Crystal Valley Announces New Vice President of Grain

Crystal Valley is proud to welcome Ben Buie as Crystal Valley’s Vice President of Grain. He brings over 26 years of experience in grain and will provide leadership and accountability for the overall performance of Crystal Valley’s Grain Division.

Before joining Crystal Valley, Ben was a Grain Merchandiser at New Cooperative in Fort Dodge, Iowa. From 2018 until recently, he was Grain Team Leader for MaxYield Cooperative in West Bend, Iowa. (In August 2021, MaxYield Coop merged into New Coop).

Ben also served as the Grain Division Manager for East Central Iowa (ECI) Coop in Cedar Falls from 2012 to 2018.  In addition to his management experience, Ben worked as a Grain Merchandiser for J.D. Heiskell and a Sales Manager/Feed Ingredient Merchandiser for Garvey Processing.

Buie grew up in Beardstown, Illinois, and earned his B.S. Degree in Economics from the University of Illinois, and his MBA from Eastern New Mexico University.

“Since my first time stepping through the doors at Crystal Valley, I’ve felt the family-type atmosphere. The more I learn about the company culture, the more excited I am to join the Crystal Valley team.  I am ready to get to know the area and get to work!” – Ben Buie, Vice President, Grain 

“We look forward to having Ben as part of the Senior Leadership Team and sharing his multi-faceted work history in the grain industry with Crystal Valley.  His operations, merchandising, and management experience will bring great value to our patrons and our grain team.  – Roger Kienholz, CEO