STORE SPOTLIGHT BY C O R E Y E S P Y
Tennessee Valley Cooperative
As of Jan. 1, 2021, Limestone Farmers Cooperative, Lawrence County Exchange and Lauderdale Farmers Cooperative will merge to form the Tennessee Valley Cooperative. This new partnership comes after intense planning from the managers and board of directors along with great support from the members of each Co-op. This partnership stems from the ever-changing landscape of agriculture in North Alabama where these Co-ops reside. As many Alabamians know, the area is experiencing large economic growth with many industries moving into Huntsville and surrounding areas. This is great for jobs, but has caused great loss of prime farmland.
1. Lynnville, TN 2. Pulaski, TN 3. Athens, AL 4. Elgin, AL
5. Oakland, AL 6. Florence, AL 7. Courtland, AL 8. Moulton, AL
The intended effect of this new Co-op is to increase the ability to buy in bulk, then divide the product among each location to get the best value possible on products. “Although economic development is good, it can have a negative impact on production agriculture acres,” said John Curtis, General Manager of Tennessee Valley Cooperative. “By combining the assets of these three counties, we will offer more services to our customer and streamline our purchases.” The management of Limestone Farmers, Lawrence County and Lauderdale Farmers along with their respective boards of directors put their collective heads together and felt that joining forces, and building upon 20
Cooperative Farming News
an already outstanding working relationship, would help the Cooperative continue to thrive for future generations. The idea was supported by the membership of each Cooperative because of the trust in the leadership. John Curtis (Limestone County), John Holley (Lawrence County) and Reggie Shook (Lauderdale County) are not rookies to the Co-op. These managers have 122 years of combined total experience – that’s at least 40 years each. This experience, along with feedback from oth-
