The Equity Holds Shareholder Meeting

(HARRY FEHRENBACHER AND ROD KELSAY)

The Equity Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Bruce Vernon, and Board of Directors Chairman, Nick Jansen, hosted the 96th Annual Equity Shareholder meeting.

More than 1,000 stockholders were in attendance for dinner, the distribution of patronage back to shareholders, and the annual meeting.

Jim Schultz, former Director of Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, gave a short presentation following dinner.

The Equity Board Vice-Chairman, Harry Fehrenbacher, was presented the ICC Co-op Director of the Year Award by Rod Kelsay, Executive Director of the Mid America Cooperative Council. The award recognizes Fehrenbacher’s many years of service as a board chairman for The Equity. Harry has been a member of The Equity board since 1986. He has been involved in farming his entire life, but will be retiring from farming this year. He began with a partnership with his brother, and after 10 years they each began farming on their own. Harry has always been involved in raising hogs, until his retirement from livestock farming in 2013. He has served as a director for Farmland Industries and a member of the executive council for Land O’ Lakes. He is also a part-time crop adjuster for Great American Insurance Group and Township Supervisor for South Muddy Township in Jasper County. Fehrenbacher has been a strong supporter of cooperative education, by attending MAC-Ed’s annual Board Chair Roundtable with cooperative board chairs from other states and other co-op sectors.

In 2015, the National Rural Electric Association certified MAC-Ed’s Board Chair Roundtable to receive credit for their rural electric cooperative directors. This year, the program will be held on November 15-16 at the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives (AIEC) office in Springfield.

The Equity, founded in 1919, is one of the largest independent agricultural cooperatives in the United States with 19 locations covering more than 10,000 square miles. Today, The Equity offers some of the most advanced technology-based services available. Services are provided to member-owners in Agronomy, Grain, Energy, Feed and Livestock, and Hardware.

For more information, visit www.TheEquity.com.