Sublette Cooperative Inc. was originally incorporated November 6, 1929 by 86 charter member of Haskell County Kansas as Cooperative Grain Dealers Union.  The name was changed to Sublette Cooperative Inc. May 17, 1973.  The cooperative was formed to aid the members in their agricultural endeavors.  Sublette Cooperative, Inc. has a nice farm supply store where we sell Cenex gasoline, Cenex Roadmaster and Fieldmaster diesel, soda, coffee, sprayer parts, oil, tires, feed, lawn and garden products, as well as numerous other merchandise items for your farm, home or ranch.  We handle, store, and trade corn, wheat, milo, and soybeans at our elevators.  The cooperative has grown from the humble beginnings to sales of over $50 million as we continue to focus on our customer base in Haskell County and the area.  We have licensed storage capacity 8.5 million bushels.

Our mission - To be a marketing and service-oriented cooperative organization dedicated to the long-term success of our patron-owners.

History of Sublette Cooperative, Inc. / Cooperative Grain Dealers Union
Sublette Cooperative was originally incorporated November 6, 1929 as Cooperative Grain Dealers Union.  A plaque inside the front door of the office lists 86 Charter Members of the cooperative. 
 
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
There have been 41 directors that our records show have served on the board.  The longest serving director is Joe Miller who served 27 years from 1959 through 1986.  Other directors with 20 or more years of service include; R. W. Ellsaesser (1934 - 1959) 25 years; Randall Bird (1969 – 1993 and 1994) 25 years; serving for 24 years were A. B. Sherwood (1936 – 1960) and I. H. Cook (1930 – 1933 and 1935-1956); Albert Snyder (1952 – 1973) 21 years; and H. E. Trimpa (1974 – 1994) 20 years; Rusty Sherwood (2006 to present and associate director 2001 - 2006).
 
The longest serving board chairmen/board president are Robert Hammer serving 12 years (1984 – 1996); Forrest Cox and I. H. Cook who both served 11 years, Cox from (1966 – 1977) and Cook (1930 – 1932 and 1947 – 1956); and L. C. Leonard (1957 – 1958 and 1959 – 1966) Peter York (2005 – 2013) and Rusty Sherwood (2018 – present) 8 years.
 

GENERAL MANAGERS
The first known General Manager was T. H. Keast who served from 1930 to March 5, 1932.  L.J. Christianson was hired as the temporary manager with L. R. Bevan being hired in July of 1932, but was dismissed in December.  Paul Rayburn was hired December 26, 1932 and served until December 1, 1934.  Managers since that time include; F. E. Vance, Roy Brown, R. S. Moore, J. M. Phipps, Gordon Sibley, Harley Foulks, Gordon Batman, Robert (Bob) Jury, James (Jim) Axtell, Oliver (Bill) Miner, Gaylord Sanneman, and Kendall Poland.  Bob Jury is the longest serving manager at just over 25 years (1968-1994) with the second longest being Kendall Poland 2012-present), followed by R. S. Moore at 13 years (1944-1957) and Jim Axtell at 10 years (1994-2004).
 

FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
The earliest financial statement found was March 27, 1941.  That financial statement showed wheat sales of $70,208.65, Merchandise sales of $10,452.57, Gas & Oil sales of $27,360.25, and coal sales of $2,921.81, for total sales of $110,943.28.  Total income that year was $15,954.73; expenses totaled $8,172.37 for a net savings of $7,782.36.  The cooperative hit $82.5 million in sales in fiscal year 2022.

Looking at profits and losses, the company has only had one year with a net loss, fiscal year 2004 when the Farmland Industries stock was written off.  The company has had 9 years of local losses, 1952, 1967, 1968, 1969, 2003, 2004, 2016, 2023, and 2024.  The top 5 locally profitable years were $2,601,641 in 2022, $1,527,862 in 2018, $1,269,032 in 2021, $1,152,220 in 2019, and $1,025,579 in 2020.  The 5 highest net profit years (before taxes) has been 2022 at $3,764,759, 2018 at $3,074,984, 2013 at $2,778,553, 2021 at $2,617,195, and 2020 at $2,452,156.

