Kevin Still

President & CEO, retired

Keystone Cooperative

Under Kevin Still’s leadership, Keystone Cooperative has grown into one of the nation’s leading agricultural cooperatives, helping farmers and rural communities remain competitive while preserving cooperative ownership and democratic governance.

Congratulatory Listings

Kevin, thank you for your leadership, and vision throughout the creation of Agensan Assurance. Your commitment to innovative risk management solutions and confidence in the captive insurance strategy were instrumental in bringing this important initiative to life. Agensan Assurance stands as a significant achievement for Keystone, and we are grateful for your guidance, partnership, and unwavering support throughout the process.

CoBank congratulates Kevin Still on his induction into the Cooperative Hall of Fame. Through decades of leadership, service, and advocacy, Kevin has strengthened agricultural cooperatives, advanced the Farm Credit System, and championed rural communities. We celebrate this well-deserved honor and his lasting impact on the cooperative movement.

Congratulations, Kevin Still!

Your induction into the Hall of Fame is a well-deserved recognition of an extraordinary career marked by visionary leadership, unwavering integrity, and a steadfast commitment to serving others. Thank you for the lasting impact you've made on Keystone's employees, farmers, and communities. Congratulations on this remarkable honor and lasting legacy.

Congratulations to Kevin Still on this well-deserved recognition and induction into the Cooperative Hall of Fame. Thank you for your lifelong commitment to farmers, rural communities, and the cooperative model. Your leadership, advocacy, and service have strengthened agriculture and left a lasting impact on the cooperative system.

Congratulations, Kevin, on your well-deserved induction into the Cooperative Hall of Fame. It has been a privilege to witness the impact of your leadership and the remarkable, values-driven cooperative you have helped build at Keystone. Thank you for your lasting contributions to agriculture and for your unwavering commitment to the cooperative community.

Nationwide® congratulates Kevin Still on his induction into the 2026 Cooperative Hall of Fame. As a past Nationwide Board Council member, we know firsthand your passion for helping rural communities and proudly honor your legacy of advocating for cooperative principles and agriculture.

Kevin, congratulations on your induction into the Cooperative Hall of Fame. It has been a privilege to work with Keystone and see the impact of your leadership firsthand. You've left a lasting mark on Keystone, the cooperative movement and the communities that depend on it. Thank you for all you've contributed along the way. We're honored to celebrate this recognition with you.

Congratulations to Kevin Still, 2026 Cooperative Hall of Fame inductee. Through 46 years of transformational leadership, unwavering commitment to the cooperative model, and your dedication to championing those who feed America, you have strengthened rural communities, advanced agriculture, and shaped the future of rural America.

Congratulations Kevin!

Still Farms

Still Farms is a family-owned and operated farm dedicated to cultivating quality, tradition, and community. Founded on faith, family, and hard work, our farm is committed to helping feed the world.

Rooted in tradition, Still Farms is proud to share the fruits of our labor with our community while preserving the values that have guided our family for generations.

Feed the world!

Thank you for your strong Syngenta partnership commitment and decades of valuable contributions to our industry.

Congratulations Kevin - We appreciate you!

Friends of Kevin Still

Amy Kinsler

Bill & Vonda Peters

Cathy Statz

Doug Brunt

Doug Whicker

Elizabeth South

Eric Adair

Jeremy Mills

Julie Bosland

Karen Zimbelman

Kim & Gina Ames

Kirstie Boyette

Michelle L. Schry

Nathan Hedden

Rodney Graham

Scott Logue

Steven Krikava

Tim & Julie Burke

Rooted in Rural America

Before Kevin became one of the most respected cooperative leaders in the country, he was a farm kid growing up outside Galesburg, Illinois.

Raised on a grain, swine, and cattle farm alongside his three sisters, Kevin learned early that success was never achieved alone. Whether it was family members pitching in during harvest or neighbors helping one another through challenges, cooperation was simply a way of life. His family's ties to cooperatives ran deep. His father and grandfather purchased supplies through the local co-op and financed through Farm Credit. Long before Kevin understood cooperative principles, he was living them.

Those lessons stayed with him. The values of hard work, trust, service, and community would eventually guide a 45-year career dedicated to strengthening cooperatives and supporting the farmers who depend on them.

A Foundation for Leadership

Kevin Still didn't set out to build one of the nation's largest agricultural cooperatives. Like many young people from rural America, he left home to pursue an education and discover where life might lead. At the University of Iowa, he earned a degree in accounting and later became a CPA, developing the financial expertise that would prove invaluable throughout his career.

College also brought another life-changing moment: meeting Anne, the woman who would become his wife and partner for nearly five decades.

