K·Coe Isom, a national food and agriculture consulting and accounting firm, announced Sept. 1 the acquisition of Kansas-based agricultural advisory and commodity brokerage firm Paragon. The addition bolsters K·Coe Isom’s dedicated agricultural solutions with grain merchandising, customized farm marketing and agricultural risk management plans to increase profitability for farming operations and producers throughout the U.S.

K·Coe Isom devotes two-thirds of its business to providing solutions for the food supply chain and the financial, sustainability, legislative and operational issues it faces.

“This strategic move to add expert grain and livestock marketing advisory to K·Coe’s diverse ag consulting portfolio rounds out our full-service offering for producers,” K·Coe Isom chief executive officer Jeff Wald said. “Not only does Paragon have nationally recognized expertise in their field, [but] they share our vision aimed at improving and securing the future of America’s farmers. Having worked together since 1997, our shared culture, familiarity and mutual admiration allows us to jump right in and focus on what is now possible for producers nationwide.”

Founded in 1997, Paragon Ag Advisors (PAA) is a consulting firm, providing risk management services to agricultural producers and end users. In addition to marketing and hedge advice, PAA also serves as a grain merchandiser for clients that helps sell physical grain. PAA's client base is concentrated in the Midwest and represents commodity producers of corn, wheat (hard and soft red), soybeans, milo/sorghum, cattle and hogs. The executives and all employees from Paragon’s two divisions will remain based out of the Kansas office locations.

“This move generates a lot of opportunity for growth and forward progress – both for the producers that we serve and the employees that embody our mission,” Chris Haverkamp, president and founder of Paragon, said. “The greatest advantage is the access this provides for producers to a broader range of advisory services and a wealth of resources to help us enrich their agribusinesses and unearth incredible new opportunities. We’re excited that this union is so on par with our foundational commitment to providing innovative farm solutions.”

K·Coe Isom has also purchased the commodity futures brokerage arm, Paragon Investments Inc., which is now an affiliation of K·Coe Isom. As a guaranteed introducing broker of ADM Investor Services, Paragon Investments is licensed to trade commodity futures and options on behalf of its clients and primarily represents agricultural producers hedging risk.