LAURENS

In 1907 the Farmers Trading Company was the beginning for the Laurens branch of the First Cooperative Association.  A group of farmers set out to organize a farmer-owned elevator they hoped would remedy grain markets that were unsatisfactory in Laurens.  Set up as a corporation, the Farmers Grain Company sold seven thousand dollars worth of stock.  Approximately $3,000.00 purchased the Wells-Howard Elevator that is the original site of our present elevator.  A wood elevator was built just east of the original elevator in 1915.   In 1918, the Wells-Howard elevator was torn down and replaced with the present concrete elevator.  Then in 1927, the wood elevator burned.  The older feed mill was built in 1937 and included a grinder, mixer, huller and a big diesel motor generator.  

The elevator was reorganized into a cooperative known as the Farmers Cooperative Association in 1946.  The steel elevator on the Rock Island Railroad, in 1948, was built.  The first grain dryer was installed in 1950.  A lumberyard was purchase in 1953.  The name was changed to Farmers Cooperative Elevator and Lumberyard in 1954 to reflect our changing focus.  Flat storage as a bag feed warehouse on the Rock Island Railroad was built in 1955.  Purchased in 1956 was the Piper Elevator.  A new hammermill was installed in 1957.   Flat storage at the fertilizer plant was constructed in 1958.  The new feed mill addition was added in 1961.  Purchased in 1964 was a fertilizer plant.  250,000 bushels of concrete grain storage was added in 1969 and so was the east part of the existing office. 

In 1972 the lumberyard inventory was sold and the building was utilized for storage.   In 1975, our name was changed back to Farmers Cooperative Elevator Company and the Carter-Day dryer was constructed.  Erected in 1976 were the four newest concrete tubes to increase our storage capacity by 386,000 bushels. A half million bushel steel flat storage building was added in the late 70’s or early 80’s.  The refined fuels portion of Richardson’s Service was purchased in 1980.   This service provided fuel and gas delivery as well as complete oils, greases and TBA products.  The dryer was resheeted in 1998.  A new floater was added to the fertilizer fleet in 1999 and in 2007 a new combo Terragator was purchased.  In 2007 the original concrete elevator and feed mill were removed through demolition and a controlled Training Burn.   A new 500,000 bushels Brock steel upright storage bin was added to the facilities.

The business has steadily increased since its organization as a cooperative in 1946.  On October 1, 1990, Farmers Cooperative Elevator Company merged with Farmers Cooperative Association of Marathon.   We became known as First Cooperative Association on March 1, 1997.   Fourteen people were employed full-time when the Laurens location was at its peak.  There are currently 5 full-time employees and several part-time employees.

Services offered are:

• Grain handling (1.7 million bushel storage capacity)
• Fertilizer and Chemical sales and Custom application
• Strip till application
• Seed and seed treating
• Refined fuel/propane (dispatched from other locations)
• Bagged feed
• Oils and Grease
• LP bottle gas fill

Roger Nuehring
Location Manager

  Roger Nuehring
rnuehring@firstcoop.com

Fertilizer Line

  Jerry Abbas,
jabbas@firstcoop.com

400 Walnut Street 
Laurens, IA 50554 
Main Line
712-841-4566 
FAX Line 712-841-2037 

Fertilizer Line
712-841-2409 

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