Direct Grower Procurement Manager

Red River Commodities is a leading processor of sunflower seeds and specialty grains, specializing in high-quality, nutritious food products. We pride ourselves on our sustainable practices, innovation, and commitment to delivering superior products to our customers. Our team shares core values focused on quality, innovation, responsibility, and community. We work hard, play harder, embrace authenticity, and always support one another to achieve our goals.

Position Summary

The Direct Grower Procurement Manager leads Red River Commodities’ direct-grower program, with primary responsibility for securing conventional confection, con-oil, and black oil sunflower seed procurement. This role develops and executes regional grower sourcing strategies that provide a reliable supply of quality grain, strengthen long-term grower relationships, and support production, inventory, cost, and customer requirements.

The role owns grower recruitment, contracting, acreage planning, crop-year communication, market analysis, delivery coordination, and contract performance. The Direct Grower Procurement Manager works closely with growers, grain and seed partners, third-party storage facilities, Operations, Quality, Production Planning, Supply Chain, Finance, and company leadership to align crop supply with business needs, quality, availability, and market risk.

Key Responsibilities

Direct-Grower Program Strategy

• Develop and execute the direct-grower procurement strategy with primary emphasis on conventional confection, con-oil, and black oil sunflower seeds.

• Establish annual acreage, volume, quality, geographic coverage, and grower-retention goals based on demand forecasts, inventory positions, production requirements, and crop-market conditions.

• Identify priority growing regions and expand the grower network to strengthen supply continuity, competitive positioning, and regional diversification.

• Recommend grower contract structures, pricing approaches, premiums, delivery periods, and other program terms consistent with approved procurement strategy.

• Provide regional crop and grower insights to procurement and business leadership for planning, budgeting, and sourcing decisions.

Grower Recruitment & Relationship Management

• Recruit, develop, and retain conventional sunflower growers throughout North Dakota and South Dakota.

• Build trusted, long-term relationships through regular farm visits, grower meetings, field days, agricultural events, crop tours, and timely crop-year communication.

• Serve as a primary commercial contact for growers regarding contracts, crop conditions, delivery expectations, quality requirements, and issue resolution.

• Maintain current knowledge of grower economics, competing crops, regional processors and buyers, planting intentions, land availability, and local market dynamics.

• Coordinate grower education and communication regarding company specifications, agronomic expectations, traceability, delivery procedures, and contract obligations.

Contracting, Pricing & Market Analysis

• Negotiate and administer grower contracts, ensuring accurate acreage, varieties, volumes, pricing, premiums, quality terms, delivery periods, and signatures.

• Monitor sunflower, competing crop, input-cost, basis, freight, weather, and regional supply-demand trends that influence grower planting and selling decisions.

• Develop crop-year market assessments and sourcing recommendations using USDA information, local crop intelligence, grower feedback, competitor activity, and internal demand data.

• Maintain accurate contract, position, forecast, and cost information in company systems and supporting procurement reports.

• Monitor contract performance and proactively address underproduction, overproduction, delivery timing, quality concerns, defaults, or other exceptions.

Crop Development, Quality & Delivery Execution

• Track planting progress, emergence, crop development, weather impacts, yield potential, harvest progress, and quality conditions across the assigned region.

• Partner with Quality and Operations to communicate incoming grain specifications, foreign-material expectations, sampling standards, rejection criteria, and corrective actions.

• Coordinate with growers, carriers, plants, third-party storage facilities, and Supply Chain to support timely deliveries and efficient use of receiving and storage capacity.

• Support traceability and accurate documentation from contracted grower and field through delivery and settlement.

• Participate in investigation and resolution of quality claims, delivery discrepancies, contract issues, and grower concerns.

Program Controls & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Maintain accurate grower records, contracts, acreage maps, crop updates, delivery status, cost information, and performance history.

• Evaluate grower and program performance, including contract fulfillment, quality acceptance, delivery reliability, cost, retention, and regional coverage.

• Partner with Finance on grower settlements, advances, premiums, contract reconciliation, and budget or cost reporting.

• Work closely with Production Planning and Supply Chain to align grower deliveries with production schedules, inventory targets, and material requirements.

• Recommend improvements to grower contracts, electronic contracting, reporting, communication processes, and program controls.

• Support broader domestic procurement initiatives and provide backup assistance during harvest, supply disruptions, or critical delivery periods.

Team Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop assigned procurement employees supporting grower contracting, crop monitoring, delivery execution, and administrative activities.

• Set clear priorities, performance expectations, regional coverage responsibilities, and cross-training plans.

• Promote consistent grower communication, accurate documentation, sound commercial judgment, and accountability throughout the direct-grower program.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Degree in Agribusiness, Agriculture, Agricultural Economics, Supply Chain Management, Business, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience considered.

• 5+ years of agricultural procurement, origination, grain merchandising, grower relations, crop production, or related experience.

• Experience working directly with growers and negotiating agricultural commodity or production contracts.

• Experience with sunflower, edible seeds, oilseeds, identity-preserved crops, or specialty grains strongly preferred.

• Previous experience leading employees, projects, or regional sourcing programs preferred.

Knowledge & Skills

• Strong knowledge of sunflower production and markets is preferred.
• Familiarity with Midwest regions, crop rotations, grower economics, harvest practices, storage, and transportation.
• Understanding commodity pricing, contracts, acreage development, competing crop economics, quality specifications, and supply risk.
• Strong negotiation, relationship-management, communication, organization, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Ability to interpret crop, market, weather, cost, contract, quality, and procurement data and make timely recommendations.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and ERP, contract-management, mapping, CRM, or procurement systems.
• Ability to work independently across a broad territory while maintaining strong coordination with corporate and plant teams.

Work Environment & Travel

• Role primarily supports growers and sourcing activity throughout the Midwest.

• Frequent regional travel is required for farm visits, grower meetings, field inspections, crop tours, agricultural events, plant visits, third-party storage locations, and delivery issue resolution.

• Seasonal schedule flexibility is required during contracting, planting, crop-development, harvest, and peak delivery periods.

• Work occurs in office, vehicle, farm, field, plant, warehouse, and outdoor environments, including exposure to dust, noise, weather, uneven terrain, and temperature variations.

• A valid driver’s license and ability to travel throughout the assigned territory are required.

Company Benefits:

At Red River Commodities, we value our employees and are committed to providing a supportive and rewarding work environment. As a member of our team, you will enjoy a competitive salary, comprehensive health benefits, and opportunities for career growth and development. Below are some additional benefits that we offer.

• On-demand pay available through Tapcheck
• Paid time off
• Paid Holidays
• 401k & company match
• Profit Sharing
• Employee Assistance Program

Red River Commodities and its subsidiaries are an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws. This applies to all employment practices within our organization. Red River Commodities makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.

We are committed to maintaining a legal and compliant workplace. As part of our hiring process, Red River Commodities participates in the E-Verify program.

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