Salisbury, Md. (September 22, 2016) - Perdue AgriBusiness and Southern States announced the closing of a transaction that will ensure the continued operation of over a dozen Mid-Atlantic grain elevators. 

Perdue AgriBusiness will purchase 10 of the 12 elevators that the company has leased from Southern States since 2002 and will continue to lease two other elevators that are immediately adjacent to Southern States feed mills. The announcement will have no impact on grain receiving at the elevators, which have been operated by Perdue since the lease agreement was signed 14 years ago.

“We are pleased with the commitment of Perdue AgriBusiness to serve Southern States members in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast with opportunities to market grain,” said Jeff Stroburg, President and CEO of Southern States Cooperative, Inc. “We are confident that Perdue Agribusiness will continue to serve the industry at the high levels our customers expect.”

"This agreement ensures that farmers will continue to have access to domestic and international markets through these elevators using Perdue AgriBusinesses’ grain merchandising programs," said Dick Willey, President, Perdue AgriBusiness. "We look forward to continuing to serve local farmers at these elevators as we have for the last 14 years. 

The 12 facilities involved in the transaction are located in Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia and represent more than 10 million bushels of grain storage. 

Perdue AgriBusiness, part of Perdue Farms, is an international agricultural products and services company. We source, merchandise and process agricultural commodities. Our diverse portfolio of products includes grains, oilseeds, soybean meal, blended feed ingredients and top-quality seed oils for food and other uses.  In addition, we provide a full range of farm inputs, including seeds and fertilizers, and services from agronomy to risk management and merchandising.  We help our customers and family farmers prosper with flexible, forward-thinking solutions. Our business started as a family farm, and we know our future depends upon continuously earning the trust of farmers and customers. Learn more at www.perdueagribusiness.com and www.perduefarms.com

Southern States is a Richmond, Virginia-based farm supply and service cooperative, established in 1923, which now has more than 200,000 farmer-members. As one of the nation's largest agricultural cooperatives, it provides a wide range of farm inputs, including fertilizer, seed, livestock feed, pet food, animal health supplies and petroleum products, as well as other items for the farm and home. The cooperative serves its members and non-member customers through 1,200 retail outlets in 23 states.