$57 Million in cash being returned to membership

Keystone Cooperative, Inc., an Indiana-based leader in agriculture and energy, announces 100% of member net profits are being returned directly to members through patronage. Keystone Cooperative will distribute $57 million in patronage to eligible farmer-members who did business with the cooperative in 2025. 80% or 90% of each member’s payout will be delivered in cash, based on their legacy membership status, with the remainder applied to their equity in Keystone. This cash patronage return equals more than $46 million.

In addition to the patronage payout, Keystone will redeem $4.2 million in equity, bringing the total cash return to more than $51 million. This exceptional return underscores Keystone’s strong financial performance and unwavering commitment to delivering value to its members. Keystone pays the highest patronage rates of any cooperative in the Midwest, with the highest cash-to-equity ratio. Over the past decade, Keystone has returned more than half a billion dollars to its members, which is proof that the cooperative model delivers real, measurable value.

“Returning 100% of farmer-member net profits is what sets Keystone apart,” said Kevin Still, Keystone’s President and CEO. “This $57 million distribution reflects our commitment to the cooperative model and exemplifies the cooperative advantage. When Keystone succeeds, our members succeed.”

Looking ahead, Keystone has committed more than $60 million in capital investments to strengthen infrastructure and meet the evolving needs of its membership. These strategic investments ensure Keystone remains well-positioned to serve today’s members and future generations of farm families.

Each member’s patronage payout is calculated based on the volume of business conducted with the cooperative during the fiscal year, equating to approximately 5% of members’ transactions in 2025.

Bill Peters, Chairman of Keystone’s Board of Directors, added: “Every dollar of profit derived from membership business goes back to the people who make our organization strong: our members. This isn’t just a benefit, it’s a promise of shared success and a cornerstone of the cooperative model.”

In 2025, Keystone also demonstrated its commitment to community investment by donating $1.4 million to support local initiatives, with a focus on agriculture education and leadership, food security, and farm and energy safety training.

Keystone Cooperative’s Annual Meeting will be held on January 13, 2026, at 10:30 AM EST at our corporate headquarters, located at 770 N. High School Road, Indianapolis, IN.

• Sustainea has partnered with Primient to launch a 1,000 regenerative agriculture project to empower Indiana farmers and improve soil health.
• The initiative helps enable climate-smart sourcing for Sustainea’s Bio-MEG plant in Lafayette.

 Sustainea Bioglycols, an innovative company focused on renewable chemicals with a low-carbon footprint, is proud to announce the launch of a regenerative agriculture project in partnership with Primient, a leading U.S. producer of plant-based ingredients. This strategic partnership represents a significant step forward in Sustainea’s commitment to driving positive impact across the entire value chain.

The project will support approximately 1,000 acres of farmland in the region of Lafayette, Indiana – a state located in the heart of the U.S. Corn Belt, with high corn productivity and ranking among the top five producers in the country – focused on advancing regenerative agricultural practices that improve soil health, increase carbon sequestration, avoid greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce environmental impact.

“Regenerative agriculture is a real opportunity to tackle climate change while strengthening rural American communities in the U.S. Midwest. By working directly with local farmers and trusted partners, we´re supporting practices that enable long-term, generational success of the industry,” said Gustavo Sergi, CEO at Sustainea. “We’re proud to collaborate with Primient and work alongside Indiana farmers, building a low-carbon future,” he continues.

Strategic Partnerships for Regenerative Agriculture

This project is the result of Sustainea’s ongoing collaboration with Primient, who is also the over-the-fence partner in the development of the first U.S. Bio-MEG facility. This partnership is the first step toward promoting large-scale regenerative agriculture practices in the Lafayette region. It also ensures that corn—the plant-based raw material used in Sustainea’s Bio-MEG production—is responsibly sourced.

“Primient has been working since 2018 to increase adoption of regenerative agriculture practices in the U.S. Midwest. Our program helps to decarbonize our main raw material – corn – and drive resilience through our agricultural supply chain. We are excited to partner with Sustainea to make an even bigger impact together,” said Laura Kowalski, Head of Sustainability and Marketing at Primient.

Primient’s program provides farmers with the tools, insights, and economic support needed to scale regenerative practices locally, including no till farming, crop rotation, reduced fertilizer use, and cover crops. Using advanced technology, the program empowers farmers to monitor and measure the environmental outcomes of their operations.

Scaling Sustainable Innovation.

