HR0537 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0537 LRB101 14473 MST 63367 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Top AG Cooperative on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of its founding; and

WHEREAS, Top AG Cooperative is a farmer-owned cooperative serving a multi-county area in southwest Illinois, covering the entire area east of St. Louis; it possesses grain facilities located in Addieville, Mascoutah, Okawville, Pierron, St. Libory, and Trenton and supplies its members with various crop inputs and feed and lumber products, as well as grain marketing services; and

WHEREAS, The Okawville, Pierron, and Trenton locations offer seed, fertilizer, and chemicals, along with related services of delivery, custom application, and grain trucking; the Trenton facility operates the region's leading dairy feed mill, and bagged feed products are available at all locations; in addition, TOP AG operates a lumber yard at its Okawville location; and

WHEREAS, The organization's roots can be traced to 1918; a group of farmers, led by William Grewe, Otto Hasheider, HH Brockmeier, Fred Brammeier, Fred Moehle, and Julius Going, recognized the need to maintain a grain elevator in the area, and, as such, initiated the organization of a local agricultural cooperative; after 240 shares were sold in the region, the Okawville Farmer Elevator was officially chartered in August of 1919; the board of the Okawville Farmer Elevator Company held its first board meeting on August 5, 1919, and directors were elected; and

WHEREAS, In the last five years, multiple additions have been completed within the cooperative, including a large grain dryer in Okawville in 2014, a grain bin in Trenton in 2015, the 2017 production of a pair of grain bins in St. Libory, and the 2018 renovation of a house purchased for a new office in St. Libory, allowing for the continued contribution of essential services to farmers and their families; and

WHEREAS, Top AG continues its historic course of serving families within its community; maintaining its value while adapting to technological developments, the cooperative has withstood the test of time in its effort to support the interests of local farmers and their families; and

WHEREAS, As of August, 2019, the Top AG Cooperative has been in operation for one hundred years, officially representing the well-being of local farmers and their families since August 1919; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the TOP AG Cooperative on its one hundred years of providing indispensable service to the farmers of southwest Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to each member of the TOP AG Cooperative leadership.