The Arthur Companies
Customer Stories
Background
The Arthur Companies was one of the first customers to start using Bushel as a way to empower their farmers with critical information and streamline business at the elevator. Founded in 1906, The Arthur Companies operates grain and agronomy businesses in North Dakota and Idaho.
The Opportunity
The Arthur Companies needed an integrated workflow solution that would engage their farmer customers and save time on basic tasks for their team members. Additionally, The Arthur Companies continue to grow their operations, acquiring Thresher Artisan Wheat (Thresher) in 2021 to expand its wheat supply chain and merchandising business. The Arthur Companies needed a technology platform that would help them scale their operations and grow their business.Â
“It’s fun to look back at our journey of adopting Bushel. Our growers weren’t demanding the technology when we decided to move forward with it. But now? Our growers are telling us they don’t know how they ever operated without it,” said John Melland, CFO of The Arthur Companies. Â
Today The Arthur Companies use almost all of the features of the Bushel platform including the customer portal; bid, offer and hedge management; and website management. Recently, they added payments management to streamline payment processes for their farmers.Â
“The trend of customers wanting a more digital experience is only increasing, and those of us investing in technology are going to be ahead of the curve. Many of us are making both personal and business decisions based on the quality of digital tools available. Growers will continue to go through this same process. We need to meet the customer where they’re at,” James Burgum, CEO of The Arthur Companies said.Â
James Burgum, CEO of The Arthur Companies
“The trend of customers wanting a more digital experience is only increasing, and those of us investing in technology are going to be ahead of the curve. Many of us are making both personal and business decisions based on the quality of digital tools available. Growers will continue to go through this same process. We need to meet the customer where they’re at.”
Security
In this digital age, security is top of mind for any business. Grain facilities like The Arthur Companies immensely value this factor, which is why their customer portal is designed with the best security practices to ensure the privacy and integrity of all their growers’ data is protected.
That’s why The Arthur Companies choose to work with a software provider that is SOC 2 Type II compliant. A SOC 2 examination is a report on controls at a service organization relevant to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, or privacy.
Jeremy TenBroek, CIO, The Arthur Companies
“We use Bushel to get information into the hands of our customers and it allows us to do business more efficiently.”
The Results
Since partnering with Bushel in 2016, The Arthur Companies hails 97% of total growers regularly log into The Arthur Companies customer portal. This number is calculated by unique phone numbers downloaded and logged into the portal. With a password-free login system, The Arthur Companies customer portal depletes top grower barriers while still protecting all the information within a single user experience.
The Arthur Companies uses Bushel’s customer portal not just to provide information to their growers, but also to engage them. Several merchandising staff members use eSign capabilities to improve signed contract turnaround times and improve visibility into contract status. The Arthur Companies saw a 375% growth in eSign usage and from June 2023 to June 2024 saw nearly 900 contracts digitally signed through the Bushel Platform.Â
To drive origination through bid, offer, and hedge management, The Arthur Companies empowers its farmers to make offers through the customer portal either on mobile or desktop devices. Today the majority of offers are being submitted by the producers themselves, and account for 35% of total bushels just within the first few months of implementing these features.Â
“We use Bushel to get information into the hands of our customers and it allows us to do business more efficiently,” said Jeremy TenBroek, CIO, The Arthur Companies.