Casey Gerk says farewell after 21 years on co-op board

    Casey Gerk, chairman of the CHS Grainland board of directors, said farewell to members at the annual meeting Thursday, March 2, highlighting some of the numerous changes he’s seen made to the co-op during that time.
    When Gerk was first elected to the board, it was in 1996 for the Amherst Co-op, of which he became board chairman in 2002. In 2007, the Amherst and Holyoke co-ops became Grainland, and in 2011, Gerk saw Grainland merge with CHS.
    He became the CHS Grainland board chairman in 2012 and saw Farmers Cooperative Association in Brule, Nebraska, merge with CHS Grainland. Finally, the Agronomy Internal Partnership was developed in 2015.
    The fiscal year ending Aug. 31, 2016, marked the first year of the AIP, in which CHS Grainland and M&M combined their agronomy departments. The Thursday meeting reflected that restructuring throughout.
    Considering the many changes over the years, Gerk said, “As farmers, we change our wheat variety; we switch to a different corn number to plant. We might change our tillage practice, our fertilizer program or our chemical program. The list goes on. Every year we make changes to improve and to get more out of our operations. You should expect the same from your co-op.”

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