ProVision Partners Cooperative - About Us

Our History

The Farmers Cooperative Produce Company of Marshfield (Marshfield Co-op) was organized in 1912. At the end of its first year of operation, sales of flour, feed, grain, hay, produce, and farm machinery totaled just under $4,000. In 1995 Marshfield Co-op’s sales volume included a much wider diversity of products and services, totaling $8.3 million.

Stratford Farmers Cooperative Produce Company was organized in 1926. The purpose for this association was to establish a business which would purchase, sell, and handle market products produced by farmers and to buy, sell, market, transport and distribute for its patron’s petroleum products, automotive parts, feed, seed, fertilizer, machinery equipment, supplies and services required in the business of farming. The volume of business had grown from under $10,000 in 1926 to over $10 million in 1995. The cooperative had structured its marketing to meet the needs of both the agricultural and urban markets.

In 1996 Marshfield Co-op and Stratford Farmers Cooperative Produce Company unified to become one of the strongest and most diversified Cooperatives in the state. This unification helped prepare the Cooperatives to meet the upcoming challenges and take advantage of the opportunities of the bright future ahead.

In the spring of 2014 Central Wisconsin Cooperative’s manager of 32 years moved on and Rob Larson senior manager at the co-op with 22 years in the cooperative system was name General Manager, CEO. Sales that year were $103 million. That fall, the John Deere dealership in Stratford, WI that the co-op had owned for 75 years was sold to Riesterer & Schnell.

In April 2015, ProVision Partners Cooperative was formed with the merger of Central Wisconsin Cooperative and Harmony Country Cooperatives. In 1995, Harmony Country Cooperatives had merged Harmony Co-op established in 1915 and Wood County Cooperative formed in 1945 with the merger of Arpin, Vesper and Pittsville Farm Bureau Warehouse founded in 1923.

CWC’s merger with Harmony set the pace for growth and expansion in all divisions. By combining the resources of two extraordinarily strong co-ops we were able to reinvest in much needed assets. Plans for developing the Auburndale site were finalized and construction began in July of 2016 on the new 12,000-ton dry fertilizer plant, which was completed and put into operation in the fall of 2017. A new state-of-the- art feed mill was also in the construction phase which began in May of 2016 and was completed and put into operation in 2018. The rail system in Auburndale was expanded to four spurs. One track to hold 25 loaded cars, one for 25 empty cars, another designated for dry fertilizer receiving and the last one to receive liquid fertilizer. Completion of the upgrade was in 2018. We also built a new 5000 sq foot Cenex Travel Center in Auburndale that opened May 16, 2017. Even with all the investment in expansion projects the first full year of the merger proved to be a success with 2016 sales of $102 million and net savings of $7.4 million. PVP showed that we could do both – invest and return equity. In total we paid $2.8 million to members in 2016.

October of 2017, we entered a feed partnership with Federation Cooperative with the Humbird Feed Mill. This started a working relationship that later developed into full merger. PVP acquired Federation Cooperative in October 2019. Again, after a full year of operation the merger proved to be a success with the 2020 yearend sales of just over $157 million and net savings of $14.7 million.

December 1, 2020, PVP formed a feed partnership with Allied Cooperative with their West Salem mill. The board also approved the construction of a new feed mill on our Hixton campus which will begin in 2022.

January 1, 2022, Scenic Valley Cooperative/Infinity Feeds (Seymour, WI) merged into our PVP Cooperative. SVC had annual sales of $15 million and $3 million feed sales through the Purina Agent program that is directly billed through Purina. SVC consisted of two country stores, one convenience store, and a feed mill with retail store and grain storage. SVC also had some bulk petroleum, hardware, and seed sales.

As of 2022 we have the following locations

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Vision

"Drive strategic growth through premier employee expertise and state-of-the-art infrastructure."

Mission

"To profitably provide trusted expertise, quality supplies and proven services to support customer success."

Statement of Values

1. We value our commitment to safety.
2. We value doing business with integrity and honesty.
3. We value agriculture and our farmers impact to the world.
4. We value giving back to the communities in which we live and work.
5. We value growth and success of our customers and employees.

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You Own The Company

Members of the ProVision Partners Cooperative are not only taking advantage of quality products and services at a fair price, but are enjoying the benefits of having a voice in the direction of their cooperative as well as earning patronage bonuses on most purchases. Take a closer look at our products and services! You'll find many reasons to make ProVision Partners Cooperative your one-stop supplier for your farm, business and family needs.

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Board of Directors

ProVision Partners Cooperative provides goods and services for its owners. The member/owners of the co-op elect the board of directors to represent them, oversee the operations and set polices for the co-op. The board of directors elect a chairperson to preside and officiate, establish company polices and hire a general manager to carry out the policies.

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General Manager: Rob Larson

The General Manager supervises the day-to-day operations of ProVision Partners Cooperative. The manager is responsible for hiring the employees of the co-op and providing overall leadership direction to employees.

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Division and Department Heads