Grain Transload Terminals (Rail/Truck/Barge Intermodal) (AFAOAAAC), Grain & Agri-Bulk Terminals (Elevators, Silos, Feed Grains) (TLAHABAD), Member-Owned Food Cooperatives (CRAHALAA)

Keywords

• Grain marketing services
• Agricultural cooperative
• Energy products distribution
• Grain elevator operations
• Farm commodity handling

Headquarters

HQ city

Champaign

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Grain Marketing: Local grain market facilities where grain initially enters grain marketing channels. Farmers deliver grain to elevator locations for sale and distribution.
2. Energy Products: Sale of fuel, propane, lubricants, and DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) to agricultural members and local customers.
3. Agronomy Services: Agronomy services provided through United Prairie partnership, including crop inputs and related services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Premier Cooperative is a member-owned Illinois farm cooperative that provides grain marketing, grain handling, and storage through a network of 25 grain elevator locations with railroad and interstate highway shipping access. It also sells energy products including fuel, propane, lubricants, and diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), and connects members to agronomy services through a partnership with United Prairie. Members access grain trading, market commentary, and farm management tools through the Premier+ digital platform.

Product overview

Premier Cooperative offers a unified portfolio centered on agricultural cooperative services for Illinois farmers. The core offerings include Grain Marketing & Handling (grain elevator facilities with railroad and highway shipping), Energy Products (fuel, propane, lubricants, DEF), and Agronomy Services via United Prairie partnership. The Premier+ digital platform serves as the primary online interface, enabling 24/7 grain trading, customized reporting, farm yield tracking, and local weather integration across the cooperative's 25 locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Premier+: Member portal platform for grain selling, farm yield tracking, and market information access

Products and services

• Grain Marketing & Handling Core grain marketing and handling service in which farmers deliver grain to one of Premier Cooperative's 25 Illinois elevator locations for sale, storage, and distribution via railroad and interstate highway shipping. Includes cash bids, contracts, drying and discount rates, and harvest logistics for Illinois agricultural producers.
• Energy Products Sale of fuel, propane, lubricants, and diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) to agricultural members and local customers for use in farm and commercial operations. Includes related equipment offerings and a fuel monitor and app program.
• Premier+ Online Platform Digital member platform that enables growers to sell grain and submit offers 24/7, customize reports, view farm yield and nutrient information, and access local weather data, extending the cooperative's grain marketing service beyond physical elevator hours.
• Agronomy Services (via United Prairie partnership) Agronomy services provided to Premier Cooperative members through partner United Prairie, including crop protection, seed, and precision agriculture offerings that complement the cooperative's grain and energy product lines.
• On-Farm Pick Up Program Program in which Premier Cooperative collects grain directly from member farms, providing an alternative to delivering grain to an elevator location.
• Grain Contracts and Hedging Services Grain contracting services offered to members, including CHS Compass contracts and AgriVisor services, that allow farmers to manage price risk and forward-sell grain through the cooperative.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• United PrairiecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnited Prairie provides agronomy services to Premier Cooperative members. Premier Cooperative links to United Prairie for agronomy services including crop inputs, application services, and crop management solutions.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Cargill: Global grain merchandiser and agribusiness with substantial U.S. Midwest origination. Overlaps with Premier in buying Illinois corn and soybeans and competing for farmer deliveries, but on a vastly larger, multi-product platform.
• Archer Daniels Midland (ADM): Global agribusiness and major grain originator and processor operating across the Midwest. Competes with Premier for Illinois farmer bushels at the country elevator level but operates a much broader processing and trading book.

Others

• CoBank: Cooperative-oriented bank that lends to and finances Farm Credit associations and agribusiness co-ops like Premier. Comparable in cooperative ecosystem role, though financial rather than operational.

Direct peers

• GROWMARK: Illinois-headquartered farmer cooperative system providing grain, agronomy, energy, and FS-branded crop inputs across the Midwest. Highly comparable regional co-op competitor to Premier in Illinois grain and energy markets.
• Landus Cooperative: Iowa-based farmer-owned cooperative operating grain elevators, agronomy, and animal nutrition across the Midwest. Same farmer-cooperative business model, adjacent corn/soybean territory, and overlapping product lines.
• NEW Cooperative: Northwest Iowa farmer-owned cooperative operating grain, agronomy, and feed services. Comparable Midwest cooperative operating model and grain-elevator-centric footprint to Premier.
• Heartland Co-op: Central Iowa farmer-owned cooperative with grain, agronomy, and energy operations. Closely analogous to Premier in governance, member-based ownership, and core service mix across a similar crop mix.
• CHS Inc. Largest U.S. farmer-owned cooperative and a major grain originator with a broad U.S. Midwest footprint. Directly comparable to Premier in core grain handling, energy, and agronomy services, though at vastly greater scale.
• MFA Incorporated: Large Missouri-based farmer cooperative offering grain, agronomy, energy, livestock, and farm supply services. Similar diversified Midwest co-op model with strong rural retail and grain handling presence.

Regional players

• United Prairie: Premier's stated agronomy partner, providing crop inputs and precision agriculture to Illinois growers. Strategically linked to Premier through a formal partnership for agronomy services in Illinois.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PremierCoop
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC6mV4k5nY9JNSBlIjRnbnuQ/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/premiercoopinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Premier Cooperative