80 Years of Growing with Our Communities

OUR HISTORY

This history section is adapted from the 70th anniversary article originally published in the September 2015 issue of The Cooperator.

By early September 1945, the chaos of World War Two had ended, and peace had settled across the countryside. In Tennessee, servicemen were returning to their farms, homes, and families with renewed hope for prosperous productive lives. As they prepared for better times, farmers in Tennessee realized they needed more control over their own destiny. There was no guarantee farm supplies they needed would be available, and the quality of essentials such as feed, seed, and fertilizer was often questionable. Even before the war ended, producers across the state showed intense interest in forming their own farm supply business to provide a dependable, affordable source for these product inputs.

Out of this need, Tennessee farmers cooperative was born On September 27th 1945.

“When TFC was formed, there was a real need in the marketplace that was not being filled,” says Bart Krisle, TFC's chief executive officer. “Farmers needed quality products. They needed to know that those products would be there when they wanted them. They needed to know they were competitively priced, and they wanted to participate in the business. Organizing a farm supply cooperative gave them all of that and more.”

TFC's beginnings lie with the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation ,which, at the time was advocating for the organization of local cooperatives to serve farmers in their communities. Leaders recognized, however, that a statewide effort was needed. In the fall of 1944, a seven-member committee of farmers, Farm Bureau directors, and University of Tennessee Extension specialists spent three weeks visiting cooperatives in other states. These visionary leaders ultimately recommended that Tennessee establish a federated cooperative system, one that is owned from the ground up by the farmers it serves.

"The founders recognized that it was important to have direct farmer input into the activities of the Co-op,'' says Charles Atkins of Maryville, former TFC vice president of member services who spent 44 years in the Co-op system before retiring in 2002. "I think that's been our strong suit from the start - farmers keeping their hand on the throttle and holding us, as trustees, accountable for their business."

In November 1944, Farm Bureau delegates authorized the formation of TFC with 33 charter member associations. On the afternoon oF Sept. 27, 1945, TFC officially came into existence, holding its first membership meeting and electing its first board of directors.

"I can only imagine how proud our former leaders would be if they could see the success of our Co-op today," said Lacy Upchurch, Tennessee Farm Bureau president. "Not only has the Co-op been beneficial for farmers in need of farm supplies, hut it's also benefited all of Tennessee agriculture in the united voice we share for this industry."

With TFC's birth, a whole new era in Tennessee agriculture began. Through the statewide Co-op system, individual farmers and their communities enjoy advantages such as greater purchasing power, an extensive distribution framework, state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, reliable supply of quality products, and access to knowledgeable employees. Plus, as a farmer-owned business, the Co-op gives its members a chance to share in the profits through cooperative patronage.

That's what sets the TFC system apart in the increasingly competitive farm supply sector, says Jonathan Pierce, a longtime member of AgCentral Farmers Cooperative.

"I remember an old Co-op slogan, 'Owned and operated by the farmers of Tennessee,' and that's still true today," says Pierce, who raises beef cattle and swine on his Athens farm. "Simply put, my family has always dealt with the Co-op because they have what we need. And when the Co-op makes a profit, it's returned to the members. If the Co-op isn't financially successful, it's not going to be there for me. That's where my loyalty lies."

From its original 33 member Co-ops, the TFC system grew to a peak of 88 in 1961. Today, TFC has 54 member Co-ops, each a separate, independent business that is owned, operated, and directed by local farmers. Those cooperatives, in turn, own TFC, which is governed by a nine-member board of directors elected by delegates from the local Co-ops.

''We're member-owned, and we need to make sure those members know we are here to serve them in the best ·way possible,'' says one of the youngest Co-op managers in the system, Randy Stubblefield, who succeeded longtime Williamson Farmers Cooperative Manager Larry Dale in January 2014.

"My generation has always had a lot more options than those farmers who started the Co-op in the first place. Today's young producers have never had a problem getting the products they need. We have to leach them the Co-op story and keep the tradition alive." In 1949, the dock area at TFC's second Nashville location - 808 Lea Avenue - was busy as more and more supplies were shipped to member Co-ops. Distribution would soon move to Lavergne with the construction of new facilities In the early 1950s.

Core agricultural inputs, including fertilizer, seed, feed, crop protection, and farm hardware items, have always been Co-op staples, but members wanted to do more than just resell others' products - they wanted their own Co-op brand. That's why TFC made major investments in facilities throughout the 1950s, '60s. and '70s. building fertilizer plants and feed mills in the state's three grand divisions along with a seed-processing facility in Halls and a metal fabrication plant in LaVergne.

