NEWS RELEASE For immediate release: April 1, 2016 ...

NEWS RELEASE For immediate release: April 1, 2016 McCUNE COOP JOINS COMARK Effective April 1, 2016, McCune Farmers Union Coop Association of southeast Kansas will join 12 other cooperatives from across the state as a member owner of Comark Grain Marketing, LLC. As a member of Comark, McCune will benefit from more efficient grain marketing, shared profits, and a reduced risk profile, while still maintaining their local identity as an individual cooperative. Ryan McCoy, Comark Grain Marketing president, said, “Comark looks forward to a long, mutually beneficial, relationship with our new owner.” McCune Coop, incorporated in 1941, is located in Crawford County and also serves producers in Cherokee, Labette, and Neosho counties. The cooperative handles corn, soybeans, milo, hard red winter wheat, and soft red winter wheat. Russ Smith, general manager, said, “Being a standalone coop, we don’t have the volume needed to be competitive, so Comark helps fill that need.” Smith also said he appreciates the marketing expertise Comark brings to McCune’s operation, which made joining Comark, “a really attractive deal.” Comark Grain Marketing was established in 2008 to bring efficiency to the grain marketplace while limiting risk for nine cooperative owners and a joint owned LLC in southcentral Kansas. Today, Comark Grain Marketing is responsible for grain merchandising, risk management, sales accounting, and truck and rail logistics in addition to other grain responsibilities for 12 cooperative owners throughout southcentral, southeast, and northwest Kansas. “The addition of McCune will work very well with our other member assets in southeast Kansas,” said McCoy. These owners have assets that include 73 elevator locations and over 56 million bushels of grain storage capacity in Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. Because of the efficiencies created in the relationship between Comark and its members, Comark has returned nearly all profits to their owners. ----END---Attached: Comark Grain Marketing, LLC logo Contact details: Ryan McCoy President Comark Grain Marketing, LLC [email protected] 316.542.3435 x. 1109 www.cgmllc.coop