Staff Reports
The merger between White River Cooperative Inc. and Premier Ag Co-op Inc. became official Monday.
The company will now be known as Premier Companies, according to Thursday’s announcement from the Seymour-based firm. White River’s headquarters was in Loogootee.
“This merger of cooperatives who shared similar cultures and unique understanding of agriculture and energy markets will enable us to offer ever-growing expertise and offerings to our customers,” said Harold Cooper, chief executive officer of Premier Companies. “Going forward as Premier Companies, we are proud to remain locally owned by our neighbors here in southern Indiana, and we will return earnings locally to our member-owners.”
The cooperative will organize in several divisions:
Premier Ag: The company offers integrated agronomic and agricultural services, including Truterra, the only farmer-owned, farmer-driven food and ag sustainability program in the United States More than 1,900 farmers use the Truterra network to help them advance and accelerate stewardship on 29,000 fields. Through SwineLink, the cooperative provides comprehensive management to family-owned pork facilities, enabling family farms to efficiently operate their farms in a healthy and environmentally sound manner. Grain marketing services also will be provided, enabling the cooperative to purchase grain from customers.
Premier Energy: With a focus on customer success and a commitment to providing superior service, vehicles from fleets to school buses are in motion with the highest quality fuel available sourced from CountryMark Fuel. Through its propane business, the company also provides heating solutions for homes, businesses and agricultural structures.
Premier Ag was formed in 1927 by a group of farmers who saw the need to leverage product availability at a competitive rate, and what started with these local farmers has grown to more 3,000 members and a cooperative with multiple divisions open to the public.
Premier Companies is a farmer-owned cooperative that provides supplies and services in the agricultural and energy sectors. The firm serves southeastern Indiana, southwestern Ohio and central Kentucky.
The company, which operates fuel stations in Brownstown, Crothersville and Seymour in Jackson County, is located at 811 W. Second St. The firm also has a farm and pet supply store in Seymour and ag services operations in Brownstown and Cortland.