Farmers Cooperative Association: helping area farmers grow and prosper for over 75 years

Farmers Cooperative Association was founded in 1944. They have 15 retail locations in eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas. They also have a bulk feed facility, a service station and tire shop plus a mower shop called Southwest Outdoor Center in Mena, Arkansas.

“We are member-owned, with a little under 3,500 owners scattered throughout our service region,” said CEO Matthew Crabtree. “We try to provide good service and expert advice along with premium products. The Farmers Cooperative has been a stable in the farming community for years. We use our leverage for our members and try to give back at the end of the year. We also function as an advocate out in the community and across both of the states we service.”

The Farmers Cooperative offers a huge selection of just about everything a farmer would need. They have a full line of Farm Supplies, Pet Supplies, Animal Health Supplies, Dry and Liquid fertilizers, Agricultural chemicals, Field Seed, Animal Feed, Lawn & Garden Supplies, Hardware, Wildlife Feed, and Supplies. They also have an agronomist on staff, as well as other qualified personnel to discuss any of your farming needs. Last but not least, they have both Bulk

Feed deliveries and Bulk Fuel deliveries.

“A big part of what we offer comes as a result of the knowledgeable people we hire,” Matthew said. “We provide not just the quality products, but we can advise our members and customers how best to put them to use. We try to be there for them however it is we are needed to be.”

Matthew is well equipped to head up the cooperative with a lifetime of related work and experience. “I was born and raised on a very diverse farm in Crawford County,” he said. “My dad raised turkeys for Cargill but we also did farming raising corn, soy beans and wheat. We also have done commercial farming in the past like sweet corn and watermelons.”

After college, Matthew worked for Allen Canning Company and that job allowed him to travel around the country and see how the various producers did things differently. He then came to work at the Farmers Cooperative where he got to meet the farmers in the area and learn from them, as well.

“After about four years at the co-op I had the chance to go back with my dad and farm full-time,” Matthew said. “I did that for another five years, but the co-op approached me and asked me to come back as CEO. I’ve held that position for about three and a half years. I answer to the board and the members so as I look at it, I report to about 3,500 bosses.”

Over the years Matthew has seen the farming industry evolve. “I think the biggest change we’ve seen in farming is the consolidation of farms,” Matthew said. “Farms are getting bigger and fewer. We still, of course, have the smaller producers who hold down an outside job off the farm to pay the bills and then work the farm on the weekends. We have a lot of those folks in our area and we try to cater to them just as we do for the big guys who have 90% of their income coming from the farm.”

Another change Matthew has seen is in the farmers themselves. “We are seeing more of them coming from different backgrounds,” he said. “The stereotype of the old farmer in overalls isn’t necessarily what you see these days. There are businessmen and women with college educations who understand better and more efficient ways to do things. The technology is also continuing to evolve as we go forward.”

You don’t have to be a member to shop at Farmers Co-op, so everybody is welcome. Stop in one of the convenient locations and see why they have been the farmer’s friend for three quarters of a century.