Annual Meeting Video:  The Existence Value of the Garden City Co-op 

The saying goes that you often don't know what you've got until it's gone. The Garden City Co-op is no exception and learned a hard lesson when they faced some hard times in their first formation in 1915. In 1917 a private investor came and offered to buy the farmers out. Together they overruled founder R.J. Ackley and T.M. Jones and agreed to sell to the investor. That investor skipped town a couple months later, along with the farmers' money. Farmers again faced some hard times and, coupled with the realization that they weren't receiving fair prices for their crops, decided to band together again and form a new charter for a co-op in 1919. 98 years later, the Garden City Co-op is still standing strong, having weathered many ups and downs in the economy and plays a crucial role in the community.

Former GM, Harley Foulks narrates this excerpt from a writing from founder R.J. Ackley with a foreword by current GM, John McClelland.