Agri-AFC, GreenPoint Ag, And Tennessee Farmers Cooperative’s Wholesale Agronomy Business to Combine to Create Top 7 Agronomy Company

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Natalie Long     
Phone: 612-368-5600 
Email: NLong@landolakes.com 

Agri-AFC, GreenPoint Ag, and Tennessee Farmers Cooperative’s wholesale agronomy business announce the formation of a joint venture combining their agronomy operations. The combination will include all operations of Agri-AFC, LLC’s wholesale and retail business, GreenPoint Ag’s retail business, and Tennessee Farmers Cooperative’s wholesale agronomy business. The new venture will do business under the name GreenPoint Ag.
 
The combined GreenPoint Ag is owned by three parent companies: Alabama Farmers Cooperative (AFC), Tennessee Farmers Cooperative (TFC), and WinField United. 
 
It will operate 99 retail and wholesale agronomy locations in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, and Texas, servicing 11 crops across 28 million acres. This will make the combined GreenPoint Ag a top 7 wholesale and retail agronomy company with over $1 billion in sales. 
 
“We recognize the rich history of our companies and the pride of ownership that exists amongst our member-owners, and we want to enter this relationship with careful thought and consideration of the impact to our farmer-owners, our customers, our member co-ops and our employees,” says Bart Krisle, CEO of Tennessee Farmers Cooperative.
 
When asked why the parent companies decided to join these three businesses together, Rivers Myres, CEO of Alabama Farmers Cooperative shared, “Even though we are all individually strong, it takes vision and strategic leadership to both remain competitive and to provide exceptional service to our ultimate customer, the American Farmer, and GreenPoint Ag will allow for us to do both.” 
 
Jeff Blair has been selected to lead the new entity as Chief Executive Officer. He comes to Greenpoint Ag most recently from The Andersons, where he was President of the Plant Nutrient Group. Previous to that role, he held leadership roles at Intrepid Potash, Orica Mining Services and was a Captain in the U.S. Army.  
 
“I could not be more excited for this opportunity," said Blair. “The leadership teams of all three companies have built strong businesses and I believe this new company is the right company, with the right people and the right strategy to help our farmer and retail members succeed in this ever-changing world.”
 
Brett Bruggeman, President of WinField United and Executive Vice President of Land O’Lakes, Inc., agrees that the timing is perfect for this type of opportunity. “This organization is positioned for future growth and will be relevant in the marketplace for years to come. GreenPoint Ag will be focused on upstream market access predictability and downstream total agronomy solutions, both driven by our digital omnichannel platform.”
 
GreenPoint Ag will be based in Decatur, Alabama, with regional offices in Memphis and LaVergne, Tennessee.
 
About GreenPoint Ag, LLC
GreenPoint Ag, LLC is a joint venture between Tennessee Farmers Cooperative (TFC), WinField United, Tipton Farmers Cooperative, and Farmers, Inc. which formed in 2012, and employs over 500. GreenPoint Ag services farms and rural business owners with crop nutrients, crop protection products, seed and seed treatment, field scouting, custom application and a full array of ag technology services. GreenPoint Ag, LLC operates 54 agronomy retail locations across Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky, southeast Missouri, west Tennessee and south Texas with headquarters in Memphis, TN.
 
About Agri-AFC, LLC
Agri-AFC is a joint venture between Alabama Farmers Cooperative (AFC) and WinField United, which formed in 2003. WinField United is an entity of Land O’Lakes. This joint venture provides more competitively-priced crop inputs, and a wider product selection, along with almost 90 years of customer service and expertise in the southeast. Agri-AFC is headquartered in Decatur, Alabama and employs over 325 employees in Alabama, Southwest Georgia, Southern Mississippi, and the Florida Panhandle.
 
About Tennessee Farmers Cooperative
Tennessee Farmers Cooperative (TFC) is the regional farm supply and service organization serving member Co-ops in Tennessee and the surrounding areas. Co-op, recognized as one of the strongest federated farm supply cooperative systems in the nation, includes TFC and the 52 member Co-ops and 11 associate members in neighboring states that own TFC. At its foundation are the roughly 70,000 farmers who are member-owners of the local Co-ops in their home counties. Some 164 Co-op retail outlets, which operate in 84 of Tennessee’s 95 counties, and across the border in five neighboring states, serve more than half a million customers.
 
About Alabama Farmers Cooperative
Alabama Farmers Cooperative, Inc. (AFC) was organized in Decatur, Alabama in 1936 and is a cooperative in the truest sense of the word. AFC is governed by local, farmer-owned cooperatives with a Board of Directors consisting of farmers who actively participate in the agricultural growth of Alabama and Northwest Florida. Through diversity and strong leadership, AFC has grown to become one of the largest farmer-owned agriculture related businesses in the Southeast operating 34 member Co-ops with over 60 retail locations.
 
About WinField United
WinField United is the seed, crop protection products, agricultural services and agronomic insights business of Land O’Lakes, Inc. As an industry leader, the business focuses on meeting the needs of nearly 1,300 locally owned and operated cooperative and independent agricultural retailers and their grower-customers across the United States. Through data-backed, insight-driven agronomics; operational excellence; and sustainable solutions delivered under the WinField® United brand, the business helps retailers successfully meet farmers’ needs.