Shareholders Approve Co-op Merger
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe boards of directors for Wabash-based North Central Co-op and Crawfordsville-based Ceres Solutions have announced the merger of the two agricultural cooperatives has been approved by shareholders. Ceres says the merger will go into effect beginning September 1.
The combined entity, which will be known as Ceres Solutions Cooperative, will serve members in 29 Indiana counties and seven counties in Michigan. Ceres says it will encompass more than 50 agronomy, energy, feed and grain facilities throughout both states.
"Our membership has voted their confidence that we are stronger together," said Mark Tullis, chief executive officer of NCC. "We’ll face all the dynamic, fast-paced changes in our industry in a stronger position together, thanks to this proactive decision by our boards and members. We look forward to the opportunities this merger will bring to our cooperative, and we’re ready to get to work."
When the merger was announced in November, Tullis said it would allow both organizations to address the "dynamic changes" in the agricultural community while maintaining local control.
"We believe the strengths to be gained through this merger will be significant," said Jeff Troike, CEO of Ceres Solutions. "We’ll begin to explore these strengths together, knowing our commitment to remain responsive and relevant to local customers remains the same."