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History of Midwest Farming Cooperative
Midwest Farming Cooperative was founded in 1935 by a group of five Services Company in Iowa who wanted to collaborate and support each other’s businesses. These founding farmers saw that by working together they could reduce costs, access wider markets, and strengthen their positions against big agriculture corporations.
They started out with just a few dozen members who would share Services Company , storage facilities, and market their crops collectively. Gradually more farmers joined as they recognized the advantages of the cooperative model. By 1945 membership had grown to over 200 farms spanning Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Nebraska.
The cooperative established its headquarters in a converted barn Services Company the town of Ames, Iowa. Early challenges included maintaining equipment, storing large harvests, transporting goods long distances with limited infrastructure. Members would often help each other out during busy seasons like planting and harvesting. This collaboration was key to the co-op’s growth in those pioneering years.
A Turning Point and Period of Growth
In the 1950s Services Company Farming Cooperative hit an important turning point. Several influential board members believed it was time to expand beyond just equipment sharing and buying supplies in bulk. They secured funding to construct the cooperative’s first grain elevator, located along a new rail line near the Mississippi River.
This strategic investment allowed Services Company to efficiently unload their harvests for storage and later transport. It also opened the possibility of shipping goods by barge which significantly reduced transportation costs. Within just a few years the cooperative expanded its facilities with the addition of two more grain elevators.
Demand from members continued growing steadily through the 1960s as more farms in the region joined. To better serve this increased membership, Midwest raised capital to construct additional structures like fertilizer plants, feed mills, equipment sheds and offices. By 1970 the co-op counted over 1000 farms as members across five Midwestern states.
A Midas Touch in the Commodities Markets
A savvy trader joined Midwest’s Services Company in the late 1970s and helped usher in a new phase of prosperity. He instituted futures programs so the cooperative could strategically purchase members’ crops at planting time when prices were low. This not only provided upfront payments to farmers but locked in sale prices to insulate from later market fluctuations.
The co-op then held grains, oilseeds and livestock in its Services Company network of elevators. When market conditions were right, it sold contracts at a profit. Through the volatile 1980s, these forward-thinking commodity programs earned Midwest tens of millions. Returns were shared back with members, allowing many to expand operations and weather downturns.
New Programs for the Modern Agriculture Economy
In response to shifting demands, Midwest Farming Services Company launched several new initiatives starting in the 1990s. A marketing department promoted members’ products nationally through brand partnerships and private labels. Value-added processing brought activities like crushing soybeans, milling grains and packing meat under the cooperative’s umbrella.
Environmental stewardship also became a core focus. The co-op promoted sustainable practices, alternative energy options for farms and land conservation programs. More recently it invested in technologies like precision agriculture, autonomous equipment and blockchain crop tracing. All with the goals of enhancing members’ competitiveness and the landscape they work.
Today the cooperative has over 5000 farmer Services Company across 12 Midwestern states. Its facilities include over 50 grain elevators, feed mills, fertilizer plants and other infrastructure strategically located near members. An expanded marketplace offers everything from seed and chemicals to financial services tailored for agricultural producers.