Photo (L-R): Amy Rietkerk, CHS Stewardship Coordinator, and Tera Fair, Communications Specialist, accepting the Outstanding Service Award from UW-River Falls Chancellor Dean Van Galen.

CHS Inc. and CHS Foundation Recognized for Outstanding Service to UWRF

January 9, 2017 -- The University of Wisconsin-River Falls presented CHS Inc. and CHS Foundation with the 2016 Outstanding Service Award during commencement on Dec. 17, 2016. CHS Inc. and CHS Foundation are valued partners of the university and generous supporters of UW-River Falls students and programs.

Over the years CHS has provided numerous internship opportunities to UW-River Falls students and hired many UWRF graduates into permanent positions. The CHS Foundation supports students financially through academic scholarships that reduce the burden of tuition, and travel sponsorships that allow students to participate in conferences such as the Agriculture Future of America (AFA) Collegiate Leadership Conference and the College Conference on Cooperatives. UWRF classes routinely visit CHS facilities and their affiliated cooperatives where they are warmly welcomed to learn more about the cooperative model, career opportunities in the energy, grains and food sectors, and the daily management and operation of cooperative service facilities.

"This recognition of CHS Inc. and CHS Foundation is very deserved," said UW-River Falls Chancellor Dean Van Galen. "It is inspiring to see their participation in the education of UW-River Falls students by supporting high impact opportunities including research and internships. A further demonstration of the strong relationship between UWRF and CHS is the fact that CHS regularly employs our graduates in fulfilling careers."

In 2012, a generous donation from the CHS Foundation helped establish the Center for Agribusiness Management and Education (CABME) at UW-River Falls. This investment in future agricultural leaders provides UW-River Falls students with opportunities to participate in undergraduate research and international travel focused on examining agricultural business and production challenges, and helps to disseminate research results with the goal of improving production agriculture and agribusiness.

The CHS Foundation, in conjunction with the Ralph K. Morris Foundation, was instrumental in establishing the Rod Nilsestuen Legacy Event. Each spring the department of agricultural economics at UWRF and its student organization, the Agricultural Business and Marketing Society, organize a conference focusing on cooperatives, land use and other topics of interest to Nilsestuen. Nilsestuen was a UW-River Falls graduate who held several leadership positions with cooperative associations, and was the secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection at the time of his accidental death in 2010.

David Trechter, professor of agricultural economics, and Don Taylor, professor of plant and earth science, nominated CHS Inc./CHS Foundation for the Outstanding Service Award. The award was established in 1983 to recognize individuals and groups who have made significant contributions to the university of personal time and energy, leadership, support and/or monetary donations.