(1) The articles of association shall be subscribed by the original members and acknowledged by one of them before an officer authorized by the laws of this state to take acknowledgments and administer oaths.
(2) Two copies of the proposed articles of association, together with a certificate of the Department of State to the effect that there is no other limited agricultural association within the state having the same name, shall be filed with the clerk of the circuit court in the county within which the principal place of business of the association is to be located. The said articles shall then be presented to a circuit judge of the circuit within which the principal place of business of the association is to be located, and, if such judge shall find that the proposed articles of association are for purposes authorized by law, she or he shall approve the same and endorse her or his approval thereon. The articles of association, with their endorsements, shall thereupon be recorded by the clerk of the circuit court, and thereafter the association and the subscribers shall be a limited agricultural association for profit. The clerk of the circuit court shall transmit a certified copy of the articles of association to the Department of State for filing. The original articles of association, or any certified copy thereof, shall be received as conclusive evidence of the contents thereof. The Department of State and the clerk of the circuit court shall each be entitled to a fee of $5.25 for all services rendered by them in connection with the formation of the association.