The combination of discipline, curiosity, and a willingness to embrace new opportunities helped shape a young leader who would eventually leave a lasting mark on the cooperative system.

The Mentor Who Changed Everything

Every Hall of Fame career has a beginning. For Kevin Still, it started with someone who believed in him.

After graduating from the University of Iowa, Kevin accepted his first cooperative position with Hendricks County Farm Bureau Co-op. There he met Dave Whicker, a leader whose influence would shape Kevin's entire approach to leadership.

"Dave embodied everything that makes the cooperative model special: deep integrity, genuine humility, and a powerful commitment to his family and community."

Dave taught him that leadership is about more than business results. It is about serving others, building trust, and doing the right thing even when no one is watching. Those lessons became the foundation of Kevin's career. As he rose through the cooperative system, he carried those values with him, earning a reputation for integrity, humility, and an unwavering commitment to people.

Sometimes a single mentor can change the course of a life. For Kevin Still, that mentorship helped create a Hall of Fame legacy.

Building People, Building Culture

Kevin Still has spent decades building successful cooperatives. But ask those who know him best, and they'll tell you his greatest investment has always been people.

Throughout his career, Kevin created opportunities for employees to grow, lead, and reach beyond what they thought was possible. He believed that great organizations are built by trusting people, encouraging them to take ownership, and helping them discover their potential.

One nominator described him as someone who understands that growth rarely happens in a straight line—it happens when people are given the confidence to make the next right decision. That philosophy helped create a culture where employees felt empowered, valued, and connected to a larger purpose.

The result wasn't just organizational growth. It was the development of countless leaders whose careers were shaped by Kevin's belief that success is best achieved together.

A Vision for Something Bigger

Early in his career, Kevin Still recognized that agriculture was changing. Farmers faced increasing complexity, new technologies, and growing competition. Kevin believed cooperatives would need to evolve as well—but he also believed they could grow without sacrificing the local relationships that made them special.

That belief led him to pioneer innovative approaches to cooperative partnerships and growth. Rather than asking communities to abandon their identities, he sought ways for cooperatives to become stronger together while preserving their local roots. That vision ultimately helped lead to the creation of Keystone Cooperative, one of the largest agricultural cooperatives in the country and a model for cooperative growth nationwide. More importantly, it demonstrated that innovation and cooperative values can thrive side by side.

Creating Opportunities for Farmers

One of Kevin Still's greatest strengths has been his ability to see possibilities where others see obstacles. Throughout his career, he has helped farmers create new opportunities to strengthen their operations and capture greater value from the products they produce.

One example is Wholestone Farms Cooperative, a producer-owned pork processing venture that gave farmers a stronger position in the marketplace. Kevin helped guide the effort, bringing together financial expertise, cooperative principles, and a clear vision for the future.

The project reflects a theme that runs throughout Kevin's career: empowering producers to accomplish together what would be difficult to achieve alone. Whether helping build new businesses, expand services, or strengthen supply chains, Kevin has consistently focused on creating opportunities that benefit farmers, families, and rural communities.

A Voice for Cooperation

While Kevin's roots remain firmly planted in rural America, his influence extends far beyond the communities he serves.

For more than two decades, he has helped guide CoBank, one of the nation's most important financial institutions serving agriculture and rural America. He has also been a strong advocate for cooperatives through his leadership with the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives and numerous industry organizations.
Yet no matter where he serves, Kevin brings the same perspective: a commitment to farmers, rural communities, and the cooperative model. His work has helped shape policies, institutions, and opportunities that benefit cooperatives across the country.

Few leaders have had such a profound impact at both the local and national levels.

A Legacy of Service

The story of Kevin Still is ultimately a story about service.

For 45 years, he has dedicated himself to helping farmers succeed, strengthening rural communities, building organizations, mentoring future leaders, and advancing the cooperative movement. Along the way, he helped transform local cooperatives into nationally recognized enterprises while never losing sight of the people those organizations exist to serve.

The impact of his work can be seen in stronger cooperatives, thriving rural communities, expanded opportunities for producers, and thousands of employees who have grown under his leadership. His influence extends far beyond any one organization—it lives on in the people, partnerships, and communities he helped build.

For his visionary leadership, unwavering commitment to cooperative principles, and lasting impact on farmers, communities, and the cooperative movement, Kevin Still is being inducted into the Cooperative Hall of Fame. Join us in Washington, DC, on October 8 as we celebrate Kevin Still and his extraordinary contributions to the cooperative business community.

Honoring and Planning Committee

Amy Kinsler . Beth Banks
Elizabeth South

Nominated by:

Keystone Cooperative