Sustainea’s Bio-MEG—produced from renewable, plant-based feedstocks—is a drop-in solution that helps customers significantly reduce their carbon footprint without compromising quality or performance. As the company prepares to scale operations in the U.S., local regenerative sourcing is central to its long-term business and sustainability strategy.

Sustainea’s Bio-MEG facility is expected to begin operations in 2028, processing the equivalent of 42,000 bushels of corn per day, with the capacity to avoid up to 400,000 tons of CO₂e emissions per year by replacing petroleum-based MEG with Sustainea’s low-carbon, plant-based alternative. Once the facility reaches full operation, the company plans to scale its regenerative agriculture program with three main components in mind: local support to help farmers transition to regenerative agriculture practices, data collection to gain insights on our supply shed, and investment in on-farm regenerative agriculture practices.

“This initiative strengthens our commitment to designing a system that creates value at every level – from the way feedstock is sourced to the final products delivered.” said Gustavo Sergi, CEO at Sustainea. “By implementing this initiative, we give our partners and customers greater visibility into their supply chain and the ability to take measurable steps toward reducing their environmental footprint,” he added.

News reinforces support for sustainability initiatives and Athian’s model for facilitating verifiable change across food supply chains

Indianapolis — November 19, 2025 — Athian announced today that it has facilitated $18 million in payments to farmers since 2024, financially rewarding them for implementing emissions-reducing practices, including innovative feed ingredients and alternative manure management. Athian, which was founded in 2022 to connect food companies with farmers in their supply chains to achieve Scope 3 goals, also announced it successfully completed a $4 million Series A funding round. These milestones not only signal the food industry’s continued commitment to sustainability goals but also demonstrate the credibility of Athian’s unique, technology-driven model.

New investors include Ajinomoto Group Ventures; Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) Cultivate Next Fund; and Mondelēz International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDLZ), through its impact investing platform, Sustainable Futures. Along with Athian’s seed investors – the Australian Agriculture Company; California Dairies, Inc.; Elanco Animal Health Incorporated; dsm-firmenich Ventures; Newtrient, LLC; and Tyson Ventures – these funding partners span the breadth of the food supply chain, from global leaders in protein production to ingredient manufacturing, consumer-packaged goods companies and food service. These investors will help inform Athian’s continued growth as it expands its capabilities and reach to accommodate new species and international markets.

“Athian’s original vision was to bring together companies from every step in the food supply chain to deliver a more resilient and sustainable product to consumers,” said Paul Myer, Athian founder and CEO. “Our new funding partners are helping us achieve that vision by supporting our industry-wide effort to give credit to farmers, processors and food companies for their sustainability efforts.”

Athian helps farmers adopt science-based practices, called protocols, by selling the verified outcomes to downstream partners, such as CPGs, grocery stores and restaurants. These food brands then claim and report project outcomes as Scope 3 insets that help make credible progress toward their corporate goals, reward producers for on-farm reductions and meet increasing consumer demand for sustainable products. Learn more about how Athian’s process works.

“At Mondelēz, we are interested in sparking and scaling change,” said Susanne Mathis-Alig at Mondelēz, which established its Sustainable Futures platform in 2021 to support impact investments in circularity, community and climate. “The Athian model has the potential to help us achieve our business goals by measurably addressing key challenges, such as expanding adoption of emissions-reducing practices and delivering ROI to farmers so they can be successful for generations to come.”

Athian announced the first sale of verified insets to Dairy Farmers of America, the largest U.S. milk marketing cooperative, in January 2024. Since then, major accomplishments have included:

• Increasing the number of on-farm protocols to include alternative manure management, additional feed ingredients and digester cap and flare;
• Facilitating $18 million in payments to farmers for emissions reductions achieved on their operation;
• Expanding Athian’s independent Scientific Advisory Board to include Australian market expertise; and
• Signing a new memorandum of understanding with the National Milk Producers Federation and California Dairies, Inc. to develop a carbon intensity protocol.

Athian’s technology helps food companies achieve their Scope 3 emissions goals by making the process more predictable, efficient and trustworthy for credible progress reporting. Reductions achieved through the supply chain partnerships Athian facilitates are improving the footprint of dairy products such as milk, cheese and dairy ingredients.

