About Morrow County Grain Growers
Morrow County Grain Growers is an authorized Polaris, Case IH, Apache, Great Plains, Landoll, and Schulte dealership serving the Wasco, Oregon and Lexington, Oregon areas. We are proud to carry a large selection of agriculture and power sports equipment. When you are ready to invest in a new ATV, utility vehicle, tractor, combine, header or seeder, our friendly and knowledgeable sales, financing, service and parts departments are prepared to make sure your experience is outstanding, from assisting while you’re making your choice to ongoing maintenance and customization. At Morrow County Grain Growers, we value the opportunity to create a long-term relationship with our customers, and we do that by giving you the best customer service available.
Contact us
Call us today at (541) 442-5781 and find out how our team can help you to find the Polaris, Case IH, Apache, Great Plains, Landoll, or Schulte you’ve been looking for. We look forward to the opportunity to serve you!
Morrow County Grain Growers History
Morrow County Grain Growers, Inc.
is a diverse farm supply and marketing cooperative headquartered in Lexington, Oregon. The cooperative was organized March 18, 1930, in the Ione High School gymnasium when 100 farmers pledged 183,000 bushels of wheat to cooperative selling. The cooperative was formed to give the local farmer more leverage and higher prices in the market place. The articles of incorporation were filed on April 2, 1930.
On April 18, 1931, the Lexington Oil Cooperative was formed. The oil Cooperative began purchasing gas and lubricating oils from Portland, passing the savings on to the producers in the area that were shifting their farming from horses to tractors. The producers found that just as with wheat, fuel and oil prices were more advantageous through cooperatives.
On April 1, 1940, Morrow County Grain Growers purchased the assets of Farmers Elevator Company adding Heppner, McNab and Ione Elevators. In 1952, North Lexington and Ruggs Elevators were built. In 1954, the cooperative built a grain elevator and began transferring wheat from truck to barge on the Columbia River at the site where the Patterson Ferry took vehicles across the river from Oregon to Patterson, Washington. The Ferry ceased operation when the Umatilla Bridge was built several miles upriver. Hogue Warner has evolved over the years to become one of the most efficient facilities on the lower Columbia River for unloading trucks.
The company currently operates eight-grain elevators with a total license capacity of 6,200,000 bushels.
In 1967 Morrow County Grain Growers, Inc. merged with Lexington Oil Cooperative, diversifying the company into the retail business, selling hardware, fuel and tires. About that same time, the company bought Lexington Implement Co, from Red Leonard and became an International Harvester Farm Equipment and Truck Dealer.
In 1971, the cooperative moved into the building we now occupy in Lexington, putting all three of the former companies in one location.
In 1976, the company bought the Cenex Soil Service Center in Ione, Oregon, adding crop nutrient and crop protection sales to its retail business.
In 1987, the company purchased Pettyjohn Oil Co. in Ione, doubling the petroleum volume the company was doing at that time.
In 1988, we expanded our farm equipment dealership into Sherman and Wasco counties by opening a parts store at Sherman Farm Cooperative’s new Farm Store in Wasco, Oregon.
In 1989, the company bought Heppner Nor-Gas, adding more diversification and helping with cash flow during the winter months when seasonally things were slow for the other departments within the company.
In 1991, we began selling fertilizer and chemicals at Wasco. In 1997, the company built a new facility at Wasco, putting our Agronomy and Machinery dealership together in their own facility.
In 2005, the cooperative purchased Green Feed and Seed in Heppner. The company consolidated its inventory of clothing, fencing, livestock equipment, and animal health products to the Green Feed and Seed store in Heppner. In 2006, the cooperative purchased the inventory of Heppner Auto Parts in Heppner and moved the NAPA parts inventory to its Lexington store.
The Cooperative purchased an interest in the Boardman Grain elevator from Cargill in 2013. The company currently owns 50% of the grain elevator with the Port of Morrow owning the balance. Morrow County Grain Growers operates the facility which handles truck wheat and corn produced in the Columbia Basin. Wheat is shipped to export facilities in the lower Columbia River by barge. Corn is shipped by truck to area feedlots and dairies. The company plans to add a shuttle train unloading system in 2017. This will give the company the ability to source corn and wheat from the mid-west. Providing corn for local feedlots and dairies and providing intermodal rail to barge service to export destinations in the lower Columbia River that cannot accept shuttle trains.
The cooperative tripled its propane business by purchasing the Pendleton Grain Growers propane business in the fall of 2016. This purchase expanded the company’s trade area and made Morrow County Grain Growers a major supplier in the area for propane.
Within our propane division. Morrow County Grain Growers has developed “Fueling the Future” to provide additional money for education to schools in the communities we serve. For each propane fill in a community Morrow County Grain Growers donates $1 to the school in that community.
Currently, the cooperative is serving 7 counties in north central Oregon, and 4 counties in Washington, with its farm equipment dealership, energy division, and agronomy division. The grain department sources grain from the Columbia Basin and locations east of the Columbia Basin tributary to interstate 84.
Morrow County Grain Growers, Inc is a story of growth, diversification, consolidation and vision for the future success of its members.
