Can you tell the difference between two corn seeds just by looking at them? Neither could farmers back in 1922. They figured a seed was a seed was a seed. You plopped it in any soil and poof…a plant would grow out of it.
Of course we know today (and still can’t really discern by sight alone) that not all seeds are the same. It’s a premise that sets the scene for a story about a little company that became one of the largest agricultural cooperatives in the country.
How It All Began
During the Roaring 20s, while some dined and danced their days and nights away in big cities, out in rural communities, farmers were toiling away those same hours tilling crop fields and tending to livestock—producing food for country.
Down in Virginia, farmers were trying to coax decent yields out of the only seeds they could get at the seed store. They were imported seeds, for feed crops like clover and alfalfa, and they were failing miserably.
Were these just bad seeds…or was there something else afoot?
After much research, a facility known as the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station landed on the real problem— the imported seed was simply not adapted to the climate and soil conditions of Virginia, and had almost no resistance to anthracnose, a common disease of the period.
But there was hope. Turns out, a group of Virginia farmers were producing their own local seed at the time—seed that flourished in Virginia soil. All that the group needed was an organized marketing effort to get the word out.
That’s when Harvey Clapp and W.D. Wysor, both of Accotink, Virginia, and members of The Virginia Crop Improvement Association, stepped up to the combine, so to speak. In 1923, the two helped organize the first non-profit seed co-op in state called the Virginia Seed Service (VSS).
Using an army of “poolers” (farmers turned salespeople who would call on their friends, fill orders and help educate them), VSS began to exercise its mission: To purchase, clean and distribute seed adapted to the local soil—and it worked.
In fact it worked so well, that VSS grew quickly enough to look beyond Virginia and begin serving several other states. To match the scope of the new territory, the name had to change. From now on, it would be known as Southern States Cooperative, a co-op business model that gave producer members more purchase power and control than they could ever have on their own.
Southern States beginnings may have been humble (two employees and a typewriter), but its growth was swift. Soon after the company was founded, their offerings grew from seed alone to include feed, fertilizer, farm supplies and petroleum.
Guaranteed Seed Performance…A First
As the company grew, so did its reputation for high quality seed. True to their word, the “known origin” seed bred by VSS possessed the right mix of characteristics and anthracnose-resistance to grow successfully in Mid-South soils.
That wasn’t just a promise, it was a guarantee—probably the first and only seed guarantee ever offered as seed was traditionally sold as a non-warranty product.
According to Missouri-based Allied Seed, LLC, which produces a portion of Southern States’ seed products, seed companies typically include a quality guarantee, but not a performance guarantee—there are just too many environmental factors that can affect that.
Allied says the verbiage, which is similarly noted on every bag of seeds* on the market today, including Southern States, typically guarantees purity and that a seed conforms to state and federal seed laws, but also includes language regarding very limited liability, if any, on the part of the seller. So back then, Southern States was not only ahead of its time, it was a huge “first” that hasn’t been repeated since!
Research Helping You Right Now
In the years that followed, VSS, now Southern States, invested in industry-changing research related not only to their seeds, but also to feeds. Guided by state agricultural college recommendations, the company discovered new ways to chemically treat seeds to be resistant to field-borne diseases and worked on starting and growing feeds for turkeys and broilers.
Southern States was also instrumental in the research and development of new strains of hybrid corn seeds, as the history book states, “Peculiarly suited to the cooperative’s members needs.”
Later on the research was merged with that of other regional cooperatives to establish a nationwide research effort known as the Cooperative Research Farms, one that is recognized throughout the industry for its research and development excellence.
And next time you’re spreading Southern States’ fertilizer, remember that the company has been instrumental in developing pollution controlling application methods and improving the spreading efficiency and safety of the very equipment you’re probably using right now.
If It’s In the Bag, It’s On the Tag
In the late 20s when Southern States entered the feed market, feeds like chick starter didn’t include ingredients, percentages or “total pounds of digestible nutrients,” but the company changed that practice and revolutionized the feed industry.
They were also the first to institute “flexible formulas” which periodically changed ingredients that would reduce feed costs without sacrificing quality.
Purity in processing was also pioneered by Southern States—they were the first to produce feed without leaving in cottonseed hulls, ground hay or other low quality ingredients.
