The History Of Munson's Continues
Since 1935, Munson Quality Feeds has put Howard Lake on the map as a source of quality feed for area farmer’s needs.
The business, now called Munson Lakes Nutrition, is entering its 74th year of service to the community, and is already thinking about its big 75th anniversary coming up in 2010.
The large circular sign that is mounted high on one of the mill’s elevators is starting to show its age, and a new sign is in the works, with the goal of having it mounted by its 75th anniversary, according to general manager John Zander.
Munson Lakes Nutrition has enjoyed healthy growth from the very start of the business, which was cofounded by the late Ray E. Munson and his son Floyd Munson.
“We got started very humble,” Floyd said. “We started with one little mixer that would take care of one herd of cows.”
The original emblem, that was changed just slightly after a change in ownership in 1996, was designed by Floyd with the help of his mother.
The first bag of feed was turned out by hand in March of 1935 with use of a borrowed barrel mixer in an old garage building in Dassel. That first bag of feed was bought by Joe Wessman of Cokato, who also was the person the mixer was borrowed from, according to Floyd. During the first month of business, the new company sold 24 bags of feed.
By June, the Munson family had moved to Howard Lake, and sold 314 bags that month. That feed was made with rented equipment from Howard Lake Roller Mills.
There were 16,360 bags of feed sold in 1942, then 61,000 bags sold in 1945, and by 1959, total sales were just under $1 million.
Sadness struck the family, and it was forever changed by the sudden death of Ray E. Munson in 1947 after a two-day illness.
“His untimely death at age 56 was a terrible shock to his family, customers, and business associates, and created a vacancy in the Munson Feed organization that has never been completely filled,” according to Munson Feed Company records.
During World War II, feed was manufactured into 100-pound bags, as compared with today’s 50-pound standard. Printed cloth was used for bags, and the bags would be hand tied on the ends, making the bag look like it had two ears.
The bags were then hand stacked, and a variety of the printed cloth designs could be observed in any one pile. This created some hardships for the bag handlers at the mill, Floyd said, because that very same cloth, after the feed was used, would then be turned into clothing. Thus, when women would purchase the feed, they’d look for a print they liked, which often times was at the bottom of a stack, and the men would then have to lift the 100-pound-bags off of the pile until they got down to the bag that was requested – even though it was all the same feed inside the bags.
Munson’s has always kept up with feed research, and even purchased its own research farm, back in 1960, to test new developments in feeding livestock and poultry.
Munson’s mills, elevators, and buildings have continually received updates and remodels to keep up with current feed technologies.
From 1982-1996, brothers (Ray E. Munson’s grandsons), Bob and Ray Munson ran the company.
With the changes that were occurring in agriculture in the 1990s, the brothers were concerned about the future of the business.
“We had a lot of dairy farmers selling their herds. We weren’t thinking of selling until we were approached about the idea,” Munson Lakes Nutrition Sales Manager Ray Munson said.
In April of 1996, Munson Quality Feeds was sold to local cooperatives Land O’Lakes, Centra Sota, and C&H Ag. Service.
“The new owners wanted to retain some of the old Munson name so they named it Munson Lakes Nutrition,” Ray said. “They kept the ball shape in the logo, but reconfigured it,” he added.
“It worked out for the best. We gained a lot of customers from the other cooperatives. Land O’Lakes brought a lot of technical expertise to us,” Ray said. “We thought, for the future of the business and its employees, it was the best thing to do,” he added.
Ownership today consists of Land O’Lakes, Centra Sota, AMPI Ag Service of Glencoe, Lake Region Co-op, and Federated Co-op.
The company has retained longtime employees. Many have been there for 20-plus years, and a few for 30-plus years.
“But we also have four new employees,” Zander said.
Today, 80 percent of business is with dairy or beef operations, Ray explained, as compared with mostly poultry back in the 1970s and 1980s.
“It started changing back in the 1990s. It’s interesting – I wouldn’t have predicted it,” Ray said.
“We deal with all sizes of farms, but a lot of large dairies now, which we didn’t in the past,” he added.
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