Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Thursday, February 4, 2016
(SEYMOUR) - Two agricultural cooperatives are merging.
The Seymour Tribune reports the agreement between Jackson-Jennings Co-op, based in Seymour, and Premier Companies in Columbus will create a cooperative that spans much of southeastern Indiana and parts of Ohio and Kentucky. The merge is an attempt to be more responsive to farmers' needs.
The coverage area of Jackson-Jennings Co-op, founded by farmers in 1929, includes seven other counties besides Jackson and Jennings -- Clark, Crawford, Floyd, Harrison, Jefferson, Scott and Washington.
Premier Companies, also known as Premier Ag, is a farmer-owned cooperative founded in 1923.
According to Harold Cooper, CEO and general manager of Premier Companies, the merger which will take effect Sept. 1, means little in terms of changes for members and customers or the 200 or so employees of the combined company that will take on the Premier Companies name.
The only other change with the merger is the likely combination of the headquarters of the two co-ops.
A new Premier Companies board election will be held possibly in March, where six directors will be elected from each company.
Besides its main office in Seymour, Jackson-Jennings has branches in Brownstown, Cortland, Corydon, North Vernon and Salem.
The co-op also operates CountryMark convenience stores in Brownstown, Crothersville and Seymour; a self-serve CountryMark fuel station in Seymour; a farm and pet store in Seymour; and a grain elevator in Cortland that accepts beans, corn and wheat and another in Brownstown that accepts corn.
Premier Companies serves customers in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky through branches in Franklin, Greensburg, Hope, St. Paul, Trafalgar and Harrison, Ohio. The company operates two retail fuel stations in Greensburg and another in Harrison, Ohio.
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