US: Cooperative Ventures invests in OpenTug to advance agricultural logistics innovation

NEW YORK, August 11, 2026 — Cooperative Ventures, a leading US agricultural cooperative investment organisation, has announced an investment in OpenTug, an AI-native logistics technology company transforming inland and coastal marine transportation.

Cooperative Ventures is a joint venture between CHS Inc. and GROWMARK that focuses on investing in agtech start-ups and developing mutually beneficial commercial relationships between start-ups and cooperative partners. These partnerships are designed to deliver long-term value to farmers, cooperatives and the broader agricultural supply chain.

In addition to Cooperative Ventures’ investment in OpenTug, CHS is working to implement OpenTug’s barge management system to improve efficiency across its supply chain.

OpenTug’s BargeOS platform optimises marine logistics by bringing commercial planning, voyage management, invoice reconciliation and reporting together in a single platform. The technology enables shippers and carriers to create greater value by reducing idle barge days, improving estimated time of arrival [ETA] accuracy and minimising demurrage charges.

By combining integrated barge GPS monitoring with BargeOS Autopilot’s automated ingestion of traffic reports and operational emails, users gain a comprehensive, real-time view of barge movements and voyage activity. Together, these capabilities are helping OpenTug drive stronger returns on investment for customers while optimising the wider grain supply chain through key performance indicator [KPI]-led visibility and insights.

“Partnering with CHS and GROWMARK allows us to accelerate digital transformation across one of America’s most critical supply chains,” said Jason Aristides, chief executive officer of OpenTug. “With BargeOS, we’re turning data into actionable insights that help cooperatives and farmers move products more efficiently, reduce waste and strengthen return on investment. This collaboration represents a shared commitment to innovation that benefits every link in the agricultural ecosystem.”

“Cooperatives rely on resilient, cost-effective transportation to move grain, fertiliser and other key products efficiently through the supply chain,” said David Black, executive vice president and chief information officer of CHS Inc. “OpenTug’s platform offers a digital bridge to improve visibility and coordination across marine freight networks, and this investment will ultimately help our supply chain and the cooperative system become more efficient so we can deliver more value to our farmer-owners.”

With improved visibility and coordination, partners using OpenTug’s digital tools can move more cargo with fewer barges. The added transparency also enables cooperatives to respond more quickly to disruptions, helping ensure continuity in the movement of agricultural goods.

“OpenTug’s platform has the potential to revolutionise how products move through the river system,” said Heather Thompson, enterprise marketing executive director at GROWMARK. “This investment will help strengthen the supply chains that depend on barges to move products to the right place at the right time, ultimately enabling us to better serve our farmer customers.”

OpenTug joins the growing portfolio of innovative companies within Cooperative Ventures, delivering solutions aimed at improving productivity, sustainability and profitability across the agricultural value chain.

https://thecooperator.news/washington-positions-united-states-as-africas-strategic-energy-partner/

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