GRAIN MERCHANDISER: DAMON KASSELDER

I spent the earlier part of my childhood in Kearney, but when I was 12 we moved to the small town of Ericson, Nebraska. My 5 siblings and I were very close knit. We did what any normal farm kid did growing up – showed cattle at the county fair and hunted whenever we had extra time. Living in a small town, sports (especially 6-man football) quickly became a big part of my childhood. My hobbies now are golf, slow-pitch softball, and fishing at the lake.

I received my teaching degree from the University of Nebraska-Kearney and taught welding at the Kearney Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center. For the last 3 years, I have been a Grain Merchandiser with Aurora Cooperative. What I enjoy most about my career at the cooperative is helping our farmer-owners be successful and also meeting new people nearly every day. I currently live in Grand Island and work at the terminal there. My trade area includes Grand Island, Hastings, Doniphan, Giltner, Juniata, and Roseland.

The value that I bring our farmer-owners as a merchandiser is constantly providing them up-to-date market information to help them make good decisions and also timely customer service. I take pride in doing whatever I can to help them be successful.

I believe it is important to be readily available to our busy farmer-owners for anything they may need, even if it means picking up tickets or dropping off checks in the field.