North Central members say no to ag co-op merger with Wheat Growers - Daily Republic
In a statement Thursday, the boards of directors of North Central Farmers Elevator and Wheat Growers announced that the member owners voted against the unification of the two cooperatives. The opponents of the merger had more votes, 809-767. Wheat Growers members supported the plan in their vote, with 61 percent of their voters saying yes to the plan by a 1533 to 995 margin. Steve Briggs, Wheat Growers senior vice president for agronomy and corporate marketing, expected both sides would support the merger and expressed disappointment after Wheat Growers board members and staff dedicated hours to the merger effort. "My disappointment comes from firmly believing this is the right thing to do for our entire membership, for our entire employee base and our entire community base," said Briggs. The process ends a nearly year-long process for the leadership of the two co-ops, who said the unification of the two co-ops would make them stronger against larger, multinational competition and would be able to save $44 million over four years... North Central is based in Ipswich, while Wheat Growers is based in Aberdeen and the two co-ops share market territory in north central South Dakota and southern North Dakota. Source: www.mitchellrepublic.com
