The beginnings of the original Ray County Grain Growers lie in the Great Depression. Congress established the Agricultural Marketing Act to establish farmer marketing associations in an effort to stem the devastating effects of the failing economy.
Across the country, grain farmers organized cooperatives to market their product, and Ray County, Missouri, farmers were no exception. Farmers incorporated their co-op in 1931, setting membership dues at $10- a fee unchanged to this day.

By 1934, the group purchased grain elevators in four central Missouri communities: Richmond, Hardin, Norborne and Carrollton. Members also voted to change the cooperatives name to Ray-Carroll County Grain Growers, Inc.

Today, Ray-Carroll also operates facilities in Brunswick, Sumner, Mayview and Wakenda, Missouri. It also owns a terminal in St. Louis and co-owns a grain terminal in Slater, Missouri. Governed by an 11-member board of directors, the cooperative's headquarters are located in Richmond.

Ag services
Through these facilities, Ray-Carroll Co-op focuses on its original mission--marketing grain. Services include:

• Grain purchasing and marketing.
• Grain drying and storage.
• Grain shipping of unit trains, including a 100-plus railcar shuttle loop at the Hardin facility.
• Commodity trading opportunities, as an introducing broker with F.C. Stone Futures and Commodities.
  Ray-Carroll also boasts a staff of trained professionals who serve the co-op's member-owners. Many of those employees are certified through state or national professional organizations. Those employees:
• Provide custom application services, including variable rate application and custom side-dressing.
• Conduct soil testing services and make crop input recommendations.
   
  Through its locations, Ray-Carroll offers seed, fertilizer, including anhydrous ammonia, and ag chemicals. Bulk and bagged feed, animal health products and livestock equipment are also available.

Full service
As a full-service cooperative, Ray-Carroll also provides a wide range of services to meet additional needs of its members.

Through Ray-Carroll Fuels, L.L.C.,  members can purchase propane for their homes, farms and businesses. Ray-Carroll Fuels also maintains fueling stations throughout its territory, enabling members to pump gasoline and diesel fuel, including soy biodiesel, for road or farm use.

Ray-Carroll Insurance now offers a full line including crop insurance, property, casualty, life and health.  Call Brenda or Josh for further information on your insurance needs.

Ray-Carroll also manages a Certificate of Investment program that allows Missouri residents to purchase 18-month notes from the cooperative and earn returns of 1 percent to 2 percent below the New York prime rate.

Future
Ray-Carroll County Grain Growers now looks forward to continuing and expanding its longstanding commitment to providing quality products and service to its members.

From its beginnings more than 70 years ago, Ray-Carroll and its members have formed a secure bond through a mutually beneficial partnership that sustains both the cooperative and the producers to this day.