• With the onset of depression and the 1929 stock market crash, business started to slow. Going into these uneasy years, the buildings and equipment of the company were listed on the books at $16,000.00. This is a value that would soon decrease. The balance sheet for 1932 showed a deficit of about $600.00. In all actuality, it was much higher.
   
• March 22, 1933, the organization incorporated as The Farmers Cooperative Association of Ralston.
   
• In 1935 the cooperative hired its first manager, Karl Nolin. He explained later in a 1959 edition of the Co-op News that he’d also applied elsewhere, but so had 50 others. In Ralston he was one of three candidates. His odds were much better. The board interviewed these three candidates until 1:00 a.m. Finally, one board member is noted as having said “let’s hire the windy one and go home.” It was then that Karl Nolin, the windy one, was hired.
   
• Following the depression area, and with a full crew, the Farmers Cooperative Association of Ralston flourished during fiscal year 1937. At the ’37 Annual Meeting, in front of 102 members, the cooperative boasted a profitability of $1,930, a $3,000 turnaround over its 1935 loss. The Farmers Cooperative Association had doubled its business over the last two years.
   
• The Farmers Cooperative Association began processing locally gown soybeans in its new soybean processing plant in 1942. The reality of the time was that beans weren’t used in Iowa, they were shipped south for processing on cottonseed processing machines and then shipped back and sold in Iowa as a high protein livestock feed. This didn’t make sense to Co-op Manager Karl Nolin. Why wouldn’t we keep our locally grown beans right here, process them ourselves, and provide that same quality, high protein livestock feed to our members at a discounted rate? And so, the cooperative delved into soybean processing.
   
• By 1954, total co-op storage capacity had reached 1,505,000 bushels, more than 75 times its original 20,000 bushel capacity in 1934.
   
• In 1955 the cooperative began branding its bean meal as “Farmers Feeds”. In the 1955 annual report it was noted that approximately 80% of the grain received during the year was not shipped out, but rather used by the co-op’s feedmill to supply area feeders.
   
• In 1957 Ralston’s feedmill was destroyed by fire, less than a year after it was built (July 1957).
   
• 1958, the cooperative’s lumber and building supply business is flourishing with post-WWII building.
   
• A February 1957 meeting held at the REC building in Jefferson, Iowa, brought together nearly 200 to discuss the Farmers Cooperative Association’s possible growth and expansion into Jefferson. A committee of interested individuals was appointed to explore the option. This committee included Hans Giese, Frank Tasler, Clyde Burns, Eugene Melson, Walter Barrett, Roger Dunlap, Harvey Coleman and Elvar Perkins.
   
• The first issue of Co-op News was also published in 1958. This started as a monthly publication for members and area residents. Propaganda regarding cooperatives was running rampant and association management used the Co-op News as a tool to share the organizations purpose and goals.
   
• In January 1959, the committee that had been previously appointed to explore the option of a Jefferson branch elevator met again with the Ralston Farmers Co-operative Association board of directors. Karl Nolin announced plans to go ahead with building in Jefferson. The new facility would have an elevator and flat storage building south of Highway 30 along the railroad track.
   
• The first load of grain delivered to the Farmers Cooperative Associations new Jefferson elevator and location was delivered on Thursday, August 20, by Curtis Cairns of Farlin. More than a million bushels were received in Jefferson over the next 60 days. Seven men were employed by the Jefferson branch when it opened, three inside and four outside. An open house was held at the Farmer Co-operative Association’s new Greene County facility in Jefferson, following the harvest season. The three-day event was held Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 17 through 19. The open house would include refreshments and tours, as well as a variety of door prizes, including sterling silver coffee service, a man’s sport coat, clock radio, electric shaver, electric frying pan, and a camera. Favors were offered for everyone. More than 1,000 attended.
   
• Late in ’59, what sounded like an explosion turned out to be a flat storage wall breaking way in Jefferson. The building spilled nearly 150,000 bushels of grain when the wall gave way. Employees had been working in the flat, leveling the corn, 15 minutes earlier, but had left the flat prior its giving way.
   
• During the ‘60’s, the business of liquid fertilizer and ammonia also started to take off. The cooperative remodeled the old Moorhouse Ralston elevator into a bulk fertilizer plant. Moving from bagged to bulk fertilizer was a big step for the organization, although Farmers Co-operative Association did not get into the application business. Private applicators were available throughout the area to provide this service for farmers.
   
