Thresher Artisan Wheat, which had a big presence in Southern Idaho, has been acquired by The Arthur Companies. Growers might have noticed a transition to new branding and the elimination of the Thresher name in December, as the new owner took over Thresher’s eight locations in Newdale, Blackfoot, American Falls, Rockford, Moreland, Idaho Falls and Pocatello.
The Arthur Companies is a family-owned, diversified agriculture business headquartered in Arthur, North Dakota. The Idaho acquisition is its first expansion outside of North Dakota and promises to bring more stability for Idaho growers. According to a press release, The Arthur Companies is committed to investing in the current facilities to ensure efficient customer service, along with creating long-term opportunities for both customers and employees.
“As a more than century-old agriculture company, we will bring a long-term approach to helping producers in the Snake River Valley grow their businesses by leveraging our expertise in marketing, seed and agronomy,” said James Burgum, CEO at The Arthur Companies. “We are focused on stability and success within this new market and believe that our approach to enabling the growth of our customers will allow our company to grow alongside them.”
The core business activities familiar to growers will not change. Through their new facilities in Idaho, The Arthur Companies purchases wheat from farmers then stores, blends and sells the product to flour mills, feed mills and the export market. They also process wheat for the cereals market through a unique conditioning process to prepare it for food-grade processing. Additionally, they clean and treats wheat seed to sell to farmers.
Eventually, The Arthur Companies will look to modernize operations, improve operating capacity, and evaluate opportunities to handle other commodities in its Idaho facilities. Seth Heidorn, Director of Wheat at The Arthur Companies, says the company will use its first year in the market to learn as much as possible from customers on how to further serve their needs.
Idaho growers can expect some immediate impact from the sale, as well.
“In Idaho, we’re able to quickly expand destination markets through existing Arthur Companies relationships to ensure competitive prices for our farmers,” Heidorn said. “On the agronomy side, with our partner, Trace Genomics, we’re now offering soil biology testing in Idaho to provide an advanced soil analysis to help growers make better agronomy decisions.”
Heidorn adds that building lasting relationships with customers is a top priority for The Arthur Companies.
“We’ve worked with many generations of customers over the years and understand the importance of our grain elevators to the local famers, our employees, and our communities,” Heidorn says. “Our long history in the grain business gives us a unique perspective to look at the Idaho market with a long-term view and invest to benefit current and future generations of customers in the region.”
For more information about The Arthur Companies, visit arthurcompanies.com.
