News

Merger of Iowa co-ops is approved

The merger of Farmers Cooperative Company (FC), Ames, Iowa, and West Central Cooperative, Ralston, Iowa, has been approved by members of both cooperatives.

The unified cooperative, to be known as Landus Cooperative, will be led by current West Central president and CEO Milan Kucerak and be headquartered in Ames.

“This merger showcases our members’ request for their cooperative to do more together for their operations than either business could do separately,” said Kucerak in a news release. “We take our members’ confidence in a combined cooperative seriously as we prepare for integration and execution.”

Together, West Central and FC have more than 70 grain, agronomy and feed locations in 26 Iowa and three Minnesota counties. According to World Grain magazine’s Grain and Milling Annual, Landus Cooperative will become the seventh largest grain company in North America based on storage capacity and have shuttle-loading access on all seven major Iowa rail lines.

The merger becomes effective April 1, 2016.

Link to news release on FC Coop web site

Link to news release on West Central Coop web site