Celebrating co-ops and communities

Meet CHS employee Evan Fust, who shares why he values being part of the cooperative system.

October 6, 2026

October is National Co-op Month. Evan Fust, senior director of operations for CHS United Plains based in Yuma, Colo., says he is committed to leveraging the cooperative model to support the farmers, ranchers and communities he serves. He starts by acknowledging the challenges farmers face throughout the growing season.

“To throw that seed in the ground with nothing but optimism and hope — and then watch that crop flourish — I have a lot of respect for that,” Fust says.

“If I can position myself to be in a role or to have an opportunity to help those individuals that are doing that, why wouldn’t I?” he says. “That’s my calling, is to be there to help and support agriculture in any way I can because of what they’re doing. They’re doing the hard stuff.”

For Fust, that commitment to supporting agriculture is closely tied to the cooperative model and its focus on serving owners and patrons.

“The cooperative world says, ‘We are going to come together. We are going to serve our owners, serve our patrons, provide them the products and services they need. And at the end of the year when we’ve made some money doing that, we’re going to give that back to them because they helped us do that.’”

“I believe in the cooperative movement,” Fust says. “I believe why it was started, and I want to continue to be a part of that and support it in every way I can.”

SOURCE: CHS Website, October 6, 2026