The Equity was founded in 1919 by a group of forward thinking farmers, who saw that there was greater buying power by joining together in a group. The cooperative grew slowly through the 1920s, 30s and 40s. During the 1940s the serious need for a grain elevator in the Effingham area became apparent. 1949, money was raised for a 16,000-bushell metal-clad grain elevator with a scale, warehouse, hammermill and feed mixer located north of Effingham on the Illinois Central, now Canadian National, Railroad. This facility became the core of the present-day Effingham location.
In 1963, the Equity purchased the first of several facilities acquired over the years with the purchase of a grain elevator in Stewardson. Today, the Equity has 17 Illinois locations in south-central Illinois that encompass 20,000 square miles.
While the Equity has grown and developed over the years one constant remains – the focus on agriculture. Today, as in 1919, The Equity’s main purpose is to help its members obtain the goods and services they need to farm as efficiently and profitably as possible. Through ongoing hard work, The Equity will continue to “Lead the Way” in agribusiness.
