Cerro Gordo, Ill.-Van Horn Inc. of Cerro Gordo has expanded its employee-owned agriculture service locations to seven in central Illinois with the purchase of Macon Ag Services of Macon. Van Horn President Roger Oliver indicated he’d be interested in more acquisitions “if the opportunities arrive.” The only fully employee-owned company of its type in Illinois, Van Horn has locations in Warrensburg, Dewitt, Findlay, Bethany, and Sullivan in addition to Cerro Gordo, serving more than 4,500 customers in 11 counties, providing fertilizers, seed, crop protection, consultation, and custom application services to local farmers. All told, Oliver noted, Van Horn – now with nearly 60 employees with the addition of Macon – services more than 800,000 acres of corn, soybeans, and wheat in its area. It was started in 1934 as the small, family-owned Van Horn Seed Co., and was sold to the employees in 1976 by owner Lyle Van Horn before he retired. In 2007, it was ranked No. 50 in the top 100 dealers in the United States by Crop Life Magazine.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain