Nicole Kerber, Illinois State University

March 13, 2026
Hello again, my name is Nicole Kerber. As a refresher, I am a junior at Illinois State University majoring in agribusiness. I am originally from Manlius, IL, and feel extremely blessed to be continuing this scholarship opportunity. I spent my spring job shadowing days at River Valley Cooperative this past week.

My first day was spent with Ryan Kerber the Grain Operations Manager. He told me how spring is a busy time for local elevators due to moving as much grain as possible before the next harvest season. They are trying to empty bins by shipping grain to processors, ethanol plants, feed mills, or export terminals. This allows them to create space for the upcoming crop and reduces risk of grain quality issues. Luckly for River Valley much of that is close within the area they operate with places such as Marquis, CGB, and Cargill. River Valley also has their own feed mill in Galva, IL.

Some of the quality issues are due to warmer temperatures causing the grain to spoil, mold, and attract insects. This is when operations managers spend much of their time monitoring grain condition and running fans within the bins, hoops, and sheds. It was neat to see how they could monitor the grain bin temperature by using sensor cables that create a thermographic map. This allows them to identify hot spots within the grain bin and hopefully avoid spoilage.

The second day, I looked into the merchandising side of the grain operation. Many hard working employees manage contracts and ensure that grain deliveries match the correct contract. Grain merchandisers and originators are working closely with farmers to finalize contracts, track scale tickets, and ensure delivery bushels and time is correct. They also encourage farmers to use forward contracts on new crop bushels.

​Overall, these workdays have extended my knowledge on the grain world. I’d like to thank River Valley Cooperative for having me and giving me new insights with the agricultural system. Also, Illinois Grain and Feed Association for supplying me with this opportunity.