Store Spotlight

BY COREY ESPY

As of October, Frances Dahlke will turn 84 years young. While most people lucky enough to reach this age are spending time at home in retirement, Frances Dahlke is still serving Co-op customers at the Holly Pond branch of Marshall Farmers Co-op. Frances has spent an incredible 65 years working in retail agriculture, with 59 years with Alabama Farmers Cooperative member Co-ops in various positions and in various locations.

Frances was born in 1936 in Cullman, Alabama, to a farming family. She was the second of six siblings who all grew up lending a hand on her father’s farm. Frances said that she can remember when everyone was work ing on the farm because that is what it took to make it in those days. Frances attributed her upbringing on the farm to her love for agriculture as well as the success she has had through her career.

Her professional career began shortly after high school when Carl Ellard called on her father to ask if she needed a job. The answer was “yes” and so began her journey. She started work at Cullman Farmers Coop as the bookkeeper and eventually moved on to be bookkeeper at Walker Farmers Co-op in Jasper. While at Jasper, she worked her way to assistant manager until the store manager retired in 1974. At that point, John Mathews (CEO of AFC) approached her to take the reins at the store. Hesitant at first, Frances agreed. She went on to achieve the highest honor for an AFC manager and won the E.P. Garrett Manager of the Year award in 1978. This made her the first female recipient of the award. She continued this success in later years when she went on to manage the Arab location of Marshall Farmers Cooperative and then retired from working full time in 1996. Frances just could not stay away so she came back to work part time as bookkeeper of the Holly Pond location of Marshall Farmers Co-op and that is where you will find her today.

Frances has seen many changes in her lifetime around agriculture. From mules to tractors, and handson work now done by machines, a lot has changed since her days on the farm. While technology has changed, the hardworking people remain the same. Not only has technology changed the way farmers work in the fields but also the way we work in the stores. She said, “I can remember when we only had hand trucks that we could use for loading customers’ orders, then came the forklift and it made everything so much easier. Also, something as simple as farmers just having access to vehicles made a big difference.” While Frances has no idea how much technology will change in the future, she is sure it will be for the greater good of the farmer and help them continue to do what they love.

Frances Dahlke is a gem in the Co-op system and a great role model to look up to for the younger gener ations in agriculture. She is proof that if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. AFC would like to thank Frances for her hard work and dedication through the years.