Co-op, recognized as one of the strongest federated farm supply cooperative systems in the nation, includes Tennessee Farmers Cooperative (TFC) and the 52 member Co-ops and 11 associate members in neighboring states that own TFC. At the very foundation are the roughly 70,000 farmers who are member-owners of the local Co-ops in their home counties. Of course, you don’t have to be a member of the Co-op to shop there. Co-op offers quality products for everyone! Some 164 Co-op retail outlets, which operate in 84 of Tennessee’s 95 counties, and across the border in five neighboring states, serve more than half a million customers. Co-op is a cornerstone in the communities where our retail stores and facilities are located. Co-op is truly your hometown store, locally owned and operated with a well-trained, dedicated staff ready to serve the needs of each and every customer. Because its roots reach back into the soil farmed by its organizers, Co-op always has the best interests of its patrons at heart. And that heritage generates a spirit of cooperation that has molded our system into a closely knit network of individuals and organizations working together for the benefit of the farmers and our other Co-op customers. Co-op is more than a store — it’s a way of life.
The Co-op system in Tennessee is a federated system with a circle of ownership. Each member Co-op is an independent business owned by its farmer-members; those local Co-ops, in turn, own TFC. This gives the farmer true ownership of his or her own farm supply and service organization. Each farmer-member owns one share of voting stock. Those members elect a local board of directors, which establishes that Co-op’s policies and employs the general manager. The daily operation of the business is under the supervision of the general manager, who answers to the board. Savings above the cost of doing business are returned to the member-patron on a patronage basis. On a state level, the cooperative system in Tennessee is divided into three zones roughly reflecting the three grand divisions of the state — East, Middle, and West Tennessee. Three directors are elected to represent each zone on TFC’s board of directors, each for a three-year term. TFC operates facilities in LaVergne in Middle Tennessee, Tenco at Rockford near Knoxville in East Tennessee, and at Jackson in West Tennessee. Each has its own distribution center, fertilizer plant, and feed mill. In addition, TFC’s offices, metal fabrication plant, and farm equipment facility are located in LaVergne, and a seed-conditioning and vegetable/lawn seed packaging facility at Halls in West Tennessee.
When Tennessee Farmers Cooperative was officially chartered on September 27, 1945, a whole new era in Tennessee agriculture began. In the spring of 1944, the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation’s board of directors had authorized a committee to study farm supply cooperatives in other states to recommend what structure would best serve the needs of Tennessee farmers. After a whirlwind tour of cooperatives in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, New York, Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana, the committee, headed by Al Jerdan, marketing specialist with the University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service, recommended a federated system, similar to those operating in Indiana and Ohio. After its board accepted the recommendation, the delegate body of the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation authorized the organization of the cooperative in November of 1944. Each of TFC’s 33 charter members, which were Farm Bureau supply associations, had an incorporating director to serve until a permanent board could be elected to direct the new regional cooperative. On the afternoon of September 27, 1945, during the first meeting of TFC’s members, a director to represent each of the state’s seven designated districts was elected to the board. With that election — at 1:05 p.m. — TFC was born.
Vice Chairman Keith Fowler of Martin has a row crop background focusing on corn, wheat, and soybeans. He serves as co-owner and manager of grain elevator operation Robinson & Belew, Inc., in Sharon. Fowler is a longtime member of Weakley Farmers Cooperative.
Director Amos Huey of Kenton is a long-time member of Obion Farmers Cooperative and has an agricultural background in row crop production. Emphasizing wheat, cotton, soybeans, and corn, Huey operates on more than 6,000 acres of land. He currently farms with his brother, Daniel, in Obion County and is a past Board President of Obion Farmers Co-op.
Director Tim Luckey is a Gibson Farmers Cooperative member and has a strong row crop presence in the town of Humboldt, where he focuses on cotton, soybeans, and corn. His farming has evolved over the years, and he is proud of the “high-tech” row crop operation that he and his sons share. Apart from farming, Luckey also has experience in local politics in Gibson County.
Director Benjie Daniel of Dickson County runs a dairy operation focusing on a mix of both milking cows and replacement heifers, as well as production of row crops including corn, hay, and silage. Daniel, whose farm is located in Charlotte, is a member of Dickson Farmers Cooperative. He is also president of the Tennessee Dairy Producers Association.
Director Donald Jernigan boasts an agricultural background in poultry production, beef cattle, and hay production. Having originally joined the TFC Board in 2006, Jernigan is a long-standing member of Rutherford Farmers Cooperative and is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University. He farms 700 acres on his Christiana farm with son Thomas.
Director Stephen Philpott hails from Shelbyville and is an alumnus of Middle Tennessee State University. He joins the TFC Board of Directors as a member of Bedford Moore Farmers Cooperative. Philpott, a sixth-generation farmer, operates a beef herd and row crop operation producing corn, wheat, and soybeans.
Director David Sarten of Sevierville provides the TFC Board of Directors with a strong mind for both agriculture and construction. A pivotal force behind the 2011 reconstruction and expansion of Sevier (now Smoky Mountain) Farmers Cooperative, Sarten focuses his farm efforts on a cow/calf herd, as well as in backgrounding steers.
George Smartt of McMinnville runs a 400-acre farming operation which includes poultry, wine grapes, and beef cattle. He was re-elected to serve on the TFC board of directors at the annual meeting in November, having previously served as a TFC board member from 2006-2014. A longtime member of Warren Farmers Cooperative, he resides with his wife of 34 years, Tammy, on the same farm where he was raised and where his great-great-grandfather, William Cheek Smartt, created a homestead in 1804. The Smartts have four children — Alex, 31, Jac, 28, Madison, 23, and Will, 19.
Chairman Mark Thompson, a member of Claiborne Farmers Cooperative since 1977, comes to the TFC Board of Directors with a broad production agriculture background. Emphasizing row crops such as corn, alfalfa, and tobacco, Thompson also raises stocker cattle with sons Lee and Cody on their 1,100-acre Claiborne County operation.
Co-op was organized on the idea that together we can make a difference. That’s why Co-op is committed to championing important causes through sponsorship, scholarship, partnership, and fellowship. Through Co-op’s ongoing support of agricultural organizations, colleges and universities… youth education… conferences … field days … fairs … and other events, we are shaping the future of farming and ensuring continued growth and prosperity for our cooperative system. In total, we give more than $250,000 yearly in financial contributions alone, not to mention volunteer time, product donations, and in-kind sponsorships. Statewide, the most consistent support is given to 4-H and FFA as well as Ag-in-the-Classroom. We’re heavily involved with junior livestock projects, horse shows, leadership development, and many other youth activities at the local, regional, and state levels.
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