Big River Resources
Customer Stories
Allie Hagberg, Commodity Controller, Big River Resources
“We knew Bushel was going to be simple and easy to use for our growers. And not only that, but also easy for our internal staff to learn.”
A Digital Transformation Journey Powered by Bushel
Opportunity
Big River Resources, a grain and ethanol company with deep Midwestern roots, recognized a growing need to modernize the digital tools it provided to its growers and internal teams. Traditional systems were inconsistent and no longer met the expectations of tech-savvy producers or operational staff.
With decades of experience between them, Allie Hagberg (Commodity Controller) and Dennis Opperly (Grain Merchandiser) saw firsthand how fragmented and frustrating legacy technology had become for growers. As Dennis put it, “Customers just couldn’t get the app to work.” It was clear that a more intuitive, reliable solution was needed to improve customer engagement and streamline operations.
Big River wanted to offer something that would:
- Be simple and inherent for both growers and staff
- Enable real-time access to critical data like scale tickets and contracts
- Empower growers with self-service tools like offers and digital signing
- Lay the foundation for a future of digital payments and CRM integration
Solution
Big River partnered with Bushel to implement a comprehensive platform designed to modernize their grain operations. Simplicity was key to adoption, and Bushel delivered.
Key features adopted by Big River included:
- Customer Portal: For scale tickets, contracts, and offers
- Trade: Letting growers submit offers anytime
- eSign: Digitizing contract workflows from day one
- Payments: A secure, convenient way to pay their farmers
Allie and Dennis championed the rollout internally, facilitating trainings, collaborating with Bushel’s Customer Success Managers (CSMs), and embedding Bushel into regular team meetings. Their leadership helped build buy-in across the organization, even among initially hesitant team members.
Results
In just one year, Big River saw a 36% increase in active app users, growing from 854 to 1,116. This spike wasn’t incidental—it came from targeted engagement, improved usability, and increasing comfort with digital tools among growers.
Key outcomes included:
- Streamlined Grower Experience: Real-time access to scale tickets and offers gave growers more control and transparency.
- Operational Efficiency: eSign and Wallet drastically reduced paper and manual processes.
- Digital Payments Revolutionized: With a Bushel Business Account provided by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. Member FDIC, growers now enjoy insured, secure direct deposits—with flexibility to move funds and earn competitive interest.*
- Internal Team Alignment: Regular meetings with Bushel content helped build adoption across merchandisers and accounting staff.
“Dennis and I can’t be the only champions of Bushel at Big River—it takes the whole team. That’s why we embed Bushel into our team meetings.” —Allie Hagberg, Commodity Controller, Big River - New Use Cases Beyond Grain: Freight companies and investors are now leveraging Wallet to receive dividends and payments.
Dennis Opperly, Grain Merchandiser, Big River
“What I like is that [Bushel] listens. If you’ve got something you’d like to improve, they’ll either make it happen or work with you on how to get there.”
Conclusion
Big River Resources is a standout example of what’s possible when digital transformation is done with a people-first approach. Their journey with Bushel shows that simplicity drives adoption, internal champions power change, and flexible tools unlock new business opportunities. Together, we’re redefining what’s possible for the future of ag-tech.
*The interest rate for the Bushel Business Account is variable and may change at any time. Bushel is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking Services for the Bushel Business Account are provided by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. FDIC insurance only covers the failure of an FDIC-insured bank. The standard FDIC deposit insurance limit is $250,000 per depositor, per FDIC- insured bank, per ownership category through The Bancorp Bank, N.A. and its sweep program banks. See the Bushel website and the Deposit Account Agreement for more details.