12 Ag Retailers Putting Sustainability at the Center of Their Business

Sustainability has become an increasingly important part of the conversation in agriculture, but for ag retailers, the opportunity goes well beyond helping growers adopt conservation practices.

Across the industry, leading retailers are finding ways to make sustainability part of the business itself. That includes helping growers improve nutrient efficiency, creating new revenue opportunities through carbon and sustainability programs, investing in biological products, using technology to improve operational efficiency, and developing new services around soil health and conservation.

The shift is significant. Rather than treating sustainability as a corporate responsibility initiative, these retailers are increasingly connecting it to the core functions of ag retail: agronomy, customer relationships, input sales, supply-chain management, and grower profitability.

The 2025 CropLife 100 provides a useful cross-section of the industry’s largest retailers. Among those companies, the following 12 stand out for the breadth or depth of their sustainability investments and initiatives.

1. Nutrien Ag Solutions

Nutrien has made sustainability part of its agronomic and digital strategy. Its programs combine precision agronomy, data collection, and grower consulting with practices such as cover crops, reduced tillage, nutrient management, and crop rotation.

One example is its work with Bunge, which uses Nutrien’s agronomic services and digital tools to help growers implement and document sustainability practices.

Nutrien also has its Sustainable Success Champions program, which recognizes growers and crop consultants implementing practices focused on efficiency, conservation, and data management. “Sustainable agriculture is an important part of modern farming and essential for being stewards of the environment,” said Rob Clayton, Senior Vice President, Nutrien Ag Solutions North America.

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2. Helena Agri-Enterprises

Helena has developed one of the industry’s more comprehensive sustainability strategies, addressing climate, water, resource efficiency, products, and grower education.

The company has been measuring greenhouse gas emissions since 2019 and has expanded its work into carbon programs, precision fertilization, 4R nutrient management, and water efficiency.

Helena’s approach illustrates how sustainability can be integrated into the products, agronomic recommendations, and services that retailers already provide to growers.

3. GROWMARK

GROWMARK’s Endure sustainability initiative encompasses nutrient management, soil health, water quality, conservation, and operational efficiency.

The cooperative has also invested in infrastructure supporting the next generation of agricultural inputs. Its planned biologicals facility in St. Louis is expected to produce biostimulants, biopesticides, and biofertilizers beginning in 2027.

The investment is notable because it extends GROWMARK’s sustainability strategy beyond grower recommendations and into the development and production of agricultural inputs.

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4. J.R. Simplot / Simplot Grower Solutions

Simplot approaches sustainability across its entire agricultural and food value chain. Its 4Sight 2030 goals include reducing energy use, freshwater intake, and carbon emissions.

“Our future relies on finding new, sustainable ways to produce more with less and doing it in ways that will meet the environmental and social needs of today and for generations to come,” said Garrett Lofto, President and CEO, J.R. Simplot Company.

At the retail level, Simplot has invested in technology such as solar-powered tank monitors that provide real-time inventory information. The technology can reduce unnecessary service trips while helping retailers better anticipate customer needs.

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5. CHS

As one of the country’s largest agricultural cooperatives, CHS has established a broad sustainability strategy encompassing climate, responsible sourcing, supply-chain traceability, and grower opportunities.

“We apply that same cooperative thinking to our sustainability efforts today, making every decision with an eye to what’s best for our company, our people and our world,” said Jay Debertin, President and CEO, CHS.

The cooperative has expanded greenhouse gas data collection and low-carbon opportunities for growers while continuing to invest in rural communities and agricultural education.

With operations spanning agronomy, grain, energy, and food ingredients, CHS is positioned to connect sustainability initiatives across multiple parts of the agricultural supply chain.

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6. GreenPoint Ag

GreenPoint Ag has built a particularly strong focus around connecting growers with companies seeking sustainability outcomes.

Its programs encompass carbon, water stewardship, cover crops, reduced tillage, precision agronomy, and soil-health practices. The retailer works with growers to implement practices that can deliver environmental benefits while remaining economically practical.

That connection between growers and downstream customers is becoming increasingly important as food and agricultural companies look for ways to document and improve the sustainability of their supply chains.