There was a contest to create a new logo for the cooperative in 1978.  It is unclear when the “handshake” logo was formally adopted but it was in place prior to the annual meeting in 1979.  It is said that John Jury created the logo that was adopted, with some people reporting that the art teacher, Elaine Walter, was a key contributor to the process.

ADMINISTRATION – The current 50’ x 100’ office was built in 1991 with a total cost of $550,831.  The office desks and equipment (4 secretarial desks, 5 executive desks and credenzas, conference table and 12 chairs, workstation unit, bookshelf unit, 3 round tables, 12 oak chairs, 18 steel tables, 90 folding chairs, 4 carts for tables and chairs) came from Production Credit Association of Perry, Iowa but were purchased from Carl Stukenholtz of Perry Building Inc. for $33,000.  Knowledge of the furniture came from the CEO of Servi-Tech, Rollan Stukenholtz, a relative of Carl Stukenholtz.  Robert Hammer, H.E. Trimpa, and Bob Jury made the trip to Iowa to bring the furniture to Sublette in a rental truck.  Some of the Office Managers over the years included Dennis Johnson (1973 - 1976), Joe Strecker (1976 – 1984), Gaylord Sanneman (1984 – 2005), and Dawn Freeman (2008 to the present).

GRAIN/ELEVATOR – The original steel covered wood elevator was built in 1930 at a cost of $18,915.  Three bins (33,435 bushels) were added to the elevator in 1941 at a cost of $6,650.  This facility was torn down in the 1960’s.  Concrete Elevator A (South) was built in 1949 with 291,000 bushels of space at a cost of $140,077.  The first West annex was added in 1952 at a cost of $182,981 with 500,297 bushels of space.  The 433,673 bushel far West annex and the 284,000 bushel East annex were built in 1958 at a cost of $259,500.  Concrete Elevator B (North) was built in 1961 at a cost of $239,597 for 386,900 bushels of space.  The first annex was added to the North Elevator, a 782,500 bushel annex, built in 1974 – 75 at a cost of $892,685.  A dust control system was installed in 1973 and the 2100 Grain dryer was purchased in 1974 for $62,608 to replace the South elevator dryer that was blown over in a strong wind.  The DG 300 dryer was added in 1976 along with an additional dust system at a total cost of $240,834.  In 1982 the final concrete annex was added at a total cost of $1,011,472 for the 704,704 bushel project.  A leg was added in 1994 at a cost of $128,753 and the shop at the elevator was built in 1997 for $38,213.  From 1997 through 1999 extensive aeration additions were made at a cost of $208,384.  The 3, 224,000 bushel steel bins were put up in 1999 at a total cost of $1,395,148.  In 2014 two, 300,000 bushel jump-form concrete storage bins were built north of the railroad tracks along with a dump pit and a 20,000 bushel per hour leg.  The total cost of the 2 bins, equipment, electrical work, and road work was near $4,486,388.  There was also a scale added to the north side of the main office and a scale room added.  In 2016 land was purchased to expand north of the bins built in 2014 and a bunker was put in as well as a grain pile site and a new Global 30,000 bushel per hour belt conveyor was purchased.  In 2019 a Global 20,000 bushel per hour belt conveyor was purchased then in September the McCoy Grain facilities and equipment were purchased for $950,000 with 1,134,000 bushels of concrete space along with the flat storage, wood house, and stave bins.  After the McCoy purchase the lot west of the flat storage building was purchased for $25,000.  In FY2021, 24 acres were purchased from Mary Holloway along Inman street where the McCoy bunker and pile sites were.  In FY2021 the construction of another two McPherson concrete bins was started adding another 1 million bushels of storage space.  In 2025 the 2.5 million bushel ADM grain facility at the west side of Sublette became available for sale and at this writing, the purchase is pending.

