Winneshiek Co-op and Fredericksburg Farmers Co-op to merge

Winneshiek Cooperative and Fredericksburg Farmers Co-op will merge August 1st, to be known as "Farmers Win Cooperative."

The two co-ops have announced the results of stockholder balloting.  85.3 percent of Winn Co-op members favored the merger, while 86.85 percent of Fredericksburg Farmers Cooperative members favored the merger.

"This merger grew out of a strong partnership the agronomy departments at each cooperative have established," said Winneshiek Co-op Gemeral Manager Doug Van Sloten and Fredericksburg Farmers Co-op General Manager Jim Erickson in a statement.  The two added, "As a joint cooperative, we will have the ability to increase the value of those services to our members."

The administrative offices of the new merged company will be in Fredericksburg, with Erickson as general manager.  Van Sloten will serve as assistant general manager, supervising individual location managers.  Fredericksburg Farmers Co-op has 47 full-time employees in eight locations--Fredericksburg, Sumner, Frederika, Bremer, Hawkeye, Ionia, Waucoma and Jackson Junction.  Winneshiek Cooperative has 48 full-time employees in Decorah, Ridgeway, Burr Oak, Cresco, Granger and Mabel.

The initial board of directors for Farmers Win Cooperative will have five members from the Fredericksburg Farmers Cooperative and five members from the Winneshiek Cooperative.

The statement announcing the merger stated, "The employees of the Fredericksburg and Winneshiek cooperatives will continue as employees of the merged co-op with no significant change in employee benefits or job positions as a result of the merger."