Mid States Wool Growers Historical Time Line

Parent wool marketing organization, Tri-State Wool Growers, was organized to assist producers in getting higher prices for producers during World War I. 275,000# were assembled this first year.

Over 2,000,000# were assembled anda warehouse was rented in Columbus, OH

First warehouse owned cooperative was purchased for $125,000. It was located in Columbus, OH.

Midwest Wool Marketing Cooperative -- an organization that played a major role in the current cooperative -- was organized in Kansas City.

Tri-State Wool Growers was reorganized and the name was changed to the Ohio Wool Growers Cooperative Association.

Ohio Wool Growers joined other similar cooperatives in the National Wool Marketing Corporation, a wool-marketing organization that represented wool warehouses throughout the United States. At the time, it controlled the largest volume of wool marketed in the United States

Ohio Wool Growers added a livestock-supply division, which provided the Midwestern sheep producer with supplies and equipment needed to make sheep operations more efficient and successful.

New 60,000-sq. ft. warehouse at Groves Road in Columbus was built utilizing some of the most efficient wool-grading and marketing technology available at the time.

In an effort to promote the product produced by the sheep producer, members of the cooperative--Ohio Wool Growers--added a completely new, but industry-related, retail clothing store known as Woolen Square. This division emphasized wool promotion and retail sales of wool products

Ohio Wool Growers Cooperative and Midwest Wool Marketing Cooperative joined forces through a merger that resulted in the new and stronger organization being named Mid-States Wool Growers Cooperative, a name which has been synonymous with graded Midwestern wools throughout the wool business. The merger added the warehouse located in South Hutchinson, Kansas, as well as a prosperous livestock-supply division operated by Midwest.

Mid-States moved into Iowa as it continued to expand its territory. It rented warehouse space in Des Moines which was used as a wool-accumulation warehouse and a satellite supply division was established.

Mid-States purchased the assets of North Central Wool Marketing in a buyout that included the warehouse and equipment in the Belle Foushe, South Dakota area. With the addition of this warehouse, Mid-States opened a new chapter in its history. Now, not only could it offer the largest volume of fleece-type wools from the Midwest, but it also could also offer Belle Fourche wools, which have long been recognized as some of the best-grown wools in the United States. As a part of the buyout, Mid-States obtained its newest retail-clothing location. The Wool-N-Shop is located in the warehouse in Belle Fourche and offers some of the finest wool clothing available.

Mid-States opens its new supply and wool-grading warehouse in Canal Winchester, Ohio. Utilizing an extensive computerized system of record-keeping and movement of wools throughout the warehouse, the new facility incorporated the latest in technology to the warehouse-grading system.

Mid-States Belle Fourche added a grading line to the warehouse and expanded its operations to include territory wools.  This addition allows Mid-States to offer the largest selection of wools available in the United States, making Mid-States Wool Growers Cooperative a leader in wool marketing throughout the United States.

Mid-States was forced to close the retail clothing store, Woolen Square, due to competition from cheaper imported wool clothing. The store continues to operate at the Ohio warehouse; it specializes in wool sweaters and sheepskin products.

Mid-States develops a new plastic-film wool bag which replaces the jute bags which had been the industry standard for over eighty years.

Mid-States Wool Growers ceased operations in Belle Fourche, South Dakota, after serving western producers through that warehouse for 10 years. The warehouse was sold at that time.