From the archives: CFE CEO, Rob Jacobs, shared his first column from the very first issue of CFE Views back in March of 2016.
“Sharing Positive Views” by Rob Jacobs
Thank you for being a supportive customer of CFE. No matter what legacy company you were previously a member of, there are many stories and news to be shared from all corners of the new trade area. Our intent of this publication is to bring these stories and news of our customers, communities, cooperative and agriculture information to you. This, and other future communication, are for the benefit of and driven by our members. We welcome your feedback and ideas to feature in future issues. Please email your ideas to news@coopfe.com.
From my viewpoint, I can confidently tell you we are experiencing a strong return on the merger. This past fall, we had the greatest amount of grain receipts ever taken in. High yields and good weather meant large bushels came out of the field, and while many farmers stored a lot of grain on the farm, we still welcomed record bushels at our CFE locations.
Agronomy followed suit with good fall fertilizer tonnage, and we saw the new logistics from the merger help us service out of our combined plants, leading to more efficient deliveries of product to customers. Our feed department is off to a tremendous start, with numbers greatly up across our trade area. After a purchase of Hartley Farm & Home on January 1, 2016, our lumber department continues to grow in both sales and services offered.
Financially, your cooperative is tracking well according to budget. We will be making further asset decisions in rolling stock and facility updates over the next several months. Our goal has, and will remain, to meet our customer’s future needs. This was the goal throughout the course of the merger.
We know it was a long process, with many decisions needing to be made during the transition, but it is showing positive outcomes across our trade area. I hope your view will be that you see a great future ahead for CFE and that you will continue to trust us with your farming and business needs.
Brief Cooperative History
With roots established more than a century ago, we know the dedication involved in a successful farm. CFE is committed to carrying on the legacy of serving farmers for generations to come.
- 1899: Farmers Elevator Co-op was established
- 1906: Cooperative Elevator Association was established
- 1908: United Farmers Co-op was established
- 2015: All co-ops merged into Cooperative Farmers Elevator