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"The biggest change l've seen is how the agricultural landscape has shifted," says Ooten, who began his career on the Co-op training program in 1972. "When I started at Greene County, there were 350 dairies here. Now there are less than 40. Seed, feed, and fertilizer were our mainstays back then, but now our Co-op has more suburbanized types of products for a broader customer base. I never thought I'd see that happen, but ag will continue to change, and the Co-op business has to change with it."

Technological advances also have impacted farmers and their Co-op system. For example, accounting became the first TFC department to be computerized in 1967. Flotation fertilizer spreading was tested in West Tennessee in 1968. Radial tires were introduced to Co-op customers in 1970. Batch processing at TFC's feed mills became computerized in 1981, and automated bagging and palletizing equipment was installed in the mid-2000s. By 1985, feed specialists began using computers to balance rations - a service they continue to offer today with the latest software available.

From the rise of no-till techniques and prescription fertilizer blends to genetically modified seed and precision agriculture, technology in agronomy has perhaps progressed more than any other type of farming in the past 70 years. And TFC has remained at the forefront through it all. For example, the Co-op system was among the first to offer Roundup Ready soybean seed in 1995, which revolutionized crop production. In the mid-l990s, TFC pioneered some of the first precision agriculture work in the Southeast with CPS-generated field maps and grid soil-sampling.

That trend continues today. TFC and member Co-ops working closely with their farmer owners to use sophisticated precision programs and equipment for seed placement, fertilization, and crop protection. Such services are needed to attract and retain new generations of farmers who may not have the same loyalty to the Co-op as their parents and grandparents, says Mid-south Farmers Cooperative member Drew Bailey of Alamo.

"In our area, Co-op has been able to evolve into areas like precision agriculture with qualified people who can help me get the most out of every acre," says Bailey, 30, who farms with his father, Steve, raising com, soybeans, wheat, and milo. ''To stay successful for another 70 years, Co-op needs to keep up with what's happening in technology and relay that to the farmer. Co-op is an institution I have a lot of confidence in. I'm part owner of the business, and it's important that we keep it going for generations to come.”

Whether it's staying abreast of technology or finding just the right manager for a local Co-op, education and training have always been hallmarks of the Co-op system. TFC's management training program was established in I 961 and has provided countless capable, dedicated leaders at member Co-ops and TFC. First headed by the late Tom Phillips, the training program is now directed by Paul Binkley and remains a crucial tool for recruiting and developing qualified personnel at all levels of the Co-op system.

When Deb Dunn, manager of White County Farmers Cooperative, began her TFC training in 1992, she was the only female in the program. Times have changed. These days, TFC's training program boasts a more balanced mix of male and female candidates - a trend Dunn is proud to see. "When I joined the training program, there were 21 guys and me," says Dunn, who has managed the Co-op since 2011. ''They really didn't know what to do with me, but I saw it as a challenge. The perception of the ag industry has changed, and there are a lot more cooperative opportunities for women today."

TFC's last two decades have been characterized by long-range plans and proactive moves to position the Co-op system for the future. Financially strong Co-ops have erased county lines and consolidated to gain efficiencies with facilities, equipment, and people. TFC has allowed associate member Co-ops in other states to join the system and launched joint ventures in agronomy and animal health to grow outside the traditional trade territory. Since 2006, TFC also has operated a retail subsidiary, Stockdale's: America's Rural Outfitter to capture more of the rural lifestyle market.

In recent years centralized efforts such as managing credit for members through TFC's Co-op Financial Solutions, handling bookkeeping work through the Regional Accounting Department, and partnering with EFC systems for information technology have vastly improved efficiencies and effectiveness.

Perhaps the most significant action to push TFC into the future, however, is the work of the "System Study Team," formed in 2014 to examine challenges and opportunities facing the cooperative. Led by TFC Zone II director Kenneth Nixon of Carthage, the team of farmers, TFC directors, Co-op managers, and TFC management recommended five strategies that are now being implemented to advance the system.

'We can't survive today operating like we did 25 years ago,'' says Nixon, the longest-tenured member of TFC's board with nearly 27 years of service. "Our competition doesn't do that, and we need to stay a step ahead. I want TFC to be around for my kids, grandkids, and everyone who's had faith in this system all these years.”

Even though seven decades have passed since determined Tennessee farmers banded together to form TFC, its record of unparalleled service to the state's agriculture industry and rural communities proves the concept of cooperation is still timeless.

"Work ethic. Passion for agriculture. Quality products and services. Competitive prices. Knowledgeable employees. Return on investment for members. Those are the keys to success for TFC’s first 70 years and going forward," Krisle says. "At TFC, we are stewards of the farmers' business. We can never lose sight of why we exist and who we serve. Our methods may change, but those principles will remain the same."

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