Crystal Valley cooperative purchases Shell Rock Ag

Published 6:38 pm Tuesday, September 8, 2020

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Crystal Valley, a farm supply and grain marketing cooperative in the Upper Midwest, announced it has acquired Shell Rock Ag Inc. in Hayward, according to a press release. Shell Rock Ag Inc. has provided area growers with agronomic products and services since 2004.

The purchase fits into Crystal Valley’s strategy of continued growth in southern Minnesota. With the acquisition, Crystal Valley will have a local presence in Hayward and its surrounding areas. Along with the Hayward purchase, Crystal Valley will lease the Glenville location, which will provide anhydrous ammonia fertilizer for area producers.

“We are excited to welcome the Shell Rock Ag team and bring added value to the business they have built,” said Jeff Hendricks, Crystal Valley’s vice president of agronomy. “We are committed to providing Shell Rock Ag customers with the exceptional service Crystal Valley is known for.”

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“We recognize that growers of the future are going to need resources and technology that we don’t currently have,” said Terry Nelson, owner of Shell Rock Ag Inc. “We felt that Crystal Valley was the company best able to provide the high level of service our customers would need to be successful.”

Crystal Valley is a farm supply and grain marketing cooperative focused on serving the needs of crop farmers and livestock producers in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa. Its core businesses are agronomy, energy, feed and grain.

Terry and Laurie Nelson started selling Pioneer Seed in 1992 in Glenville. They expanded into crop input sales in 2004 with the founding of Shell Rock Ag. Shell Rock Ag moved to its current location in Hayward in 2009. They currently offer Pioneer seed, crop protection products, fertilizer and application services.