SSGA member profile: Darwin Rader of Zeeland Farm Services, Inc.

Transportation. Soy processing. Seed sales. Grain buying and selling. Name an agricultural service, and there’s a good chance that the family operated and owned Zeeland Farm Services, Inc. (ZFS) performs it.

In 1950, ZFS started as a trucking business, but has since expanded to provide customers a wider variety of agricultural services. The business operates two soy processing plants, with another under construction anticipated to open in late 2019. The original plant in Zeeland, Mich., specializes in processing both genetically-modified (GM) and non-genetically GM soybean meal, soy oil and soy hulls, while the Creston, Iowa, location crushes both GM and non-GM soybeans for feed, white flakes, flour and food-grade products.

Darwin Rader, International Sales Manager for ZFS, serves on the board of directors for the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA). When ZFS joined the Midwest Shippers Association (MSA), Rader was hopeful the membership would serve as a resource for transportation issues faced by ZFS.

“When ZFS joined MSA, I immediately saw the benefits the organization could bring to others. I was a big advocate for their involvement to expand nationally, which is exactly what happened when MSA merged with the Northern Food Grade Soybean Association to create SSGA,” Rader says. “The opportunities for SSGA are phenomenal because of its focus on transportation and industry-preserved (IP) products. I’m excited for the influence SSGA can bring to the industry and how it can affect profitability, all the way back to the grower.”

While ZFS originally joined MSA because of its emphasis on the transportation and shipping industry, it’s perfect for ZFS that SSGA also focuses on IP products. IP crops from ZFS go into making a wide variety of food products, including Zoye vegetable oil. Zoye is made from soybeans processed at ZFS’s headquarters in Zeeland and is sold in Spartan Stores.

Rader says he believes U.S. farmers do a great job assuring that IP products being sold across the globe are true, high-quality IP products. IP processes in the U.S. have a good reputation, and buyers trust the IP process because of the documents and extra steps growers complete to ensure IP standards.

“Although growing IP crops takes some additional work and more management to ensure standards are met, it’s another option for growers to make a bit more of a premium on their products, which is especially important in the current ag situation in the U.S.” Rader says. “The best thing a grower considering growing IP products can do is to put a pencil to it and see if it makes sense for them.”

As IP growers prepare for another growing season, they can rest easy knowing that SSGA and board members like Darwin Rader are at the forefront representing farmers, processors and shippers of identity-preserved soya and grains.