• The Ralston Farmers Co-op News, published February 1961, featured a photo of a tank car filled with 20,000 gallons of soy oil, which would be shipped to Lindsay, California. This was a large tank car for its day, nearly 2½ times the size of a usual tank car at that time. The net weight of the soybean oil shipped in this car was 150,520 pounds, representing nearly 16,000 bushels of beans. The car was sold at $10.35 per hundred for a total of $15,578.82 FOB Ralston, Iowa.
   
• In 1963, the cooperative offered a promotion called the “C-Q Discount”. C-Q stood for cash and quantity. While the goal of the promotion was to increase feed sales, the promotion also applied to all farm supplies. The program offered discounts for bulk purchases of Farmers Feeds – the coops branded feed line – and prompt payment. The program operated for five years, and each year sales increased. Members received $750,000 in discounts through the program in recognition of their prompt payment of monthly statements. After five years, the program was discontinued. Farmers Feeds sales, however, continued to grow.
   
• Early in the ‘60’s, however, a major change in agriculture took place throughout the country when the government farm and storage programs were changed. Local farmers elevators were no longer needed to store government grain, diminishing these organizations’ storage income and creating space in within facilities. With inflation continually rising, and a decrease in storage income, the cooperative was forced to look at improving efficiencies and lowering costs.
   
• By 1964, marketing manager Tom Feldmann began exploring futures and hedging, and looked into multi car shipments. He was one of the first in the region to begin using hopper cars. As the world of grain marketing was beginning to go public and loose its governmental influence, Feldmann was taking this opportunity and running with it. West Central was one of the first cooperatives in the area to use unit trains and the cooperative reaped the benefits of giving farmers a better price for their grain as a result. This opened up an entirely new market for the cooperative to market their member’s grain.
   
• A new type of hog feed was introduced in 1967. Pelleted “sow brickettes” were added to the coop’s swine feeding program. A sow could be hand fed three to four pounds of brickettes a day, with little waste. The brickettes contained 20% protein and were available with or without NF-180.
   
• It was also announced in ’67 that a change in the farm bill would allow producers to reseal any commodity previously sealed or resealed. According to a July 1967 article in the Ralston Farmers Co-op News, “…1966 grown corn stored on the farm which is eligible for sealing and least year’s soybeans stored on the farm, but not sealed, are still eligible for support loans by route of a reseal loan program.”
   
• Anhydrous ammonia was available through the cooperative for the first time in 1968. In addition to 41% liquid nitrogen and bulk and bagged dry fertilizers, the anhydrous ammonia could be purchased at either the Ralston or Jefferson elevators.
   
• In 1970, General Manager Karl Nolin was recognized as Iowa Agri-Business Manager of the Year by the Agricultural Business Club of Iowa State University. The award recognized Nolin’s constant push to keep The Farmers Co-op Association at the forefront of the agricultural industry.
   
• In 1971, the only general manager The Farmers Co-operative Association had ever known announced his impending retirement. But, he had a plan. He’d been working to prepare two individuals to step into his shoes. Wayne Seaman and Tom Feldman were in their ‘30’s. They’d been working within the cooperative for more than a decade, filling various positions. They’d started at the bottom and worked their way through the ranks. As Nolin was announcing to the board his retirement intentions, he was also pointing to two young men he felt capable of taking the reigns. In 1972, Nolin stepped down and the Seaman-Feldmann duo stepped up. Both men had different personalities, which complimented each other nicely. Seaman was outgoing and aggressive, enjoyed dealing with people and was an idea man. Feldmann on the other hand was more analytical, was great with numbers and figures, as well as creating innovative plans in the area of grain marketing. He was a leader in buying, selling and transporting grain. Both recognized their differences, and respected them.
   
• In 1972 new General Manager Wayne Seaman announced the coop had purchased its first computer. The computer would be used to print checks and keep records.
   
• Another milestone in 1972 was the first 50-car rail shipment out of the Jefferson location. On Monday, August 21, a 175,000 bushel of corn and soybeans shipment left the Jefferson location headed for the gulf port. Not only was this a first for the Farmers Co-op Association, it was the first train to be loaded from any Iowa country elevator point on the CNW Railroad.
   
