Heartland Co-op

Helping farmers produce and market profitably. We are Heartland Co-op.

In partnership with our lender, CoBank, Heartland Co-op is proud to announce they are a part of the first-ever Sustainability Linked Loan between an ag retailer a major lender in the United States. CoBank, a cooperative bank that serves #agribusinesses, rural infrastructure providers and Farm Credit associations throughout the United States, is one of the largest private creditors to the U.S. rural economy. Through this partnership, Heartland Co-op will receive a slight interest rate reduction on its operating line of credit with CoBank if it achieves ambitious goals related to water quality conservation practices and farmer engagement. What is the expected impact of this loan program? 1. 33% increase in annual #covercrops acres sold, reaching a total of 98,000 acres — an important investment in #soilhealth and resilience? 2. 39% increase in farmer engagement by Heartland’s Conservation Agronomy team by 2028 3. The installation of more than 200 new edge-of-field structures, including saturated buffers and bioreactors, that filter water and reduce nutrients reaching Iowa streams 4. Increased support for the growing demand for tailored, conservation agronomy services Most importantly! This will provide a demonstrated opportunity for agriculture lenders to provide financial incentives for #sustainableagriculture practices. Thank you to CoBank, Heartland Co-op staff and customers for being leaders in conservation agronomy. ? #soilconservation?#cleanwaterways #buildingsoil #agretail #agribusiness

As a farmer-owned cooperative, our commitment has been to helping our farmers produce and market profitably. For many farms today, that also includes the adoption of conservation agronomy into their farming business - a service to our customers we’ve continued to scale. The recent announcement of the ground-breaking Sustainability Linked Loan from our lender, CoBank, will allow us to use the interest rate saving from the loan program to extend our successful conservation agronomy program through tailored services and expert guidance to farmers. Ag retail must find ways to make #conservationagronomy and #sustainablefarming a part of their business while remaining competitive. This often requires upfront costs and risks. We are proud to be a leader in conservation agronomy and a partner in this innovative finance incentive program from CoBank. The result will have incredible ripple effects for farmers and the improvement of water quality in Iowa. You can find more about the recent announcement here. https://lnkd.in/grn3qZ6t #soilconservation #sustainableagriculture #soil #healthysoil #covercrops #cleanwaterways #buildingsoil #agretail #agribusiness

Our recently announced, ground-breaking Sustainability Linked Loan partnership with Co-Bank is based on a new approach to support the expansion of retail conservation agronomy and #sustainablefarming through financial incentives. Through this sustainability-linked loan and the targets that Heartland Co-op must meet to receive an interest rate discount, the results are intended to achieve: ? ●????????? a 33% increase in annual #covercrops acres sold, reaching a total of 98,000 acres — an important investment in #soilhealth and resilience? ●????????? a 39% increase in farmer engagement by Heartland’s Conservation Agronomy team by 2028 ●????????? the installation of more than 200 new edge-of-field structures, including saturated buffers and bioreactors, that filter water and reduce nutrients reaching Iowa streams We are proud to be leading the way for a stronger and more sustainable farming future with our customers in partnership with CoBank. Please reach out to any of our Conservation Agronomy Team with questions or to learn more. CoBank #soilconservation #sustainableagriculture #cleanwaterways #buildingsoil #agretail #agribusiness

We love hearing our employees' stories of growth, and finding their career path at Heartland Co-op. Kevin has a great career journey well done. #employeegrowth #greatemployees #growthmindset #heartlandcoop

JUST RELEASED: CoBank has partnered with Heartland Co-op to extend a first of its kind Sustainability Linked Loan between an ag retailer and a major lender in the United States. This partnership will advance conservation agronomy services through an innovative lending program. ? With guidance from the Environmental Defense Fund and a supporting grant from the Great Outdoors Foundation, Heartland Co-op will be able to leverage conservation farming practices to secure interest rate discounts. ? This groundbreaking launch marks a major milestone in agriculture lenders proactively financing climate-smart agriculture through retail conservation agronomy. ? “The cost savings from the sustainability-linked loan with CoBank will help us expand our successful conservation agronomy program, provide more benefits to farmers and improve Iowa’s water quality,” said Tom Hauschel, Heartland Co-op’s chief executive officer. “This initiative will allow us to meet increasing demand from our farmer customers for conservation services that are tailored to their farms.” Read the full press release here. https://lnkd.in/grn3qZ6t Thank you to all those who have collaborated to bring this innovative partnership to fruition. Great Outdoors Foundation, Environmental Defense Fund, CoBank #soilconservation #sustainableagriculture #sustainablefarming #soil #healthysoil #covercrops #cleanwaterways #buildingsoil #agretail #agribusiness

"On Veterans Day, we take respite from the ordinary business of daily life to pay honor to those who have served in the Armed Forces throughout our nation's history. It is right that we should meditate upon the principles for which so many Americans have fought -- peace, freedom, the sacred and inviolable dignity of all men -- principles that still give hope to the Nation. But let us above all consider the veterans themselves, the millions of men and women who have given of themselves, even of their lives. Our veterans have come from the grassy plains of Iowa and the streets of Brooklyn. They have spoken with the twang of New England and the drawl of the South, and, often, with the accents of the foreign lands of their birth. And from the time of the Revolution, when black soldiers fought for the American cause, they have represented our country's diverse ethnic heritage. And they have prevailed, prevailed so that today the United States of America is the greatest Nation on Earth." -Ronald Reagan, Veterans Day 1986 On this Veterans Day, Heartland Co-op would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to each and every man and woman that has chosen to serve in this great nation's military. Your bravery and dedication have preserved all the freedoms we hold dear, and for that we will be forever grateful.

Find your next Career with Heartland Co-op, apply today! https://lnkd.in/ga5rddFd #careeropportunities #heartlandcoop

We love hearing our employees' stories of growth, and finding their career path at Heartland Co-op.

October is National Cooperative Month! What is a cooperative and how does it benefit it's members? Find out more and watch a video about how Cooperatives work online: https://lnkd.in/gMxBd-m2 #NationalCoopMonth #iowacoopmonth #MyIowaCooperative