UFC's History

United Farmers Cooperative (UFC) is a farmer owned cooperative that was formed in 1915 in the town of Lafayette, Minnesota. At that time, it was formed as the “Cooperative Creamery Association” of Lafayette. Over the next 85 years, the cooperative would undergo many changes as the needs of the members that it served evolved to keep pace with the changing world. Listed below are some of our highlights:

UFC Highlights People....Pride....Purpose....since 1915.

• 1915 - Cooperative was organized into Cooperative Creamery Association
• 1920 - Produce department was added
• 1940 - Locker plant and butcher shop was added
• 1960’s - Ongoing construction with the addition of fertilizer blending equipment and bagging equipment for fertilizer products
• 1966 - First grain elevator purchased in Lafayette
• 1968 - Purchased and merged in the Klossner elevator facilities
• 1969 - The two Elevator operations and the Farm Supply operations merged into a single operation. The creamery division was sold to Mid America Dairies.
• 1971 - The name of the organization was changed to The Farmers Cooperative of Lafayette.
• 1972 - Winthrop Farm Services and Elevator purchased
• 1986 - Purchased the Norseland location from the dissolved Tri Ag. Co-op organization
• 1995 - The Klossner Coop Oil Association was merged into the operation and the name of the organization was changed to the current “United Farmers Cooperative”.
• 1995 - The new Livestock Service Center opens—greatly expanding the feed operations.
• 1998 - LeSueur Farmers Elevator was merged into the operation
• 2000 - United Farmers Cooperative purchased a liquid fertilizer business from Anker’s Inc. in Gibbon, Minnesota. Also purchased were the assets from Tri-County Builders of Gaylord to expand our building and construction business.
• 2002 - Complete redesign and reconstruction of LeSueur location. Built new retail franchise and opened “Giant Valley Trading Company” (GVTC) to address rapidly growing farm store market.
• 2003 - Purchased Turbes Oil Company and formed UDS (United Distribution Services) in Searles, Minnesota. This greatly increased petroleum volume and expanded UFC’s service area.
• 2004 - Started our own insurance company—Parthenon Risk Partners
• 2006 - Ag-Land Co-op and UFC unified their operations into UFC’s
• 2007 - UFC relocated the corporate office to Winthrop
• 2008 - Hector Agriliance Liquid Facility acquired

1940's Headquarters, our first headquarters

2007 Current Headquarters in Winthrop

Then and now
The organization started in 1915 with two employees and sales of just over $35,000. Today, United Farmers Cooperative has grown into an operation with nearly 150 total employees and annual sales at nearly 110 million dollars. From one location in the small town of Lafayette, the organization has grown to include multi-locations in eleven communities—our service area stretches out to serve members across several counties in Central Minnesota.

We remember where we came from
Although the organization continues to grow and change with the needs of its member owners, the core reasons the business was formed in the first place continues to be the driving force behind United Farmers Cooperative.

Old LeSueur location

LeSueur, 1998 location

United Farmers Cooperative was formed to help its member owners gain access to the products, services and markets that individually were out of reach for them. Cooperatively its member owners have been able to expand its list of available products and services into one of the most diversified member owned cooperatives in the upper Midwest.

Here to meet all your agriculture needs and more
Services available to its members today include everything from the seed it takes to plant the crop to the best markets for the end-products. This includes options from full grain merchandising to feed production, and most recently ethanol production through Heartland Corn Products in Winthrop. Other services include a full line of farm machinery, petroleum services, agronomy services, and full parts and repair products.

In most recent years, as the farm population continues to shrink, the co-op has expanded its services to include many services for non-farm consumers as well. Home heating and cooling products, hardware, lawn and garden products, as well as United Xpress, our newly branded convenience stores, have been added.

“Progress With a Purpose”
Throughout all of the changes, the commitment to the members and communities has not changed. “Progress With a Purpose” became a marching order and a theme to live by. The Board and management team has taken long term strategic planning very seriously. Together they try to manage the nearly 30 million dollars worth of producer’s assets and put them to work for the improvement of the local economy. In fact, in 1998 as part of some long range planning, the Board and management team adopted the following mission statement:

“To supply our customers with technology, products and services in a manner that is extraordinary enough to add value to their lives.”

In addition to our mission statement, we have evolved our vision to embrace the following vision statement:

To be recognized by our customers as their first choice in the markets that we serve.

Member-owned: Member focused
In order to live up to these expectations that the organization has set for itself, we have closely examined what the organization should stand for. Since United Farmers Cooperative is a member-owned company, it is even more important that we operate with an exceptional high level of integrity. All of our records and financial performance are a matter of public record. It is for this reason that the company adopted the following list of values by which we try and operate:

We will:

• Maintain financial stability
• Be competitive
• Retain, train and recruit employees to meet the highest professional standards
• Be open to new business concepts
• Embrace innovation and change as a way to achieve internal and external growth
• Communicate with employees, members, our communities and vendors in an open, forthright manner
  

UFC operates primarily in rural Minnesota. In many cases, the cooperative has been able to meet the needs of its members with products and services that would not even be available if it were not for the cooperative. As technology continues to expand at a feverish pace, the needs of our rural communities will change just as quickly. As a member-owned company, we may be the best and sometimes only avenue for gaining access to the latest in products and services in our rural area.

Supporting our local producers and communities
Cooperatively, UFC believes it is consistent with our Mission Statement to seek out and investigate opportunities to bring value to our local farmers and communities alike. In the past, this has meant things like gaining access to a market for butter and cream, or gaining access to the latest in seed varieties for improved crop productivity. In the future, this may mean playing a role in bringing technical improvements to the area such as Internet solutions or computer training through cooperatively owned training centers.

Along the way, we have been able to provide good jobs to well over 100 families, add value to local products, and are a collective voice for the needs of our rural communities. United Farmers Cooperative looks to the future with guarded optimism. We must continue to investigate all opportunities and do what we can to grow the economic development of our part of rural Minnesota.

People….Pride….Purpose….“Since 1915”