• The Farmers Co-op Association increased its shipping capacity in 1974 by leasing an additional 150 grain rail cars. But these weren’t just any cars. They were pink. The Farmers Co-op Association garnered national attention for its pink cars. With the release of government control over grain shipping, embargos over Russian wheat sales, an active export market, Iowa corn production outpacing internal demand, and many other events taking place at this time, shipping corn was a quick and efficient way for cooperative’s and grain handlers to earn extra income. Additionally, the railroad was giving incentives and discounted freight rates for loading greater quantities of grain. Leasing their own cars gave Farmers Co-op Association an edge. And the pink rail cars also gave them an additional advantage – very few were interested in using the co-ops pink cars. Farmers Co-op Association didn’t have to struggle nearly as much as other cooperatives for cars, the pink rail cars were easy to find and spot, and generally available.
   
• In 1978, the original computer system (purchased six years earlier) was outdated. The co-op installed a new computer system, one that faster and capable of doing even more detailed work.
   
• Later in ‘78, at the annual meeting, members voted overwhelmingly to change the name of the business to West Central Co-operative. The purpose of the change was to distinguish the organization. Several elevators were referred to as “Farmers”. To differentiate between them, members had begun to say “Ralston Co-op”. West Central Co-operative was much more distinguishable and geographically descriptive.
   
• The feed department also re-branded their feed products in 1978 to correspond with the co-op’s name change. Area producers would now be purchasing Wescenco Feeds, rather than the Farmers brand feeds they’d been accustomed to.
   
• On February 1, 1979, West Central Co-operative announced it would merge with the Farmers Elevator and Livestock Co. at Boone. This would combine that organization’s Boone and Jordan elevators with West Central’s two pre-existing elevators. The co-op would double in size.
   
• The first 75-car train was loaded at the Boone facility on March 11, 1980, with scores of farmers, area residents, TV, radio and newspaper media, government and agricultural leaders watching. This was the first 75-car train loaded in Iowa. The Ralston and Jefferson location had only been loading 50-car trains.
   
• On February 2, 1981, a large steel bin at the Ralston elevator collapsed and was destroyed. The tank was originally built in 1961.
   
• Even though the name had changed only a few years earlier, West Central re-branded their feed products again in 1982, adding and emphasizing the name “X-Cel”.
   
• In the March 1982 edition of the Co-op News, it was announced that West Central would begin offering crop consulting. This service would provide farmers a complete and detailed look at the fertility of their soil. By analyzing soil fertility, farmers could more efficiently and accurately apply specific nutrients for a balanced fertility.
   
• In October 1983, it was announced that members of the Farmers Cooperative at Halbur and Templeton had voted 87% in favor of merging with West Central Cooperative. West Central then went on to purchase a 160,000 bushel elevator in Templeton from Agri-Industries in December of that same year, giving the cooperative a total of 765,000 bushels of storage in Templeton. With the merger, purchase of the additional elevator, and planned construction, West Central would grow to become a 21½ million bushel grain handling company. Furthermore, the newly added Templeton location was located on a Burlington Northern Railroad line.
   
• The newly incorporated Templeton location shipped its first unit train on May 18, 1984. Headed for the west coast export market at Tacoma, Washington, the 54 jumbo hopper cars contained 190,000 bushels of corn. Each car held 3,500 bushels and was loaded in about ten minutes.
   
• In 1984, the cooperative had been in the business of processing soybeans for 40 years. In the February 1984 edition of the Co-op News, it was announced that West Central would be taking part in two grants recently received to examine the ruminant protein value of expeller processed soybean meal. The co-op had been looking at feeding swine the high protein bean meal, but was curious about the potential bypass value the meal could have in cattle and ruminant nutrition. The grants were made to Iowa State University and the University of Wisconsin. West Central had steadily been working with Iowa State to explore the possibilities and uses of soybean processing.
   
• Later that year, on July 11, 1984, West Central Cooperative’s feed division announced the launching of Soy Plus. During a planned media day, the cooperative hosted industry press and local media groups. Dr. Allen Trenkle, professor of animal science at Iowa State University, spoke to the crowd and reviewed recent research he and his staff had done with the expeller processed soybean meal, now being branded as Soy Plus. Trenkle explained that his research indicated a 60% greater bypass protein value from the Soy Plus expeller processed soybean meal, than from the same pound equivalent of solvent processed soybean meal. General Manager Wayne Seaman pointed out that the cooperative had been expeller processing soybeans since the ‘40’s, but only recently began to consider the applications of the bypass protein value in the meal.
   
