Highlights in History for Farmers Union Cooperative Business Association:

1919: Charter issued July 7.

1920: Built first tile warehouse.

1922: Sold hay shed to H. Pessemier

1924: Bought lot adjoining elevator from Mr. White.

1925: Built coal shed west of elevator.

1926: Built second tile warehouse (feed warehouse)

1928: Bought property from Grover Leonhart.

1929: New addition to office.

1930: Fire in hay stored in west tile warehouse.

1931: First contract with John Deere Company to buy machinery.

1935: Installed 3,000-gallon gas tank, computer pump, and air compressor.

1939: Called in capital stock, reissued new stock at 4%. Prorated dividends to stockholders for the first time in the history of the elevator.

1941: Built new warehouse to house the Hardware.

1944: 25th Silver Anniversary (Aug. 3). Purchased Byrnes Elevator from the heirs.

1946: Directors and stockholders endorsed stand against tax on gasoline used for agricultural purposes.

1948: Repaired and modernized front of Hardware building.

1949: Built new elevator and office south of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks.

1951: Built 90,000-bushel grain storage, west annex to Elevator B.

1953: Built 100,000-bushel grain storage, east annex to Elevator B.

1955: Operated egg buying service in the feed store.

1957: Installed first grain dryer.

1958: Purchased Henry Beseau house and lots, also two lots from Bridget Leonhart, giving Association the full block on north side of railroad tracks from Seventh to Eighth streets.

1959: Built a new feed mill.

1960: C. M. Yocum Week, Dec. 12-16, TV coverage.

1961: C. M. Yocum (General Manager, 1919-1961) died.

1962: Expansion of feed mill, new tanks and equipment.

1963: Built metal fertilizer warehouse; also addition to office building.

1964: Remodeled and built addition for machine shop south of Hardware.

1965: Installed anhydrous ammonia plant west of fertilizer metal warehouse. Employer Retirement Plan put into effect. Merger of Kansas Farmers Union Co-op Hybrids, Inc. of St. Marys with the Farmers Union Cooperative Business Association (Oil Department).

1966: Built a bulk dry blend fertilizer plant. Purchased 18,000-gallon LP gas tank.

1967: Built new office building; also new warehouse south of gasoline station.

1968: Contracted to buy ten acres from Delaine Rezac for building site.

1969: Fiftieth Anniversary (July 24). Third grain dryer added.

C.M. Yocum
J.H. Meyer
Al Holvorson
C.H. Reding
George DeDonder
Albert Rezac

There are currently 50 employees who work in four core areas--crop production, supply and service, feed and grain, and petroleum. That includes the fertilizer and irrigation units and the highly successful Ampride station along Highway 24. In addition to the office at 717 Bertrand, there are Co-op locations at Wamego, Belvue, and Harveyville.

The association has certainly grown since it was founded in 1919 with 109 stockholders and four employees, including Tom Cooper who ran the elevator, and Ben Cook, the drayman who delivered corn cobs, and feed for the cows and chickens to town customers. The elevators stocked oil, salt, oyster shells, twine and straw, carloads of potatoes and blue plums in season.

Nine general managers have headed the Co-op since it was chartered 87 years ago, beginning with J.J. Merilatt, C.M. Yocum, and Leo Ronsse. Then came Eck, Seymore, Holdridge, Taylor, Heier and DeDonder.