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Furst-McNess Company, headquartered in Freeport, Illinois, has acquired manufacturing and transloading facilities as well as a retail storefront in Lake City, Florida, previously operated by Central States Enterprises, LLC. McNess has provided commodities, blended feeds, and nutritional products to dairy, beef, and poultry producers in Florida and Georgia for over 30 years, and the transaction further enhances Furst-McNess Company’s ability to serve customers throughout the Southeast. Per the terms of the transaction, McNess will continue to offer CSE branded products.

“Central States has developed a reputation for quality and service with their customers and dealers, and this acquisition will further strengthen our overall offering and manufacturing capabilities for livestock and production agriculture,” says Joel Reed, Vice President of Southeast Operations for McNess. “Joining forces with the Central States team is an important step in our Southeast strategy to truly make a difference for our customers and the agricultural industry in this region.”

Harry Smith, General Manager for Central States since 2003, welcomes the acquisition. “We have long admired Furst-McNess, and this is a great opportunity for two well-respected companies to partner in serving our customers and expanding the diversity of our product offering to dealers,” stated Smith. “Central States branded products will be available to our customers and dealers, and they can be confident that our commitment to them and the quality of our products continue to be our top priorities.”

Mark Poeschl, Furst-McNess President and CEO, considers this acquisition a key component to the company’s overall growth strategy. “The Lake City facility broadens our footprint in the Southeast,” Poeschl noted. “We couldn’t be happier with the people and the culture of teamwork and quality that exists in our new team,” Poeschl added.

Central States Enterprises has provided a diverse selection of bagged feed and ingredients to livestock producers and feed dealers throughout Florida and Georgia since the mid 1980s.

Furst-McNess Company was founded in 1908 and manufactures livestock nutritional products. The company markets commodities and feed ingredients in the U.S. and Canada. McNess operates manufacturing facilities in Lodi, Wisconsin; Storm Lake, Iowa; Cordele, Georgia; Gering, Nebraska; Eleroy, Illinois; and Montezuma, Georgia, along with sales offices in Johnston, Iowa, and London, Ontario.

Furst-McNess Company is owned by Easy USA Holdings, Inc., a U.S.-based subsidiary of Easy Holdings Company, Ltd., Seoul, South Korea, a global agricultural business with operations in feed additives, feed manufacturing, farms/livestock production, livestock processing, broiler integration and food products, with distribution in 65 countries.