• Closing the year, the headline in the December 1984 Co-op News tackled the pressing farm crisis. Citing high interest rates and low commodity prices, the state had experience the greatest single year land price declines since the Depression years of the 1930’s. The domino-effect would be that the drop in land values was the single cause of the equity crisis facing many farm families. West Central took an active role during the financial farm crisis. The co-op met with a variety of vendors, such as Pioneer Hi-Bred, Walnut Grove Products, Kent Feeds and more, to study the problem and discuss possible solutions. West Central also helped host a statewide meeting at Iowa State University to inform a cross section of leaders of various state organizations about the problem. The farm crisis would affect not only farmers and agribusiness, but rural Iowa as well.
   
• With Soy Plus sales skyrocketing throughout the ’80’s, a soy plant expansion was necessary by 1986. By then, Soy Plus was being shipped across the U.S. by both truck and rail. The expansion would add an additional two expellers to the existing six, increasing capacity by 50%.
   
• The Ralston feedmill received honorable mention in a national “Feed Mill of the Year” competition in 1988 and 1989. Sponsored by the American Feed Industry Association and Feed Management Magazine, the contest was a national event. The mill was judged on quality control, safety, government compliance and plant appearance. Also included in the judging were productivity, efficiency and customer relations.
   
• A fertilizer and chemical distribution center was developed by the co-op in the summer of 1988. The Nelson plant would be located south of Coon Rapids and east of Audubon. The Nelson location is named after the town of Nelson, which had a post office, country store and blacksmith at that very site from 1894 to 1905.
   
• The Farmers Cooperative of Audubon-Exira unification with West Central became official on June 1, 1989. Talks between the two organization’s management teams and board of directors had been ongoing for months. Immediately, plans were laid out for expansion of the grain, fertilizer and chemical facilities at these locations.
   
• In 1990 the Nichii Company of Osaka, Japan, announced plans to build a food processing plant in Iowa. Along with Governor Terry Branstad, Wayne Seaman and Tom Feldmann took part in the signing ceremony. Although it had not yet been determined where the site would be, preliminary indications were that it would be located at a West Central site. It was announced April 23, 1990, that the plant would be located near the Jefferson elevator facilities. The relationship with Nichii began in 1989, when West Central made its first shipment to the food processor, and to Japan.
   
• In September 1990 General Manager Seaman announced a new employee based program title Customer Focus. The program would be built on four cornerstones: quality, professionalism, innovation and integrity. The program would be an employee based commitment to thinking of the customer first.
   
• The January 1991 edition of West Central Co-op News kicked off with an announcement to build a new SoyPLUS® plant. The $4.5 million plant would process approximately 12,000 bushels of soybeans a day or 3.8 million bushels of soybeans each year. Construction would begin that spring and was scheduled to be completed by winter. Leading the project would be Dr. Doug Stidham, manager of the feed and soy division, and Myron Danzer, feed and soy production manager.
   
• At an awards banquet held February 23 at Iowa State University (ISU), West Central Marketing Manager Tom Feldmann was named Outstanding Agricultural Business Person for 1990. The award is presented annually by the Ag Business Club at ISU.
   
• In late spring 1991, it was announced that West Central would purchase Adair Feed & Grain and take possession August 1, 1991. The possession date, however, was delayed because of a lengthy environmental audit, which the purchase was contingent upon. After completion of the environmental audit, and following negotiations with Charlie Crawford, owner of Adair Feed & Grain, West Central took possession on June 1, 1992. The Adair location is situated on the main line of the Iowa Interstate Railroad, and gave West Central access to new markets. Included with the property were storage and handling facilities, a full-service feedmill, as well as seed, chemical and fertilizer storage.
   
• One of 31 dealers across the United States, West Central earned the Environmental Respect Award in 1991. More than 400 competed for the award, and were judged on proper designed, storage and handling procedures, application, leadership in environmental “activism”, and concern for stewardship and safety among farmers and employees. Within its own four-state region, West Central received the top honor as the regional winner.
   
• The Nichii Company opened their Jefferson soyflaking plant that summer (1991), the first in the United States. Built adjacent to West Central’s Jefferson facility, the Nichii plant estimates using 1.5 million bushels of Iowa-grown soybeans each year.
   
• For several years, West Central had been marketing its own Tri Valley brand corn and soybean seed to its members. For the 1992 season, it was announced that the cooperative would team with Stine® to market their corn and soybean varieties. Combining efforts with West Central’s Tri Valley brand, gives West Central access to Stine’s commercial and specialty varieties.
   
