MFA Incorporated is a Midwest-based regional agricultural Cooperative

Cooperative

A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...

 serving more than 45,000 farmer/owners in Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

 and adjacent states.

Founded on March 10, 1914, MFA (which once stood for Missouri Farmers Association) was organized in Brunswick, Missouri

Brunswick, Missouri

Brunswick is a rural city in Carroll County, Missouri, United States. The population was 925 at the 2000 census. The Missouri Farmers Association was founded here in 1914. Today the city is considered the Pecan Capital of Missouri...

 at the Newcomer School. William Hirth was MFA's first president, serving until his death in 1940. By the 1920s, MFA represented 400 local cooperatives.

Today, it is based in Columbia, Missouri

Columbia, Missouri

Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...

. The cooperative created independent companies to serve its members: MFA Oil

MFA Oil

MFA Oil is an energy cooperative started in 1929 by the Missouri Farmers Association. It produces fuel and lubrication products and manages bulk petroleum and propane plants in the Central US. The company operates 76 Break Time convenience stores in Missouri and Arkansas. The company also...

 in 1929 and Shelter Insurance

Shelter Insurance

Shelter Insurance Company is a mutual insurance company which focuses on Auto, Life, Home, Business, and Farm coverage. It operates in fourteen U.S. states and the headquarters is in Columbia, Missouri....

in 1946.