Seasons Greetings from FC Coop

Seasons Greetings!

On behalf of the Farmers Cooperative Company’s 425 full-time employees and 5,279 fellow cooperative owners, I wish you and your loved ones a Happy Holidays and a safe and prosperous 2013.

FC Coop CEO Jim Chism

As I begin my first full calendar year as CEO, I want to express a sincere “Thank-you” for all of the support you have shown my wife Marcia and I during our transition here to Iowa and to FC. This is a wonderful company with unlimited potential. During the upcoming calendar year you will see several new faces and notice several new processes at FC. All of these changes are designed to either increase the level of our expertise, improve the level of our service or make FC an even stronger company.  All of which benefit our member owners! Stay tuned.

This past year was full of challenges – some within our control and some outside of our control. We will all remember the “Drought of 2012” – the worst drought since the 1930’s – which helped drive grain prices to all-time record highs (corn peaked at $8.43/bushel and soybeans reached $17.94). Collectively we (FC and our producers) came through the drought better than many, however, we all noticed the decreased yields, the effects of which will be observed in 2013.

Financially, revenue reached almost $1.3 billion, again making us one of the largest locally grain, agronomy and feed cooperatives in the entire USA. To that end, the Board of Directors approved paying 30% cash patronage (up from the usual 20%).

We are evaluating every aspect of our business right now and making sure that we meet our producers’ needs. We will continue to spend considerable amounts of time and resources assisting our producers maximize their earnings through competitive pricing, increasing grain receiving speed and capacity and with our technical expertise. We will also continue to invest in facilities and rolling stock to better serve our producers.  

Like Us on Facebook to stay updated

I encourage everyone to stay connected with us this coming year on our new social media channels. Simply visit our website (www.fccoop.com) and click on the logos on the upper right to see what we are doing, keep abreast on breaking news, and to share your thoughts with us.

It was a memorable and successful 2012 - Together We Can make 2013 an even better year.

May you have a blessed and safe Holiday Season.

Jim Chism

CEO

Farmers Cooperative Company