• An open house was held on Monday, March 30, 1992, to unveil the cooperative’s new state-of-the-art SoyPLUS processing facility. More than 1,000 people attended the event, touring the new $5.5 million facility. SoyPLUS is now being sold in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, New York and Maryland. As the popularity of SoyPLUS grew, so did the value of the intellectual property behind the product, and the research that had gone into developing it. To protect all of that, West Central applied for patent, and in 1993 became the first all-natural soybean meal in the world to be protected by a U.S. patent.
   
• After many years of developing locally processed soybeans, adding value to member’s grain, the Iowa Soybean Promotion Board recognized West Central for its work in 1993 with the Ag Industry Award. The award recognizes local supporters of the soybean industry, those who seek new ways of marketing soybeans, support efforts to expand commodity markets through promotion, education, research and market development.
   
• 1993 closed with West Central receiving the “Industry of the Year” award from the Iowa Department of Economic Development (IDED). The award was presented in the 101-250 employees size business category, with West Central employing 125.
   
• In 1994, the cooperative launched its “Excellence in Agriculture” scholarship program. The program would award three one-year scholarships, each for $1,500.00, to students pursuing an education in an agriculturally related field.
   
• The State of Iowa recognized West Central its outstanding commitment to safety in 1994. West Central surpassed the national rating standard for the number of company accidents. West Central’s safety program, now managed by Kevin Danner, safety director, was originally initiated in 1974.
   
• West Central grew in 1995 with the unification of Consolidated Cooperative in Gowrie. An announcement in the April 1995 edition of West Central Co-op News announced an 85% (in favor) vote of Consolidated members to unify with West Central of Ralston. Consolidated had first contacted West Central in September ’94 about unification. The unification became official May 1, 1995. Consolidated Cooperative had four locations at the time, Callender, Gowrie, Harcourt and Palm grove. Consolidated was also operating their own propane business, known as MidStates Energy.
   
• SoyPLUS sales had soared throughout the previous decade, and the plant processing capacity had grown to accommodate these sales. As a part of the process, soy oil is produced when the beans are heated and squeezed. As more beans are processed, more soy oil is produced. Realizing the value of the oil, West Central’s management team began experimenting with uses for the oil. Lead by Myron Danzer, feed and soy production manager, West Central invested in the first step of crude oil refinement on May 1, 1995, with the purchase of a water degumming process. In the process, a small amount of water is added to the oil. The mixture is then put through a centrifuge, where the hydrated phosphatides, gums and other impurities are removed from the oil. The oil then enters a vacuum dryer where the moisture is reduced. This makes the oil more marketable and valuable to end users, allowing West Central to enter the refined oil market. Lecithin is produced in a similar manner, a process the cooperative was also looking at investing in. As it explored the soy oil market, West Central began to build a relationship with the InterChem Company of Overland Park, Kansas. Together, West Central and InterChem formed a limited liability company (LLC) which would become known as InterWest. This 50-50 owned LLC would be the entity processing the soy oil, and then further processing some of the refined oil into methyl esters. Methyl esters are key to producing several products, including soy diesel. The relationship was a win-win for West Central and InterChem. West Central members received more value for their soybeans, and InterChem gained a supplier of methyl esters for production of their Soy Clean product. Immediately it was announced that the cooperative would look at constructing a soy oil and methyl ester manufacturing facility in Ralston. At an August 22, 1996, open house, hundreds of members, invited guests and officials, including Governor Terry Branstad, toured the facility. Doug Stidham, soy division manager, explained to the crowd that the plant was built to refine 600,000 gallons of methyl esters annually, but was designed to accommodate expansion easily.
   
• What was known – at the time – as soy center II came online in 1996. The original soy center production facility built in 1992 outgrew production projections much earlier than expected. Renovations and updates were made, a new control panel was added and a new counter flow meal cooler installed to convert the production facility into soy center II, capable of handling the increasing demand.
   
• On April 1, 1996, West Central purchased the Cal-Car facilities at Jefferson, Grand Junction, Roselle and Westside. Soon after, the Westside facilities would be sold again, but West Central would develop the Jefferson, Grand Junction and Roselle locations. The cooperative also purchased Terra’s Carroll location this year.
   
• Two foreign companies approached West Central in ’97, inquiring about SoyPLUS. The companies were interested in purchasing the SoyPLUS technology, for manufacture in their own countries (Korea and Argentina). While talks proceeded with the Argentinean group, neither sale came to fruition.
   
