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ARA Named MKC Retailer of the Year

Nov 29 2023

ARA honored Mid Kansas Cooperative (MKC) with its Retailer of the Year award in front of more than 620 attendees during the 2023 ARA Conference & Expo.


MKC believes the keys to success lie in four core values: safety, courtesy, image, and innovation. With these values at the center of their approach to customer service, sustainability, operational excellence, and more, MKC achieved this top honor.

“By recognizing the full potential of its people, investing in their leadership development, and empowering them to exceed their customers’ expectations, MKC embodies what this award seeks to celebrate,” says ARA President & CEO Daren Coppock. “ARA and the agriculture industry as a whole has benefited greatly from MKC’s leadership and involvement on the ARA Board of Directors, Public Policy Committee, and legislative fly-in events with lawmakers in Washington, DC.”

The Retailer of the Year award, sponsored by Bayer and supported by The Scoop magazine, annually honors an ARA member retailer company or individual that displays effective employee relations, environmental stewardship, customer reliability, industry leadership, and more.

“We're very proud to be named ARA's Ag Retailer of the Year,” says MKC President and CEO Brad Stedman. “We want to share this distinction with our member-owners and employees; they're the ones who made this possible. Especially our employees, they create the customer experience. This award is a recognition of MKC's commitment to being an organization that moves the mark in our geography and will continue to serve the needs of farmers in the future.”

MKC is a full-service farm cooperative offering a complete line of supplies and services for both farm and urban customers throughout Kansas. With a current membership of more than 11,000 members, MKC specializes in grain, agronomy, energy, feed and risk management. More than 600 employees play an important role in the growth and success of the cooperative.

Watch a video showcasing the hard work of the MKC team.

Learn more about the ARA Conference & Expo on the website or on ARA’s social media.

(Photo credit: Lensology Photography & Videography)