THIRD AMENDMENT TO THE CHS INC. DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN

Exhibit 10.5

THIRD AMENDMENT
OF
CHS INC.
DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN

     WHEREAS, CHS Inc. (the “Company”) has heretofore established and maintains a nonqualified deferred compensation plan which is embodied in a document effective December 30, 2004 and entitled “CHS Inc. Deferred Compensation Plan, Master Plan Document, as amended by two amendments (collectively, the “Plan document”);

     WHEREAS, since January 1, 2005, the Company has operated the Plan in compliance with Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code, based upon a good faith interpretation of Section 409A and the notices, regulations and other guidance issued thereunder;

     WHEREAS, the Company has reserved to itself the power to make further amendments of the Plan document.

     NOW, THEREFORE, the Plan document is hereby amended as follows:

1.10.

“Change in Control” shall mean the occurrence of a “change in the ownership,” “change in effective control,” and/or a “change in the ownership of a substantial portion of the assets,” as defined under Treasury Regulation § 1.409A-3(i)(5), of the Affected Corporation. For this purpose, the Affected Corporation is the Participant’s Employer, or any corporation (including the Company) in a chain of corporations in which each corporation is a majority shareholder of another corporation in the chain, ending with the Participant’s Employer. A “majority shareholder” is a shareholder owning more than 50 percent of the total fair market value and total voting power of such corporation.

1.36.

“Retirement”, “Retire(s)” or “Retired” shall mean, with respect to an Employee, Termination of Employment from all Employers for any reason other than a leave of absence, death or Disability on or after the earlier of the attainment of (a) age sixty-five (65) or (b) age fifty-five (55) with ten (10) Years of Service; and shall mean with respect to a Director who is not an Employee, Termination of Employment as a Director with all Employers on or after the attainment of age sixty (60).

1.41

“Termination of Employment” shall mean the separation from service (within the meaning of Treas. Regs. § 1.409A-1(h)) with the Company Controlled Group, voluntarily or involuntarily, for any reason other than Retirement, Disability or death. Whether a separation from service has occurred is determined under Code Section 409A and Treasury Regulation 1.409A-1(h) ( i.e ., whether the facts and circumstances indicate that

the Employer and the employee reasonably anticipated that no further services would be performed after a certain date or that the level of bona fide services the employee would perform after such date (whether as an employee or independent contractor) would permanently decrease to no more than twenty percent (20%) of the average level of bona fide services performed (whether as an employee or an independent contractor) over the immediately preceding thirty-six (36) month period (or the full period of services to the employer if the employee has been providing services to the employer less than thirty-six (36) months)). Separation from service shall not be deemed to occur while the employee is on military leave, sick leave or other bona fide leave of absence if the period does not exceed six (6) months or, if longer, so long as the employee retains a right to reemployment with any member of the Company Controlled Group under an applicable statute or by contract. For this purpose, a leave is bona fide only if, and so long as, there is a reasonable expectation that the employee will return to perform services for any member of the Company Controlled Group. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a twenty-nine (29) month period of absence will be substituted for such six (6) month period if the leave is due to any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous period of no less than six (6) months and that causes the employee to be unable to perform the duties of his or her position of employment. For this purpose, the “Company Controlled Group” is the Participant’s Employer and all persons with whom the Employer