Pinnacle Agriculture Holdings LLC has added two more acquisitions to its growing retail distribution network. The company announced on May 21 that it had picked up the seed, fertilizer, and crop protection assets of Uvalde County Farmers Co-operative in Knippa, Texas, and on May 23 reported that it had acquired Performance Ag Services LLC in Aberdeen, S.D.
Originally formed in 1975 as a non-profit association with 38 members, Uvalde is a farm input and supply company that has since grown to 114 active members in the Winter Garden areas of Texas. The company is a certified public grain warehouse engaged in buying and selling wheat, grain sorghum, corn, and sesame, and is also the largest domestic provider of sesame for Sesaco Corporation. Pinnacle said Uvalde will operate as part of its Sanders brand, and will enhance Sanders’ retail presence in the southern Texas market.
“We are delighted about purchasing the agronomy assets of Uvalde County Co-op,” said John Williams, Sanders’ area operations manager. “We look forward to working with area growers who produce some of the highest cotton yields in the state, not to mention vegetable and grain production and livestock operations. We are confident that the farmers Uvalde Co-op has served so well will experience a seamless transition and will continue to receive the excellent service they have come to know in meeting all of their crop input needs.”
Uvalde will remained at its present location at 209 West Main Street in Knippa, and will be managed by Bonnie Turner. Turner’s background includes seven years with Crop Production Services Inc. and ten years with Helena Chemical Company. All other employees of Uvalde Co-op will retain their current positions under the new ownership.
“We are extremely excited about the innovative opportunities and high level of service that Sanders will bring to our area growers,” said Turner. “The Winter Garden region is very diverse, and our planting season is year-round with everything from vegetables and small grains to pastureland, corn, and cotton. We are very excited to be a part of Sanders and will uphold their high standard of quality in servicing our customers.”
The Knippa business will be Sanders’ 23rd Texas retail location, offering custom fertilizer blends, seed, and crop protection products, as well as precision agriculture services through Sanders’ proprietary OptiGro® system.
Performance Ag Services is a supplier of crop protection chemicals that has been in business since 2003. Although headquartered in Aberdeen, S.D., the company expanded to include four additional locations in Mobridge and Winner, S.D., Wishek, N.D., and Conrad, Mont. Performance Ag will operate as part of Pinnacle’s Providence Agriculture brand.
“This union allows Performance Ag to enhance the products and services that we bring to our growers,” said former owner Jon Swenson, who will continue to manage all of the Performance Ag locations. “It also allows us to expand our operations to service new customers in the future. We are aligning with a team that is committed to innovation and capable of delivering enhanced solutions for our farmers.”
The current employees of all five Performance Ag locations will retain their positions under the new ownership. Former Performance Ag owner Jon Swenson will manage all of the locations, and Kurt Schentzel will continue to manage all sales staff.
The business will continue to service retail and wholesale accounts from the present locations at 38420 U.S. Highway 12 in Aberdeen; 1324 East Grand Crossing in Mobridge; 31710 Harvest Road in Winner; 4129 Highway 13 SE in Wishek; and 711 South Virginia Street in Conrad.
“Performance Ag is a highly-regarded business with similar company values and goals of grower success, so natural