Grain department managers/lead grain merchandisers include Bill Miner, Lawrence Baxa, Justin Hammer, Cindy Warner, Jeff Christensen, Hunter Brown and Kacey McCallion.  An interesting item that Bill Miner shared about the 1982 concrete annex being built was that the PIK (Payment In Kind) program was announced when the annex was completed.  The fear was that the program would lower the number of bushels received as acres were taken out of production. 

FUEL/STATION/ FARM STORE – Originally the petroleum facilities were on the property where the elevator and office is currently with the plants being moved to their current location to make room for the elevator expansions.  The Petroleum Shop building was built in 1959.  In 1962 there was a metal shop building added for $10,483 and a 12,000 gallon LP plant for $15,325.  An annexation to the warehouse and station was added in 1968 ($5,525).  The bulk fuel plant was added in 1976 for $37,959.  In April of 1974, the board voted to get out of the television and radio sales and service business.  Bulk oil tanks were added in 1987 for $7,417 and the station was remodeled in 1992 for $13,604.  In 2008 the 60 x 120 truck warehouse west of the station/store was built at a cost of $142,434.  In late 2021, new fuel dispensers were installed and new satellite dispensers were added along with a DEF dispenser.  Robert (Bob) Jury managed the Farm Store before becoming manager in 1968 and Jim Axtell became the Farm Store Manager and held that job until he became the General Manager in 1994.  Other farm store managers include Mark Hansen, Jim Creeden, Terry Presley, and Jason Gundy.  

CROP PRODUCTION – The crop production department was one of the more recent departments within Sublette Cooperative.  The first time fertilizer made it on to the statement of gross margins was in the 1955 – 1956 year.  LeRoy Lohfink was the fertilizer department manager in 1961.  Bill Yount became the department manager in either 1964 or 1965 and retired in June of 1989 at which time Terry Timmons became the department manager.  Kent Ochs took over as the department manager in 2000.  The 60’ x 105’ Morton shop building was built in 1990 at a cost of $123,193.  For six months in 2019 Mark Horinek was the interim manager of the department then Randy McMillan managed the department for two months then Rob Blair was put in charge of the department.  In late 2021, due to lack of profits over the previous 15 years, the board voted to sell the fertilizer plants and shop to Nutrien Ag Service.  

Northeast Branch – The Northeast Branch was built in 1992 with a 33,000 gallon NH3 tank ($29,052), 40’ x 60’ Morton building ($84,356), and 10’ x 16’ scale ($10,293) for a total cost of $123,701.  A 30,000 gallon NH3 tank was added in 2010 for $80,292 with the 33,000 railcar tank being replace with a 30,000 gallon tank from the West plant.  Fuel was put in at the Northeast Branch in 2004.  A dyed diesel retail tank was installed in 2018.  Branch managers included Steve Schmidt, Verle Yost, Lawrence Baxa, Ron Isenberg, and Mark Horinek.  In an effort to reduce losses in the crop production department, the fertilizer assets and building were sold to Nutrien Ag Services in August of 2021.  The retail fuel site remained in possession of the cooperative.

LLC Investments – Over the years the cooperative has made investments in various businesses directly relating to the cooperative or agriculture.  Those investments include; WindRiver Grain LLC in Garden City, Kansas $500,000 in 1997; Iron Horse LLC at Ensign in 2002 but the equity was sold in 2004; Northwest Cotton Growers Cooperative (originally New Frontier Holding) in Moscow $70,000; Southwest Crop Nutrients in Ensign in 2004 $50,000; Ag Service LLC (originally Kansas Safety & Compliance #4) in 2006; Conestoga Energy at Liberal and Garden City $75,000 in 2007; Western Ag Chemical in 2006 but the investment was sold the next year; Providence Grain LLC in 2008 $750,000 but was sold for a similar amount in 2009; Southwest Crop Liquids in Ensign in 2008 but that was sold to the other two partners in the LLC in 2021;

This information has been compiled mostly from Audit Reports, Board of Director meeting minutes, Annual Meeting minutes, Depreciation Schedules, along with other documents and input from employees, former employees, and directors.