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23 January 2026
Rod Sanderson receives the Ed Rainy Brown Award for Outstanding Commitment to Co-operation
The 2026 Ed Rainy Brown memorial award has been presented to Rod Sanderson, the outgoing Chief Executive of Tarff Valley, in recognition of his outstanding commitment to co-operation. Rod was announced as the winner at the SAOS Conference Dinner at Crieff Hydro (Thursday 22nd Jan) by Katy Rainy Brown.
Rod was brought up on a farm in the Borders and has an Honours degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Aberdeen. Taking over as CEO from another co-op stalwart and ERB award winner, Colin Owen, in 2016, he joined Tarff following a successful career and postings across Europe with the huge, multi-national organisation, Cargill.
Under Rod’s leadership, the Tarff business has grown significantly and has developed exciting new areas of service. Rod has been a driving force, empowering his team and embodying the co-operative ethos that benefits Scottish agricultural. He has shown vision and commitment towards shaping the co-op for the future and championing the next generation at Tarff Valley and beyond.
Tarff Valley now has over 1200 farmer members, a turnover of over £100 million, and employs over 120 people at their sites throughout Southern Scotland, Northern England, Ayrshire and on Islay. As Rod steps away from Tarff, he can do so proudly, especially having built a strong team and passing the Chief Executive mantle to Ian Houston who has been with Tarff for 20 years gaining an in-depth understanding of the co-op’s operations.
SAOS’s Head of Co-operative Development, Robert Logan, commented: “It was a tough decision, but I’m delighted that Rod has received this recognition. It’s been a pleasure to work with him over the years. Tarff is very much at the heart of the rural community in the southwest and Rod has helped grow the business whilst maintaining its culture and purpose, for the co-op to support farmers drive productivity and efficiency.
“It speaks volumes that the staff are proud to work at Tarff. This has been in no small part due to Rod’s considered leadership – embracing co-operative values to ensure farmer benefit through a proactive business focus. Rod should be very proud of what he has achieved at Tarff and for the industry, as a champion for young people entering farming in the southwest through the apprenticeship scheme, as well as directly employing apprentices for the Tarff business. Rod’s proactive leadership, clarity of vision, and a ‘talk less, deliver more’ approach particularly appealed to the judging panel.”
Nominees for this award are shortlisted by the SAOS Co-op team before the judging panel, comprising NFUS CEO John Davidson, SAOS’s CEO Tim Bailey and Robert Logan, reviews the shortlist before settling on a winner.
Commenting on Rod’s award, NFU Scotland President, Andrew Connon, added: “"Rod Sanderson has been an exceptional leader in Scottish agriculture, consistently putting co-operative principles into practice and championing the next generation of farmers. His vision, commitment, and integrity have strengthened Tarff Valley and made a lasting impact on the rural community. This award is a well-deserved recognition of his outstanding contribution to co-operation and the agricultural sector."