The Merrimack Farmers' Exchange was a fixture in the agricultural economy of New Hampshire from 1920 to 1982. The Exchange sold feed and other supplies to farmers, and it also provided advisory and consulting services. It was more than a business, it was part of the rural culture, almost like family. The Exchange operated as a cooperative. Click here for a brief history.A Window in Time: Merrimack Farmers' Exchange in Crisis and Transition is a recently published book about the last years of this unique organization. The cover of the book shows a newspaper column about the dramatic events in the final years of the Exchange. That column was written by Yankee Director Steve Taylor, then a newspaper reporter for the New Hampshire Times. A Window in Time was written by Charles F. Sheridan, the outside counsel for the Exchange. Click here to order the book from the New Hampshire Historical Society.
In 1982 the assets of the Merrimack Farmers' Exchange were sold to Blue Seal. You may have noticed the Blue Seal feed mill at the intersection of I-89 and I-93 in Concord. That used to belong to the Exchange.
The story of the Merrimack Farmers' Exchange reminds me of the 1991 movie Other People's Money, starring Danny DeVito, Gregory Peck and Penelope Ann Miller. Both stories involve a corporate raid. The movie explores the issues on all sides with humor and insight.
