The year was 1927 when the Illinois Farm Supply Company was chartered under the State of Illinois Cooperative Marketing Act of 1923 to be a wholesale distributor of petroleum and lubricant products.

From that humble start in nine Illinois counties, the Illinois Farm Supply Company eventually became the multi-billion dollar, multi-faceted farm cooperative system that is know today as GROWMARK.

In honor of the cooperative’s 85th anniversary this year, a new history section has been added to the GROWMARK’s website and the early years especially provide an interesting glimpse into the importance of fuel for farming.

Among the milestones marked in the first years of the cooperative was in 1933 when “The first gasoline blend (10%) with alcohol produced from corn was brought to market to address the corn surplus problem. This was a product ahead of its time and was later withdrawn because of low volume.”

Read more about the GROWMARK history by clicking on the “Our History” tab on www.growmark.com