October 27, 2006

Maschhoffs and Farmers Cooperative enter partnership 

Maschhoffs Inc., a Carlyle, Illinois-based swine management company, and Farmers Cooperative (FC), a farmer-owned cooperative based in Farnhamville, Iowa, have agreed to form a partnership between their feed divisions, according to an Oct 13 announcement.

The Maschhoffs would lease FC's Buckeye, Iowa, feed mill and assume responsibility for its daily operations. In addition to its own feed, the company would continue to make feed for established FC accounts at the Buckeye mill while FC would continue to provide feed delivery made in the partnership.

The two companies also agreed on cooperation in other FC milling assets located in two locations in Iowa.

The combined assets, expertise in swine feeding and feed volumes from the two companies would create efficiency and lower costs in feed milling and transportation, a release said.

The Maschhoffs manages one of the largest pork farming networks in the US, operating in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri and Oklahoma. Together with its partners, The Maschhoffs produces more than 2 million pigs a year.

FC has almost US$450 million in sales of grain, agronomy and feed products. The co-op's feed division produces approximately 575,000 tonnes of feed each year.