Tim Hughes is a 1989 graduate of Unity High School. He was born and raised in rural
Philo on his family’s farm. He attended St. Thomas Grade School through the 8th grade.
After high school graduation, he attended Parkland College in Champaign, IL,
completing his associate degree in agriculture before transferring to the University of
Illinois. He completed his Bachelor of Science degree in agronomy from Illinois in 1994.
Tim started his career as a sales agronomist for a small retail fertilizer company in
Sidney, IL while completing his degree. Soon after graduation, he moved into a similar
role with a newly formed company, United Prairie LLC. United Prairie was formed by
three local cooperatives to make an impact in the agricultural retail business. After three
years in the sales agronomist role, he was fortunate enough to be named the CEO of
United Prairie. During his time with United Prairie as a sales agronomist and CEO, he
was part of a team that experienced tremendous success and growth.
In 2004, looking to expand his overall knowledge and experience in the agricultural
business, Tim accepted a role with Cargill Inc. as a Sales manager with responsibilities
for managing Cargill’s grain origination in the central Illinois and western Indiana region.
In 2007, Tim moved into an Account manager role with Pioneer Hi-Bred for several
years before joining United Suppliers Inc. of Ames Iowa with the responsibility of leading
the sales efforts for their wholesale crop nutrient business in the Eastern United States.
In 2012, as fate would have it, United Prairie’s strong momentum and growth that it had
experienced through the first several years of existence had stumbled and Tim was
offered the opportunity to return to his old company as the CEO and President. The next
several years were a very exciting time for United Prairie. The company’s great group of
employees grew and expanded United Prairie’s business and influence across many
parts of Illinois. In 2020, United Prairie was recognized as one of the 30 largest
agricultural retail companies in the United States.
In 2021, Tim’s career took one final step when he was asked to take the CEO role with
Premier Cooperative Inc. Premier is one of the founders and owners of United Prairie.
Premier is also one of the largest independent agricultural cooperatives in Illinois.
Tim has remained a lifelong resident of Unit 7 and has been an active member of many
local organizations and boards. He and his wife Amy (Meyer), also a 1990 Unity
graduate married in 1995 and continue to live in Tolono. Both of their children, Hayden,
and Ellie are Unity graduates.