• After 36 years of service, a big announcement came early in 1997 when Tom Feldmann announced his retirement. In addition to his service to West Central, Feldmann worked with several other organizations and associations, including the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA), serving on the country elevator committee, the commodity exchange committee and the trade rules committee. He also served as a board member on the Farmers Commodities Corporation and the United Service Association, and as vice president of the Heartland Rail Corporation (majority owner of the Iowa Interstate Railroad). Feldmann’s last day would be May 31, 1997.
   
• As West Central continued to look more and more into the value-added markets, it introduced Eagle MSO. A methylated soybean oil, Eagle MSO is an all-natural product used with some post-emergence herbicides to enhance their effectiveness.
   
• The soy center received kosher certification from the Orthodox Union in ’97. A.C. Humko – Kraft – was a customer, using West Central soy oil in their food products. Since all Kraft products are certified Kosher, the ingredients that go into them must be too. In order for any food to be certified as Kosher, it must meet the requirements of Jewish law.
   
• Beginning in 1997, West Central’s feed department began fueling their feed trucks with a 5% soydiesel blend. At a 5% blend, management estimated the trucks would burn the oil from 12 bushels of beans each day. MidStates Energy also began selling soydiesel fuel in ’97, branded as SoyPOWER®.
   
• A milestone in 1998 was the introduction of yet another value-added product, SoyChlor®. Like SoyPLUS, SoyChlor was designed for the dairy industry. Developed to help dairy producers with the challenges associated with milk fever, SoyChlor was produced in Adair. A combination of SoyPLUS and chloride supplies the cow with protein and hydrochloric acid. The Adair plant construction was completed in 1999, and the product would be marketed throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.
   
• On Tuesday, June 9, 1998, members of Farmers Elevator Cooperative (FEC) of Scranton-Bagley voted to unify with West Central Cooperative. Over 94% of FEC’s members, who voted, voted in favor of the unification. In addition to the three million bushels of storage capacity, a large capacity liquid fertilizer terminal is located in Scranton. That terminal would be very beneficial to West Central, able to accommodate all of West Central’s liquid fertilizer needs.
   
• September 1, 1998, Farmer’s Cooperative Elevator Company of Boxholm officially unified with West Central. A vote by Farmer’s Cooperative Elevator members on July 27 overwhelmingly approved the unification. Located directly between West Central’s Gowrie and Boone locations, the Boxholm site made a nice addition to the West Central strategic plan. The Boxholm facility includes concrete elevators, metal storage and a feedmill. Boxholm also has three feed delivery trucks and at the time of unification, sold approximately 60 to 65 tons of feed per day, making it a strong feed asset. And while the location is located on Highway 169, it does not have rail access.
   
• Two years after the retirement of his co-worker and partner, Wayne Seaman announced his pending retirement. After celebrating 42 years with the organization, leading it for 27, he would step down. Seaman made his retirement effective anytime within 12 months of his announcement, pending the naming of his replacement. Six months later, the board of directors made their selection. They’d found the individual they wanted to lead the cooperative. Jeffrey Stroburg, then vice president/COO of the eastern ag region for Land O’Lakes, Inc., had been hired. Stroburg would bring a unique leadership style to the position and to the cooperative.
   
• West Central was named Ag Retailer of the Year in 1999 by Ag Retailer magazine, a very prestigious honor.
   
• Also in 1999, West Central launched its website, www.west-central.com.
   
• On June 1, 1999, West Central acquired Cargill facilities in Beaver, Dawson, Woodward and Bouton.
   
• At a Chapter 11 asset sale in 2001, West Central purchased that cooperative’s Casey site. This site included 1.1 million upright steel grain storage and a dry fertilizer facility.
   
• In 2002, West Central took the use of the computer one step further and developed a Customer Management System (CMS). This new program allows cooperative employees to easily gain access to important customer information when they need, such as product prices and information, grain marketing information, and customer preferences.
   
• Resurrecting an old brand, Tri-Valley Seed came back to life in 2002. In cooperation with FC Cooperative (Farnhamville) and Eden Enterprises (an affiliate of STINE Seed), Tri-Valley Seed would be very similar to the Tri Valley Seed of the past. STINE, through Eden Enterprises, would provide the genetics, while West Central and FC Cooperative would oversee distribution and marketing.
   
