About Us
Mission Statement
Farmers Mutual Telephone Company provides reliable and affordable communication services to meet the needs of our members and subscribers while offering employees fulfilling careers.
Board of Directors
The 7-member Board of Directors of Farmers Mutual Telephone Company meets on a monthly basis to discuss the many aspects of the telecommunications industry. A Director is elected by all members of the cooperative to serve for a term of three years.
District I
Jon Olson and Dean Olson, Secretary
This district shall comprise all members located within the service area of this Cooperative in the townships of Baxter, Camp Release, Cerro Gordo, Lac qui Parle, the south two tiers of sections of Lake Shore South, Madison, Maxwell, Riverside, Ten Mile Lake and the Cities of Boyd, Dawson and Madison, in Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota.
Two directors shall be elected from this district in accordance with the bylaws.
District II
Michael Sorenson and Galen Jorgensen
This district shall comprise all members located within the service area of this Cooperative in the Townships of Agassiz, Hantho, Lake Shore North, the north twenty-four sections of Lake Shore South, Perry, and the Cities of Bellingham and Louisburg, in Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota, and all members located within the service area of this Cooperative in Chippewa County, Minnesota.
Two directors shall be elected from this district in accordance with the bylaws.
District III
Scott Wittnebel, President, and Troy Hoyles
This district shall comprise all members located within the service area of this Cooperative in the townships of Arena, Augusta, Walter, Yellow Bank, and the Cities of Marietta and Nassau, in Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota, the townships of Adam, Alban, and Vernon in Grant County, South Dakota.
Two directors shall be elected from this district in accordance with the bylaws.
District IV
Jerome Kallhoff, Vice President
This district shall comprise all members located within the service area of this Cooperative, in the townships of Freeland, Garfield, Hamlin, Manfred, Mehurin, Providence, in Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota and the township of Antelope Valley, in Deuel County, South Dakota.
One director shall be elected from this district in accordance with the bylaws.
Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws
Farmers Mutual Telephone Company
Capital Credits
Benefits
Once the operating costs and reinvestments in your cooperative have been met, the Farmers Mutual Telephone Company Board of Directors allocates the remaining money to the members in the form of “Capital Credits.” The amount allocated varies year to year.
Capital Credits
As a local telephone subscriber, you are automatically a member/owner of Farmers Mutual Telephone Company. Your cooperative’s mission is to provide reliable and affordable communication services to meet the needs of our members and subscribers while offering employees fulfilling careers.
Enrollment
Easy to join; there is nothing you need to do other than sign up and use communication services provided by Farmers Mutual Telephone Company. As a local telephone subscriber, you are automatically an owner in a great company!
Farmers Rewards
Each year you will receive a Capital Credit Account Statement highlighting your capital credits that have been allocated. The balance on your statement is yours and over time this money will be paid to you! The Board of Directors determines the schedule for returning capital credits.
FARMERS REWARDS FAQ
How much is returned to me?
The amount returned is based on how much business you do with the cooperative. The more services you use in a given year and the more long-distance calls you place, makes your share of the profit greater.
Who do I have to wait for the money? Why can't I receive the money or have the credits applied to my telephone bill now?
In order to operate the business, capital credits remain with the cooperative for a certain amount of time before they are returned to the members. Rural cooperatives, like any other business, must have the money on hand to provide current operating funds and to invest in facilities and new technology.
The members have agreed through the cooperative's Bylaws to use the margins to stabilize operations for the cooperative. The Bylaws also stipulate the refund of capital credits based on the financial condition of the cooperative as determined by the Board of Directors.
Why don't the big name telephone companies give money back?
Big name telephone companies have a main goal to make money. That’s why most of it ends up in their pockets and not in yours! On the other hand, Farmers is a Cooperative, which means that our customers are members and "owners" of the company. Surplus dollars are refunded to you when approved by the Board of Directors. Take a look at the amount of business you do with Farmers Mutual Telephone Company. How much are you spending with other companies? Is the other company really giving you a better deal?
Fiber Optic High Speed Internet
What is fiber?
Fiber optics are long thin strands of pure glass about the diameter of a human hair.
How Does Farmers Mutual Compare to the Competition?
Farmers Mutual members are owners of the cooperative and receive capital credit dividends based on their patronage with their cooperative. All members have a 100% dedicated fiber connection all the way to their home or office. This means your telephone conversations are on a private connection and your Internet service isn't shared with your neighbors.
What are the benefits of Fiber?
Fiber optics carry voice, video and data signals at speeds as much as 20 times faster than copper cables. Fiber optic cables are lighter in weight, more flexible and less vulnerable to glitches or interference. Using laser generated pulses of light, fiber provides clearer phone conversations and TV signals along with quicker Internet transmissions. Plus voice and data transmissions over fiber are more secure than when they are sent over other connections.