“Chipotle’s Cultivate Next investment in Athian furthers our mission to Cultivate a Better World by addressing emissions from areas like animal agriculture and developing innovative solutions that will make lasting change,” stated Curt Garner, President, Chief Strategy and Technology Officer, Chipotle. “By 2030, we aim to report a 50% reduction in Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions from a 2019 base year and with tools that incentivize on-farm GHG reductions, it will help companies like ours that are sourcing the materials to achieve these ambitious goals.”

This funding round will help Athain continue to grow and integrate additional capabilities, such as:

• Increasing the number of protocols available for farmers to make more options available across a broader set of operational conditions.
• Facilitating cost and claim sharing among supply chain partners to make emissions reductions more accessible to mid- to small-sized companies.
• Piloting the Athian model in beef cattle operations to test expansion into livestock beyond dairy cattle and outside the U.S., which is where Athian got its start.

Traction Ag, the leading farm accounting platform built for production row crop operations, today announced the acquisition of PcMars, a trusted desktop-based accounting system used by over 7,000 farms across the U.S

The move brings together two of the most respected names in ag-specific financial software and marks a major step forward in serving the full spectrum of farm accounting needs, from traditional desktop systems to modern, connected platforms.

“PcMars has been a rock-solid product for farm bookkeepers for decades,” said Dustin Sapp, CEO of Traction Ag. “We’re honored to carry that legacy forward—and excited to give their customers a clear, supported path into the future.”

The acquisition allows Traction Ag to:

• Expand its reach among Midwest production farms who trust PcMars and prefer desktop software
• Implement proven PcMars features in Traction’s platform to accelerate innovation
• Offer connected pathways between PcMars and Traction for users ready to modernize
• Combine decades of ag accounting expertise under one roof

Serving Farmers at Every Stage

While many farms are transitioning to cloud-based tools, not all are ready. By bringing PcMars into the fold, Traction Ag becomes the only company offering both desktop and cloud-native solutions purpose-built for agriculture.

“We’re not forcing change,” said Sapp. “We’re giving farms options and making sure that no matter where they are, they’re supported.”

A Future Secured for PcMars Users

Led by Kent Vickre, PcMars has long been a trusted choice for farms seeking simplicity and farm-specific functionality. Ensuring a thoughtful and secure future for its customers was a top priority for the PcMars team.

“My whole career has been helping farmers make better financial management decisions with detailed farm records,” said Vickre. “I am excited for producers to make profitability decisions for each field using the Traction software technology.”

What’s Next

The PcMars brand will continue to operate as it does today, with ongoing support and product maintenance. In the months ahead, Traction Ag will introduce new options for customers who want to transition platforms.

Together, the combined company brings unmatched agricultural expertise, expanded product capabilities, and a deeper commitment to helping farms run stronger, more financially mature businesses.

The process to grant a tax abatement to Cargill Inc. began Monday during the Montgomery County Council meeting. Representatives of the Linden grain marketing facility were present at the meeting to request a 10-year abatement on a planned $17.5 million expansion.

Cargill Linden Plant Manager John Barrett shared expansion plans with council members. The expansion is expected to take three years to complete and will include a new office building, two new large grain bins and enclosed grain conveyor belt, grain pit and an additional lane inside the property.

The expansion is projected to increase capacity at the facility by 10 million bushels per year.

Barrett explained the plant is presently serving more trucks than what it was built for. Because of the heavy truck traffic problems such as trucks waiting to enter the facility causes traffic backups on C.R. 1100N. The goal is to unload and load trucks quicker and have more room within the facility to keep the trucks off of C.R. 1100N.

“Our present facility was built to handle 100 grain trucks today,” Barrett said. “We are averaging 145 trucks per day. This expansion will allow us to take care of the truck traffic more efficiently and more quickly.”

Barrett reported that he recently met with county commissioners to present the plan as a way to solve the truck backup problem.

As part of the expansion project, merchandising agents will work in Linden and the site will be a regional office hub. Currently, grain buyers are located in an office on the Purdue University campus in West Lafayette.

All 20 present employees will be retained.

Additionally, the expansion plan includes Cargill connecting to the town of Linden’s water and sewer systems. The company currently uses a well and septic.

The plan is to have the phased expansion complete in July 2029.

The council approved a declaration to start the procedure to award a tax abatement. The actual abatement could be approved at the Dec. 9 council meeting.

In other business, the council:

• Approved the introduction of the 2026 Montgomery County Compensation Plan.
• Approved the introduction of the 2026 Montgomery County Solid Waste District Appropriations Ordinance.