• More than 1,200 members, farmers, community members, agricultural and renewable fuels leaders gathered in Ralston on August 21, 2002, for what would become a tipping point in West Central’s history. Following an explosion at West Central’s InterWest facility June 19, 2001, there was a need to rebuild the soy biodiesel and methyl ester processing plant. Following the incident, management worked immediately on plans for a new facility. The demand for soy biodiesel had been growing. The previous plant was a batch-process facility, creating one batch at a time. Having been working with methyl esters for nearly a decade, however, West Central management had the experience and knowledge to tweak that process, making it more efficient. The result was the nation’s largest, and the first, continuous-flow soy biodiesel processing plant. Unveiled that day in August 2002, the 12 million gallon plant was a state-of-the-art, automated facility that would bring about a flurry of revolution in the renewable fuels industry.
   
• In December 2002, the cooperative began marketing its biofuels intellectual property through a new subsidiary, Renewable Energy Group (REG). REG would be a collaborative effort between West Central and Todd & Sargent, the engineering firm that assisted with the Ralston plant construction.
   
• In 2004, REG would begin construction of a 30 million gallon plant for its first customer, SoyMor, located in Glenville, Minnesota.
   
• West Central’s Audubon locations’ liquid fertilizer facility was automated in 2003, giving customers twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week access to products they would need for their operation. Bulk chemical sites would also become automated, giving way to greater efficiencies.
   
• The grain division began automating elevators in 2003. Again, the goal is efficiency.
   
• In 2004, West Central triples its abilities to load outbound grain.
   
• On Friday, May 13, 2005, a smolder began in a large 750,000 bushel bin at the Jefferson location. Crews responded quickly, and the smolder never grew into flames.
   
• REG began construction of Western Iowa Energy, LLC, in Wall Lake, Iowa, in June 2005. In the backyard of West Central and REG, this too would be a 30 million gallon continuous flow operation. With the growing popularity of biodiesel, and locally produced soy biodiesel, Iowa Governor Thomas Vilsack declared the week of May 17, 2004, Iowa Soy Biodiesel Week.
   
• In 2005, after almost a decade of substantial growth, SoyChlor had outgrown its current production facility in Adair and moved to Jefferson. South of the Jefferson elevator, a fully automated, state-of-the-art production facility was created to accommodate the growing popularity of this dairy product. The new plant began producing on February 14, 2005. Its first year of production, the plant operated approximately ten hours a day, producing ten tons an hour. That’s more than 36,000 tons a year. In 2007, the plant ran 15-16 hours a day, again producing ten tons an hour, or more than 58,000 tons in a year.
   
• February 2005 was also a big month for West Central’s agronomy division. Talks had begun in 2004 between West Central agronomy management and Agriliance®, a wholesale inputs distributor based in Minnesota. By working together, the organizations would increase their buying power, and be able to pass those savings on to customers. On February 1, 2005, Westco became the official entity representing this new partnership. Uncommon in the industry, a retailer and distributor had officially partnered together to eliminate a link in the industry’s supply chain.
   
• After months of discussions with potential investment partners, CEO Jeff Stroburg announced on August 14, 2006, that Renewable Energy Group®, Inc. had completed a $100 million private equity financing and partnership deal. West Central, investing the cooperative’s biodiesel assets, would hold controlling interest in the new limited liability company. Other investors would include NSP Energy Technology Partners, L.P. (an affiliate of NGP Energy Capital Management), E D & F Man Holdings Ltd., Bunge North America, Natural Gas Partners VIII, the Sargents, and several Iowa investors.
   
• By the close of 2007, REG would have seven biodiesel production facilities in production. The REG network would reach as far south as Louisiana and into Canada. REG offers clients complete turn-key construction, as well as management opportunities, procurement and marketing services. REG quickly becomes the nation’s largest marketer of biodiesel.
   
• Teaming up with area cooperatives – Dedham Cooperative, FAC-Arcadia – and Agriliance, West Central’s agronomy division created Templeton Crop Nutrients, or TCN. Located west of the Templeton elevator, TCN is a bulk dry fertilizer hub, capable of rail cars of dry fertilizer and holding more than 22,000 tons of dry fertilizer. This facility was also unique with three local cooperatives, and a distributor, teaming together to better serve a greater audience. Construction on this plant began early in 2006, and nearly 800 farmers, community members and industry leaders attended its open house on September 14, 2006 in Templeton, Iowa.

Culture

Board of Directors & Management Team