Heritage FS, Inc.
Heritage
FS is a locally owned agricultural cooperative serving producers in Ford,
Iroquois, Kankakee, Will and DuPage counties in Northeastern Illinois and
Benton, Jasper, Newton and White Counties in Northwest Indiana.
As
the name might imply, Heritage FS has a long history. Heritage's
predecessors date back to the 1920s when companies such as the Ford County Farm
Supply, Kankakee Coal & Oil, Will County Farm Supply, Iroquois Farm Supply
and DuPage Farmers Supply were founded. Each of those companies was a
result of studies by their respective county Farm Bureaus as farmers of the
1920's were mechanizing their operations, requiring gasoline rather than hay
for fueling "horse-power".
These
companies started with one or two delivery trucks, a small warehouse and 8,000
to 16,000 gallons of storage. As the needs of farmers continued to grow,
so did the needs of the single county cooperatives serving them. Ford &
Iroquois joined as did Will and DuPage.
On
August 1, 1992 Heritage FS was born through consolidation of Ford-Iroquois FS
and Kankakee Service Company, with Will-DuPage Service Company merging
with Heritage on March 1, 2001. In March 2012, Heritage FS started
operations in Morocco, Indiana. The original five facilities have grown
to twenty and the eight delivery units to over 150.
Heritage
FS is a member of FS GRAIN, LLC, which has grain
facilities throughout Northern Illinois. FS GRAIN, LLC has 19
facilities and approximately forty million bushels of storage capacity.
Annual
sales in 1928 ranged from $38,000 to $62,000. Annual sales, when Heritage
started, were just under $20 million. Now with nine counties, annual
merchandise sales are approximately $200 million. Heritage FS is
governed by twelve directors elected by 2,300 shareholders. The
directors set policies, hire a manager and hold monthly meetings at the
corporate office located in the Farm-Bureau Building in Gilman, IL.
Heritage
FS now serves over 6,000 customers with its numerous products. Being a cooperative,
Heritage also pays patronage annually to those members who buy products.
Heritage
FS employs 168 full-time professionals. Annually, Heritage FS employs
an additional 100 part time employees, mostly during the busy spring
season.
Heritage
FS has a deep commitment to Illinois agriculture and to meeting producer needs
in production agriculture, as well as crop marketing services through
the FS GRAIN, LLC facilities.