Stilwell Farmers Cooperative
Stilwell Branch Manager: Micky Longshore
Locations: Tahlequah, Stilwell and Coweta, Okla.
History: “We are a customer owned farm supply and retail store. We have been providing quality service for farmers and ranchers since 1951. The cooperative has a board of directors. They will hire a general manager. I am a branch manager. We have three locations, Tahlequah, Stilwell and Coweta. We were established here in Stilwell in March 18, 1976. I have been here since day one.”
Products and Services: “When we opened in 1976, bulk fertilizer was the big thing the cooperative was interested in at the time. Bulk fertilizer continues to be one of our main drivers here. We sell bag and bulk feed. We are agriculturally based but, we also cater to the farm and homeowner. We sell cattle, equine and pet feed and supplies. We have tack, muck boots and Stihl products. We sell animal health, vet supplies and everything that goes along with that. Of course, we have fencing, garden and farm. We sell chemicals including herbicides and fungicides. Working in a place like this you’ve got to be about half veterinarian. You have got to be an agronomist too, among other things. You’ve got to be pretty diversified because you have to know about a lot of different things. One customer will come in and ask you about his lawn. The next guy will come in and ask you about his pasture.”
Philosophy: “Of course, we are a cooperative. The reason for a cooperative is to supply its members with products at a reasonable and fair price they may not be able to get elsewhere. When the Coop came to town, one of the big reasons was to offer services. One of the things we feel good about is the guys that work here have several years of knowledge. A lot of us run cattle. I’m a poultry grower, well, my wife is. One of the guys here raised baby calves. I have one boy who runs stockers. When a customer comes in wanting to know how to treat scours in a baby calf, we are pretty knowledgeable about what it is going to take to cure it. We have some hands on experience ourselves in a number of different areas which makes it a lot easier to tell you what it takes to fix your problem.”
