In its first month following the merger of Co-Alliance and Ceres Solutions, Keystone Cooperative gave a $40,000 donation to Indiana FFA. These dollars included additional funds beyond the combined donations from Co-Alliance and Ceres Solutions in previous years.

“We landed on that amount because we wanted to make a concerted effort to work with FFA,” says Kevin Still, CEO of Keystone.

Lisa Chaudion, executive director of the Indiana FFA Foundation, says those additional dollars are around $10,000 to $15,000 more than what was donated in years past. Keystone leveraged its partnership with Syngenta, and the co-op’s $40,000 gift was matched by a $40,000 donation from Syngenta to National FFA, with $10,000 going straight to Indiana FFA.

“They want to invest those dollars with things they think are going to make a difference,” Chaudion says. “They know that these young people are going to be their future business partners.”

That idea is top of mind for Still, who adds, “I’m super excited about working with FFA because they’re the right employee pool and it’s the right organization to partner up with to help develop and find positions for young adults.”

Donation destination

While Chaudion notes that it’s not feasible to earmark every program or student that is directly impacted by these funds, she highlights several events and opportunities that will be supported by the increased donation dollars. Some of the destinations for funding are:

The funding is also funneled to the state FFA officer program to ensure the officer team can spend a year traveling the state and interacting with chapters through a variety of events, programs and visits. Keystone soon will be working alongside next year’s state officers as they embark on a new program that sets aside time for the officers to gain work experience.

Training the next generation

Chaudion says they discovered the state FFA officers would like to gain additional hands-on work experience during their year dedicated to serving Indiana FFA. This will come in the form of officers spending several weeks shadowing a company that matches their interests.

Keystone was quick to volunteer as one of those companies. Chaudion says this new partnership will give students some much-needed exposure while also allowing Keystone to seek out new talent.

“Providing these seven individuals with extended experiences will greatly facilitate their professional growth,” Chaudion says. “It allows us to assist them in that aspect. However, for our partners, it opens doors for more students to learn about career options in the ag industry.”

Keystone is continuing this goal of helping students grow with its new Securing Experience and Employee Development program. Through SEED, employees will have the opportunity to rotate through the different areas at Keystone and learn for two years as an alternative to the college route. At the end, they’ll have the chance to stay in their area of choice. Still shares that this could appeal to FFA members.

“We’re tapping the FFA kids to provide an alternative career or educational option,” Still says. “That’s the employee pool we want to attract.”