15 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About MID-CO

Here’s a refresher on the benefits MID-CO Commodities brings to the GROWMARK System

Maybe you have heard MID-CO Commodities. The brokerage business has been around a while. But there are likely a few details about it you are not familiar. MID-CO Commodities is a professional price-risk management brokerage that offers market guidance to commercial elevators and producer accounts throughout the Midwest. Their highly skilled team delivers expert basis analysis, futures and spread recommendations, and options execution. They take pride in daily, one-on-one customer contact providing their clients with up-to-the-minute market insight. For over 40 years, they've helped Midwest elevators manage risk and maximize returns.

So here are 15 things you probably didn’t know about MID-CO. 

1. MID-CO was founded in 1980 (the same year FS Services merged with Illinois Grain Corporation to form GROWMARK).
2. MID-CO is a cooperative, owned by its 112 members, which are all commercial grain elevators, and GROWMARK.
3. As a cooperative, MID-CO’s member owners earn patronage. MID-CO paid $1,436,189 in patronage in FY2023 to its members.
4. Over the last 10 years, MID-CO has paid more than $6.3 million in patronage.
5. MID-CO has offices in Bloomington, Illinois, and Des Moines, Iowa.
6. MID-CO has 16 total employees – eight brokers, four back-office staff, three focused on regulatory compliance, and one research analyst.
7. The eight brokers have more than 150 years of combined market experience.
8. With a trade territory spanning 10 states and Ontario, Canada, MID-CO’s brokers are located in the markets where they have expertise.
9. MID-CO also has 26 branch offices, located at member-commercial elevators, which serve farmer-customers.
10. Over the last 10 years, transactions at MID-CO have grown by 70%.
11. MID-CO transactions include both its commercial grain customers as well as all the hedging activities for GROWMARK’s wholesale Energy, Crop Nutrients, and Seed businesses.
12. In Fiscal Year 2023, MID-CO earned a net income of $5,286,189.
13. The brokerage staff provides hedge training twice a year – a beginner’s level and a professional level.
14. MID-CO conducts market outlook meetings twice a year for customers – three regional winter meetings and one summer meeting.
15. Three times a day, MID-CO distributes market updates on ag commodities to more than 500 customers.

Perhaps most importantly, MID-CO has a long history of providing successful merchandising expertise to its customers. That expertise has resulted in 37 straight years of all cash patronage returned to its members.