After a series of informational meetings, the owners of Farmers Ranchers Cooperative voted to approve a merger with Central Valley Ag by a majority of 88%. The unified cooperative will retain the Central Valley Ag name and be headquartered in York, Neb., with Carl Dickinson serving as president and CEO.

"We are pleased that Farmers Ranchers members have voted to unify," said Dave Beckman, CVA board chairman. "Both boards felt strongly that unification would make us stronger and bring additional value to the members of both cooperatives. The results of the Farmers Ranchers vote support this. Central Valley Ag has built a foundation, ensuring a promising future of service and value to its members in agriculture."

Initial merger discussions between the cooperatives began in January, with the respective boards individually approving the merger in February after a successful merger study was reviewed. Farmers Ranchers voting took place by mail-in ballot, and the final tally of votes was completed April 1.

"We are confident that together, we will become an even stronger cooperative for our member-owners with the ability to maintain local farmer ownership for generations to come," said DJ Hladky, Farmers Ranchers board chairman. "Thank you to all the Farmers Ranchers members that voted. We are excited for what the future holds for our cooperative."

Farmers Ranchers and CVA will officially unite into one cooperative June 1.

Source: Central Valley Ag, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.