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Headquarters:
4001 Lexington Ave. North Website: http://www.landolakesinc.com Land O'Lakes is one of America's premiere farmer-owned cooperatives. It offers farmers, local cooperatives, and customers across the nation an extensive line of agricultural supplies, as well as state-of-the-art production and business services. A cooperative (or co-op) is a type of business owned by and run for the benefit of those who use its services. Land O'Lakes is a leading marketer of dairy-based products for consumers, foodservice professionals and food manufacturers. The LAND O LAKES brand is recognized by consumers and customers nationwide and internationally. It does business in all 50 states and over 50 countries. Land O'Lakes operates in five segments: Dairy Foods, Feed, Seed, Agronomy and Layers. Dairy Foods develops, produces, markets and sells a variety of premium butter, spreads, cheese and other related dairy products. Feed develops, produces, markets and distributes animal feed to both the lifestyle and livestock animal markets. Seed develops, markets and sells seed for a variety of crops, including alfalfa, corn, soybeans and forage and turf grasses. Agronomy primarily consists of an investment in Agriliance LLC, which manufactures, markets and distributes crop nutrient and crop protection products. Layers produces and markets shell and liquid egg products through MoArk, LLC. In 2005, Land O'Lakes had sales of $7.6 billion and net earnings of $128.9 million. History In the early 1920s, a cooperative was formed that had new ideas about making butter. In those days, most butter was made from sour cream and sold in tubs. This new cooperative made butter from fresh, sweet cream and sold it in one-pound packages with individually wrapped sticks. It soon became the standard for butter quality and helped implement grading regulations for the industry. That cooperative was Land O'Lakes. The organization was incorporated on July 8,1921 as the Minnesota Cooperative Creameries Association. In 1924, as the fledgling organization set its sights on market expansion, it realized it needed a brand name and trademark for its butter. So a contest was held to choose a name. The prize? $500 in gold, reflecting the golden color of butter. Two contestants, Mrs. E.B. Foss and Mr. George L. Swift, created the winning name Land O'Lakes, a tribute to Minnesota's sparkling lakes. The name became so popular that in 1926 the cooperative changed its corporate name to Land O'Lakes Creameries, Inc., and later to Land O'Lakes, Inc. Benefits - Competitive salary Updated March 18, 2006 |