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Mid-County
Fall
Messenger
INSIDE:
Page 2 - 3 Energy
Page 4 - 5 Agronomy
Page 6 - Auto, Truck, & Tire
Fall 2019 • Vol. 36
www.midcountycoop.com
Tell me again – what is it that you do?
My friends who have grown up in a
metropolitan area have asked me through the
years, what is it that you do? If someone is not
from a farming background, it is diffi cult to
explain in detail what an agricultural coop is all
about. So I am pretty brief in my explanation.
Those of us in the rural part of the country
Bill Reimers
General Manager
have a pretty fi rm understanding of what a
(952) 466-3721
coop is, and what its purpose is.
[email protected]
But sometimes we probably don’t tell
the people who own Mid-County Coop everything we do. A fuel oil
customer in Wayzata really has had no exposure to our Truck shop.
Our Fertilizer customer probably doesn’t know that at one time we
supplied the fuel for the cranes that built the US Bank football stadium
for the Minnesota Vikings.
Being on the edge of the metro allows us the benefi t to have a very
diverse customer base.
We will serve a farm customer that farms several thousand acres,
as well as someone who has 50 acres for their horses or cattle. The
opportunities to keep your coop thriving in a trade area like this
outweighs the challenges. The challenges include marketing in the
metro area, traffi c, metro regulations, labor costs, etc. In regards to
marketing, in outstate Minnesota, a radio ad can be had for a very
reasonable price. An ad on a twin cities radio will cost multiples of
what we pay farther west. To reach our customers we must utilize
several tools to tell our story.
Energy
The energy markets have had some ups and downs throughout
the summer. The most noticeable change came with the attacks on
the Saudi Arabian oil facility a few weeks ago. Our wholesale prices
jumped 15 cents in one day. Prices have backed off a little bit, but not
down to the previous levels. Right now supply for the fall looks good.
What could change pricing is either a political event in the world or
a hurricane that would aff ect some of the large refi neries in the Gulf
of Mexico. The good news is that in 2018, the United States produced
almost 18 million barrels of oil per day, compared to Saudi Arabia
which is at 12.4 million.
Holiday of Cologne
Our franchise contract for the Cologne store was up for renewal
this year, and we have decided to renew for another 10 years. Look for
some minor remodeling to the interior of the store, that will include
Holiday’s new coff ee program and a refresh of the interior.
Holiday of Waverly is now open!
On Wednesday, September 18, we offi cially converted our Waverly
Store from Tesoro to a Holiday Stationstore. It has been a long process
dealing with the weather, soil correction, among other issues, but
we are up and running. I hope you will stop in and see the amazing
transformation. We expanded fuel off erings with the addition of E15,
88 octane gasoline, and Mid-County Premium Diesel Fuel. Inside the
store is the most dramatic change. We now off er the great Holiday
coff ee program, and the expanded Holiday food menu, as well as, a
great selection of products including live bait.
And more...
We have been fortunate to hire some great people in our agronomy
and energy departments. We still are actively seeking at least one auto
technician in our shop to continue our growth pattern of the last few
years.
Our annual meeting is tentatively scheduled for Friday, December 13,
at the Young America Pavilion. More details will be forthcoming.
As always, I appreciate your comments and suggestions to make
your coop better.