OUR HISTORY

Shortly after the turn of the 20 th Century, a small group of Archer area farmers saw the need for a cooperative elevator to market their grain. In 1907, approximately thirty farmers raised $4,000 and purchased the Great Western Grain Company located in Archer, IA, and the Archer Cooperative Grain Company was born. At its inception, the company dealt only in buying and selling grain. The loyal support of its members enabled the company to establish a foothold and grow. In 1914 a concrete elevator was built. This was only the second concrete elevator in the entire state and the first to utilize slip forms. Even then, Archer Coop was forward-thinking enough to envision meeting the future needs of its members.

In the early 80’s, the Illinois Central Railroad abandoned and removed the main grain shipping facilities in Archer. True to form, Archer Coop adapted and now relies on trucking to move its commodities. No major highways connect to Archer, Iowa which could have proved detrimental, but careful management of shipping in product and shipping out grain has added to our company’s bottom line and therefore our members’ bottom line.

Now, shortly after the turn of the 21 st Century, Archer Coop has expanded to encompass just about every aspect of the business of agriculture today. We are still only one location, an island in the sea of mergers and acquisition, and have even surpassed the benchmark of being in business for a century by 15 years. Our goal is to stay this way with the patronage of our loyal customers, growing our customer base, and trying to envision meeting their needs in the future. One of the best advantages to being located in a small community is that we get to know our customers, they are not “numbers” to us. We believe in the personal touch. As  our motto says – “Our Roots and Branches are in Archer, Iowa”. We are here to stay.