Bulk Feed Right to Your Barn
Before Southern States thought of it, no one was delivering feed in bulk right to a farm operation. The company put together a fleet of delivery vehicles and where it was feasible, started a mill-to-farm service that helped farmers cut costs.
Dairy farmers in those early days relied on the Southern States’ “Cowculator,” invented by Dr. C.D. Caskey, to determine the proper dairy rations needed to keep their girls in the best shape for milking.
Customized feed, along with stage-appropriate and health-specific feed, were also pioneered by Southern States over the years.
Forget the Sniff Test
In the old days, farmers determined the quality of fertilizer with a sniff test and a long thoughtful look. Upon entering the fertilizer market, Southern States quickly made their 
mark.
They were the first manufacturer to establish the “open formula” (making all specifications public), as a true test of quality and Southern States brand fertilizer quickly became the go-to source for crop nutrition. That position was further cemented when the company opened the first fertilizer blending plant in the country.
Along with improving what went in the package, the company improved on the package itself. The easier to manage, sturdier 100-lb. paper bag made the much heavier burlap bags a thing of the past.
But they didn’t stop there. The company also pioneered the idea of providing a delivery and spreading service in the territories it served, taking yet another time-consuming task off farmers’ shoulders.
From Farm to Home Garden
Today, Southern States remains a favorite among Mid-South and deep South producers, from the largest commercial operations to small part-time farms. The company also acquired a dealer network along the east coast, and now serves customers from Maine to Maryland.
Plus, with the introduction of their retail stores, Southern States is a popular stop for hobby farmers, gardeners, backyard chicken and beekeepers, and anyone looking for products that help work the land in some way.
What is a Co-Op Exactly?
Cooperatives are formed by a group of members when a marketplace (like Virginia in the 20s) fails to provide needed goods or services (like quality local seeds, feed and fertilizer) at affordable prices and acceptable quality.
Southern States began with 150 members and now includes over 200,000 farmers in 23 states.
Here are some of the key attributes:
One patron, one vote: In its first years, with only 150 patrons or so all situated in or near one town, it was easy to meet and make decisions. Now, with a large membership, each patron still has one vote, but it is cast through delegates who work on behalf of patrons to decide on co-op issues about everything from making decisions on policies (such as what services should be provided by the co-op or what facilities might be needed), to how patron dollars are spent.
Pooling resources, gaining savings: The key advantage of joining a co-op like Southern States is that it gives farmers the ability to pool production and/or resources, and as a result, benefit from volume discounts as well as other economies of scale. In other words, cooperatives like Southern States are able to bring down the cost of the inputs that patrons purchase directly from the cooperative vs. the cost of direct purchases from commercial suppliers.
Expert advice and quality assurance: Patrons also gain access to a wide variety of agronomy experts to help plan out their season; and they are assured of the highest quality, research-backed with all Southern States branded products.
Sharing the profits…the biggest benefit: There is great motivation to run the co-op as efficiently as possible and make the most use of the products and services because at year’s end, if the co-op realizes surplus revenues, the dollars are given back to patrons proportionate to their use of the cooperative.
Southern States is one of several cooperatives in the United States representing a number of industry sectors. Currently, U.S. cooperatives serve some 120 million members, or 4 in 10 Americans. Worldwide, some 750,000 cooperatives serve 730 million members.
Resources:
For more information about becoming a Southern States patron, you can:
• Visit this page
• Call Member Relations at: (804) 281-1618
• Write Brenda Powell at: brenda.powell@sscoop.com
To learn more about Southern States commercial farming products and services, click here.
To learn more about Southern States retail stores, products and services, click here.
* LIMITED WARRANTY: Southern States Cooperative, Inc. warrants that the seed products it sells conform to the label description as required by State or Federal Seed Laws and this EXPRESS LIMITED WARRANTY IS GIVEN IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED (INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTIABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PRUPOSE) OR OTHERWISE. There are no guarantees of crop yield or freedom from seed-borne disease. Any recommendations for use of these products or materials or apparatus in connection therewith are based upon Southern States Cooperative, Inc.’s best judgment and no warranty or guarantee of results is given. See product packaging for specific warranty and limitation of liability statements which shall apply to product purchase.