At the surface level, River Valley Cooperative has 39 locations in eastern Iowa and western Illinois and is owned by 3,300 farm families and has annual sales total $1.1 billion. The coop has a team of 400 full-time employees, and it’s been around for more than 120 years.
So what sets them apart and led to River Valley being named the 2025 Retailer of the Year by the Agricultural Retailers Association?
Two leaders from the co-op, Culley Medley and Jake Williams joined The Scoop podcast to tell a bit of their story themselves.
1. Investment in a Customer Portal
“We invested five years ago to enhance the customer experience and create ‘stickiness’ with the grower,” Williams says. Since then, the portal has evolved to allow customers to enter offers and access or sign grain contracts, simplifying business with River Valley.
2. Prioritizing Transparency
Williams notes that transparency has been the biggest transformation during his 13 years at the co-op.
“Customers can access real-time data 24/7. They can view statements, enter grain offers, and sign contracts instantly. Thirteen years ago, this was a paper process reliant on the mail.”
Medley adds that this accessibility improves relationships.
“I used to joke that the hardest question at the farm gate was, ‘What do I owe?’ Now, I can show a grower their real-time invoices on my phone, which deepens our communication,” he says.
3. Internal Efficiency
“The internal difference comes down to position management,” Williams says. The team uses the portal daily to manage fertilizer positions with real-time data. Additionally, River Valley transitioned to central dispatch for all equipment and is migrating to a “hub” footprint to reduce product travel time.
4. Continuous Technology Upgrades
In three years, River Valley overhauled its application fleet. “Instead of buying one new sprayer for a specific area, we moved to three-year leases for all equipment to ensure every customer has access to the latest technology,” Medley says. The fleet now includes 30 John Deere ExactApply and 11 See & Spray machines. Medley notes this also aids retention, as applicators prefer operating newer equipment.
5. Growth Through Private Labels
Last year, the co-op launched YieldVance, a proprietary line of adjuvants (AdjuVance) and fertility products (GrowVance). “We identify products that are a win for both the producer and the co-op,” Medley says. The portfolio continues to expand, supported by a loyalty program to drive long-term growth.
6. Team-Driven Success
“Our employees make us who we are,” Williams says. The co-op utilizes engagement surveys to ensure staff have the resources to succeed. Williams believes the Retailer of the Year award validates their team’s forward-thinking mindset: “It’s not about today; it’s about how we provide solutions for our member-owners for the next 100 years.”
7. The Whole-Acre Approach
Medley describes their strategy as connecting the grain side (the farmer’s paycheck) with input sales. “How do we take that paycheck and turn it into a bigger one by producing more bushels?” This approach requires constant communication between sales and operations teams to serve the grower’s entire operation.
