$6.3M paid to Keystone Farmer-Owners from Sustainability Partnerships
Mar 17, 2026
In celebration of National Ag Week, Keystone Cooperative today announced that since 2021, its farmer-owners have earned an additional $6.3 million across more than 300,000 acres for their stewardship efforts made possible through sustainability partnerships. Over the past eight years 700 farmer-owners have participated in Keystone-supported sustainability programs spanning 1.1 million acres. These results demonstrate the real, measurable value sustainability efforts can bring to member operations.
Sustainability, through Elite Conserve, has long been a core service offering at Keystone. Elite Conserve is designed to make it easier for farmer-owners to access and benefit from paid sustainability programs.
“Our commitment has always been to meet our farmerowners where they are, but just as importantly, to stand beside them as they build what comes next. This expanded Member Services platform, including the launch of Elite Conserve, reflects that promise,” said Kevin Still, President & CEO. “We’re investing in solutions that support our members today while positioning their operations, and our cooperative, for a stronger, more resilient future. Together, we’re unlocking opportunities that will benefit not only this generation of farmers, but the next.”
Celebrating the success of our Farmer-Owners comes as Keystone shares the broader expansion of its Members Services platform, a forward-thinking suite of solutions aimed at unlocking the full cooperative advantage and delivering longterm value for its farmer-owners. Through these innovations, Keystone continues to meet the evolving needs of its members today and well into the future.
“Our job is to make sure the cooperative is continually adding value to our farmer owners,” said Drew Garretson, Vice President of Member Engagement. “Through expanded Member Services, we’re building solutions that help farmers keep their operations strong - because when our members do succeed, the cooperative succeeds.”
Elite Conserve is a complementary service focused on helping farmer-owners capture financial value for the stewardship practices they are already implementing. Farmers have long been the ultimate conservationists, producing more to feed a growing world while managing flat input rates, rising costs, and low commodity prices. Elite Conserve recognizes and rewards those ongoing efforts. To learn more, please visit https://www.keystonecoop.com/products-services/agronomy and click Elite Conserve.