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7. Wilbur-Ellis

Wilbur-Ellis has invested in sustainability across soil health, water management, nutrient efficiency, and product development.

A recent example is BenVireo TerraLux, an organic nitrogen fertilizer produced by capturing ammonia from digestate. The process turns a waste stream into an agricultural input.

The company also promotes its Total Nutrition System, which helps agronomists and growers evaluate nutrient sources, rates, and timing using field-specific information.

Together, these efforts demonstrate how sustainable input development and more efficient nutrient management can become part of a retailer’s broader agronomic offering.

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8. Keystone Cooperative

Keystone has developed its Elite Conserve program to connect farmer-owners with sustainability programs and emerging markets.

The results demonstrate the potential economic impact. Keystone reported that farmer-owners had earned $6.3 million across more than 300,000 acres through sustainability partnerships since 2021. “We’re investing in solutions that support our members today while positioning their operations, and our cooperative, for a stronger, more resilient future,” said Kevin Still, former president and CEO, Keystone Cooperative.

More than 700 farmer-owners have participated in Keystone-supported sustainability programs covering approximately 1.1 million acres over eight years. The program provides an example of how cooperatives can help growers participate in sustainability initiatives while creating a tangible financial return.

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9. Agtegra Cooperative

Agtegra has combined precision agriculture and conservation with an exploration of emerging carbon markets.

The cooperative has focused on helping growers understand whether carbon programs can provide additional income without creating unnecessary complexity or disrupting their farming operations.

Its approach reflects the growing role of ag retailers as interpreters of new sustainability markets. Retailers can help growers evaluate programs, understand requirements and determine whether the economics make sense for individual operations.

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10. MFA Incorporated

MFA has also invested in dedicated conservation expertise. Its conservation specialists work directly with growers and landowners on practices involving soil, water, wildlife, and nutrient stewardship.

In 2025, an MFA agronomist and grower team received the national 4R Advocate Award for implementing the principles of right source, right rate, right time, and right placement.

MFA’s approach illustrates how sustainability can be incorporated into the technical agronomic expertise that retailers provide throughout the growing season.

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11. Landus

Landus Cooperative has made sustainability an increasingly tangible part of its business by creating opportunities for growers to receive financial premiums.

In 2025, Landus reported paying more than $420,000 to Iowa farmers participating in a Carbon Intensity pilot covering more than 20,000 acres. Its broader sustainability programs have generated additional premiums for participating growers.

“This is only the beginning as we expect a rapid expansion of these types of programs to ensure that our farmers can be rewarded for their practices and sustainability efforts,” said Matt Carstens, President and CEO, Landus.

Programs have included no-till, cover crops, nutrient management, and integrated pest management.

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12. The Andersons

The Andersons has established sustainability and environmental innovation as a strategic area spanning regenerative agriculture, sustainable sourcing, traceability, nutrient management, carbon insetting, and Scope 3 emissions.

Its approach illustrates how sustainability is becoming connected to both agricultural inputs and downstream supply-chain requirements.

For an ag retailer, that creates an opportunity to play a role in helping growers navigate an increasingly complex set of sustainability expectations from food companies and other customers.

A Broader Role for Ag Retail

What stands out across these 12 retailers is the diversity of approaches. For some, the focus is nutrient efficiency and precision agronomy. For others, it is soil health, biological products, carbon markets, conservation services or creating new financial opportunities for growers. Still others are looking internally at ways to reduce energy use, water consumption, emissions and operational waste.

But there is a common thread: sustainability is increasingly becoming connected to the traditional responsibilities of an ag retailer. The retailers making meaningful investments aren’t necessarily asking growers to choose between environmental stewardship and profitability. Instead, they’re looking for ways to connect the two while creating value for customers and strengthening their businesses.

As sustainability programs mature, the ag retailer’s role may evolve from selling products and providing agronomic advice to helping growers measure, manage and potentially monetize the environmental performance of their operations.

Which ag retailers are doing notable work in sustainability? We’d like to hear from you. Leave a comment below and let us know which companies you think deserve recognition for their efforts.