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CHS is a global agribusiness owned by farmers, ranchers and cooperatives across the United States. Diversified in energy, agronomy, grains and foods, we’re committed to creating connections to empower agriculture, helping our owners and customers grow their businesses.
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CHS is committed to making a meaningful impact in agriculture and rural America. Through our stewardship initiatives, we invest in programs that develop new generations of ag leaders, promote ag safety and strengthen hometown communities.
ABOUT STEWARDSHIP
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Cooperatives are owned and governed by members who use its products, supplies, or services and operate in many sectors of the economy. In a cooperative system, people come together to scale buying power, gain access to goods and services and create economic opportunity.
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At CHS, our teams work together to provide the products, services and expertise farmers and cooperatives need to feed a growing population. As a CHS employee, you help empower agriculture by creating connections that bring shared success.
Blackfoot Challenge creates harmony with Montana grizzly bears
Eric Graham and Blackfoot Challenge are using a CHS Seeds for Stewardship matching grant to help protect livestock and people from Montana’s growing grizzly bear population.
“Landowner-led and community-driven” is how Wildlife Program Coordinator Eric Graham describes his organization, Blackfoot Challenge, and the complex situation that faces residents in beautiful northwest Montana.
Area ranching families produce essential livestock with their growing cow-calf operations. Their impressive homesteads are part of the diverse landscape, which includes clear blue rivers and dense green and gold forests.
The grizzly bear population has also grown here over the last 20 years and grizzlies are often seen on private lands across Montana. Potentially a thrilling sight from afar, these creatures threaten vulnerable calves and even humans.
“My job is to get all the parties involved and help everyone communicate their needs so we can all live and work together,” says Graham.
Solutions he and the Blackfoot Challenge provide to maintain harmony include permanent and temporary fencing, bear-proof waste receptacles and carcass collection.
“We have the best customers in the world,” says Dusty Smith, operations manager for the CHS ag retail location at Missoula, Mont. “This is another way we can support them.” Smith nominated the Blackfoot Challenge for a CHS Seeds for Stewardship matching grant to help fund the program.
In this region where community means fish, livestock, wildlife and people, Graham and the Blackfoot Challenge are building connections and strengthening communities by making the landscape safe for people and wildlife.
Check out the full fall 2023 C Magazine with this article and more.
Read more stories about the impact of CHS Seeds for Stewardship grants: