Spreading theUmbrellaofCooperation Rur al COOPER COOPER July/August 2015 ATIVES ATIVES Commentary Building a Stronger Co-op Infrastructure

Just as producers and consumers join forces in cooperatives to achieve marketing and buying power that they could never achieve on their own, so do cooperatives unite under the umbrellas of co-op trade, finance, education and other types of organizations to help them meet common needs. This work could involve a co-op trade organization fighting in the halls of Congress for legislation that is vital to its member co- ops, a co-op financial institution helping members finance a business expansion, or a co-op educational organization providing skills training for co-op communicators and educators. Whatever their specific focus, all of these organizations — including some that work with co-ops as part of a broader mission — play vital roles in strengthening the nation’s co-op economy and the infrastructure that supports cooperatives. They embrace the core co-op principles, including a commitment to building stronger communities and cooperation among cooperatives. Likewise, co-op development organizations provide technical and financial assistance to grow the next crop of cooperatives. This could involve helping a group of farmers or fishermen to launch a new business to perform value-added processing and marketing, or enabling owners of manufactured homes to form a co-op to buy the property where they previously rented space, or helping subsistence farmers in a developing nation to gain access to better seeds and modern farming technology. The associations profiled on the following pages are involved in agriculture, consumer credit, utilities and other sectors of the co-op economy. What they all have in common is that they provide essential services for cooperatives, based on a firm belief that virtually any need can be met when people unite in a cooperative. Contact information and an overview of their work is provided for each organization. We hope you will keep this magazine handy as a reference throughout the year and that it may help you discover more about an organization that could benefit you and your co-op. ■

2 May/June 2015 / Rural Cooperatives Features

Volume 82, Number 4 July/August 2015

Rural Cooperatives (1088-8845) is published bimonthly by USDA Rural Development, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Stop 0705, Washington, DC. 20250- 0705.

The Secretary of Agriculture has determined that publication of this p. 6 p. 18 p. 40 periodical is necessary in the transaction of public business required by law of the Department. Periodicals postage paid at Washington, DC. and additional mailing SPECIAL ISSUE: ORGANIZATIONS SERVING COOPERATIVES offices. Copies may be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 20402, at $23 per year. Postmaster: 04 ACDI/VOCA 24 National Farmers Union 38 National Rural Electric send address change to: Rural Cooperative Cooperatives, USDA/RBS, Stop 3255, 06 Aynah 25 Food Co-op Initiative Wash., DC 20250-3255. Association 08 The Association of 26 National Grange 39 NTCA—The Rural Mention in Rural Cooperatives of Cooperative Educators company and brand names does not 27 National Association of Broadband Association signify endorsement over other 09 CHS Foundation Housing Cooperatives companies’ products and services. 40 Northcountry Cooperative Unless otherwise stated, articles in this 10 CoBank 28 National Cooperative Business Association Development Fund publication are not copyrighted and may 12 Cooperative be reprinted freely. Any opinions express- CLUSA ed are those of the writers, and do not Communicators 42 ROC USA necessarily reflect those of USDA or its Association 30 National Cooperative 44 State Co-op Councils employees. Bank 13 Cooperative 47 Twin Pines Cooperative The U.S. Department of Agriculture Development Centers 32 National Council of (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its Foundation programs and activities on the basis of Farmer Cooperatives 16 Cooperative 48 University Cooperative race, color, national origin, age, disabili- Development 33 National Co+op Grocers ty, and where applicable, sex, marital Centers Foundation status, familial status, parental status, 34 North American religion, sexual orientation, genetic 50 USDA information, political beliefs, reprisal, or 17 CooperationWorks! Students of Cooperation 51 U.S. Overseas because all or part of an individual’s 18 Cooperative Fund of income is derived from any public 35 National Milk Cooperative assistance program. (Not all prohibited New England Producers Federation Development Council bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative 19 Credit Union National 36 National Rural Utilities 52 U.S. Federation of means for communication of program Association Cooperative Finance Worker Cooperatives & information (Braille, large print, audiotape, Corporation etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET 20 American Farm Bureau Democracy at Work Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). Federation 37 National Society of Institute To file a complaint of discrimination, write Accountants for to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 21 Cutting Edge Capital 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Cooperatives Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 22 Farm Credit Council 795-3272 (voice), or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Departments Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture

Lisa Mensah, Under Secretary, USDA Rural Development 02 COMMENTARY Dan Campbell, Editor 54 NEWSLINE Stephen A. Thompson, Assistant Editor ON THE COVER: This issue is devoted to profiles of Stephen Hall / KOTA, Design some of the leading organizations that provide crucial Have a cooperative-related question? support for the nation’s cooperatives. Seen here is a Call (202) 720-6483, or email: [email protected] sampling of their logos and scenes showing examples of

This publication was printed with vegetable oil-based ink. projects they work on.

Rural Cooperatives / July/August 2015 3 Helping millions of farmers worldwide help themselves through co-op businesses

ACDI/VOCA’s ACDI/VOCA relies on the core approach to principles of cooperatives to create international ACDI/VOCA more vibrant communities. development is founded Cooperatives not only catalyze local in cooperatives. In economic growth, but they often also 1963, major U.S. co-ops created the serve as the “glue” for social initiatives Website: www.acdivoca.org International Cooperative Development and effective, equitable community E-mail contact: cking@acdivoca. Association (ACDI’s predecessor) to planning. Co-ops develop human org (Charrose King, online media strengthen the cooperative movement capital by encouraging the participation coordinator) in developing economies. ACDI/VOCA and empowerment of those with limited Phone: 202-469-6000 retains a strong commitment to economic opportunity, including Mail address: 50 F Street, NW, empowering rural beneficiaries and has women and youth. Suite 1000, Washington, D.C., equipped millions of farmers and ACDI/VOCA gives cooperatives the 20011 entrepreneurs in 146 countries to help tools to manage themselves more Social media channels: http:// themselves using the cooperative efficiently, to scale up production and to acdivoca.org/resources/connect- business model. comply with quality-control standards us From its many years of experience, that make co-ops more competitive. It Leaders: Bill Polidoro, President ACDI/VOCA has learned to be uses a network of private-sector and CEO; Paul Guenette, Executive adaptive and to avoid a one-size-fits-all partners to link cooperatives to Vice President of Communications approach to cooperative development. technical services and higher value and Outreach Legally registered cooperatives work markets, promoting the mutually well in some situations, while in others beneficial nature of these relationships. community-based enterprises or “Sell More For More”—ACDI/ informal self-help groups might be VOCA’s award-winning methodology more appropriate. No matter the for strengthening cooperatives and formal structure of the group, associations—helps farmers earn more

Co-op Success Story One of the biggest challenges for farming cooperatives is storage facilities. Clean, dry facilities allow cooperatives to aggregate a large volume of their goods, reduce post-harvest losses and ensure higher prices. With the support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Agricultural Growth Program-Agribusiness and Market Development (AGP-AMDe) project, more than 40,000 smallholder farmers in Ethiopia’s sesame seed sector now have a safe and secure place to store their sesame harvest. Four new sesame warehouses opened in Amhara and Tigray districts of Ethiopia to benefit four farmers’ cooperative unions, which provide cooperatives and their members with business services and market access. The 5,000 metric ton-capacity warehouses allow the unions to purchase more sesame from their member farmers while also improving the quality of the sesame they sell locally and internationally. “The sesame warehouses are an excellent example of the extraordinary achievements possible with strong partnership and cooperation across important stakeholders,” says Usman Surur Siraj, director general of the Federal Cooperative Agency. “The warehouses will be vital to capitalize on an excellent export opportunity for the benefit of Ethiopia, the farmers’ cooperatives unions, and the smallholder farmers.”

4 July/August 2015 / Rural Cooperatives Co-op Success Story Hundreds of self-help groups—including 277 women-only groups—were formed throughout India’s Uttar Pradesh state, thanks to the Sunhara project, implemented by ACDI/VOCA’s affiliate organization, ASI. More than 25,000 smallholder fruit and vegetable farmers gained the skills to improve production and post-harvest handling as a result of the project. Through the self-help groups, farmers developed valuable linkages with local markets, including input suppliers, buyers, retailers and exporters, which resulted in an 87-percent increase in income for farmers. ASI relied on partnerships with six private-sector partners, including PepsiCo and Bharti Walmart, to strengthen the sustainability of the project.

ACDI/VOCA has helped millions of farmers in 146 countries — including these growers in India’s Uttar Pradesh state — to help themselves by using the co-op business model. Photo courtesy ACDI/VOCA

income by improving product quality, ACDI/VOCA has aspired to produce which people have found the power to decreasing post-harvest losses and sustainable results that continue to improve their lives and the vitality of executing effective market-oriented ripple out beyond the confines of their communities. ■ business plans. specific projects. The cooperative For more than 50 years, model has been the doorway through

Rural Cooperatives / July/August 2015 5 Providing students with hands-on co-op experiences

Aynah (pronounced: currently has three chapters: Luther “eye-nah”) is a College in Decorah, Iowa, Earlham Quechuan (native AYNAH College in Richmond, Ind., and St. Olaf language of Peru) word College in Northfield, Minn. Through meaning “Today for a “train-the-trainer” model, student you, tomorrow for me.” It was chosen Web: www.aynah.org chapters use the knowledge and skills as the name of the organization because E-mail: [email protected] gained in Aynah-led programs to propel it represents the mission of a Phone: 952-201-8282 the cooperative movement forward by cooperative learning exchange between Mail address: P.O. Box 6397, bringing cooperative education to their students and communities around the Minneapolis, MN 55406 campuses through events and world. Based in the cooperative hub of Social media: workshops. Minneapolis, Minn., and largely funded www.twitter.com/AynahOrg Aynah reaches an even broader range by the CHS Foundation, Aynah serves www.facebook.com/AynahOrg of students through Aynah Trips or university and college students across Leaders/Contacts: Cooperative Education Experiences, the United States. Katie Campbell, Executive which are open to U.S. students of all Very few college undergraduates are Director. [email protected] subject majors and backgrounds. Aynah exposed to cooperative forms of 952-201-8282; Trips are cooperative study events that community and economic development. Natalie Locke, Associate Director, emphasize experiential learning through Aynah seeks to be part of the solution [email protected] tours, visits and hands-on workshops. needed to address the “co-op gap” in 503-422-5137; Aynah Trips range greatly in both college curriculum and extracurricular Gabriel Rysdahl, Board Chair, topics and locations, but always focus activities. [email protected] on introducing cooperatives and To accomplish this goal, Aynah 507-276-6127. cooperation to students in a fun, hands- designs and delivers cooperative on way. education to students through on- The most recent Aynah Trip was a campus training and experiential weeklong journey by van that carried learning trips in the United students from colleges around the States and abroad. Aynah uses Midwest to learn more about co-ops in education models that highlight the North Carolina. Before the Aynah trip, power of collective organizing to solve students knew little to nothing about social, economic and environmental the cooperative business model. But challenges. through Aynah-led workshops and Aynah carries out its cooperative hands-on learning in North Carolina, education mission on campus through a they became well versed in co-ops. network of student chapters. It Soon, they could name the cooperative

Spreading the word The Aynah Chapter at St. Olaf put together a library display case with information about Aynah, cooperatives and why cooperatives matter today. Included in the display is an interactive board for student peers to reflect what they know about co-ops and why they are important.

6 July/August 2015 / Rural Cooperatives Our Purpose Aynah believes that by providing students with greater access to experiential and inclusive cooperative education, it will empower generations of students to work collaboratively to transform their communities and build a more just and sustainable world. To learn more: Please visit: www.aynah.org.

Aynah emphasizes “hands-on” learning experiences as part of its efforts to expose more college students to the role cooperatives can play in economic development. Photo courtesy Ayna

principles, values and examples of worker-owned co-op. participants retain co-op knowledge and cooperatives in different sectors. Other Aynah Trips have included to instill the desire to shop, work and While in North Carolina, students study tours of cooperatives around live cooperatively. As one student put it: toured new solar panel plants of the Buenos Aires, Argentina, the San Jose “The Aynah Trip was great for learning Piedmont Electric Membership and San Isidro areas of Costa Rica and details about cooperatives, along with a Corporation and attended the local the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area. To larger scale understanding of community meeting of Renaissance learn more about these trips, please visit cooperatives. Simultaneously, we got to Community Co-op, a startup food co- our website. consider big issues like food justice, op. They also worked in the community The goal of these trips and other oppression, community action and gardens of Bountiful Backyards, a Aynah programs is to ensure that economics.” ■

Rural Cooperatives / July/August 2015 7 ACE dedicated to providing resources for co-op educators

The Association of to identify how ACE can better serve its Cooperative Educators membership and remain relevant to (ACE) is a membership THE ASSOCIATION OF them. There is an important role for organization that brings COOPERATIVE EDUCATORS ACE to play, and over the next few together educators and years ACE will be working to better cooperatives from across all cooperative understand the needs of its members sectors, as well as across national Websites: www.ACE.coop and to expand membership. boundaries. The resulting “cross ACE Institute: ACE will also strive to be more pollination” of ideas enhances www.coopeducators.com deliberate in making connections cooperative development, strengthens E-mail: [email protected] among members to help cultivate a cooperatives, promotes professionalism Phone: 763-432-2032 more robust cooperative education and improves public understanding of Mail address: system and to strengthen the co-ops. Most ACE cooperative educator 1057 Parkview Lane, Victoria, cooperative education community. members come from the United States, Minn. 55386 Education, the fifth core principle of Canada and Puerto Rico, although Social media: cooperatives, is essential to membership from the rest of the world https://www.facebook.com/pages understanding, creating and is growing. /Association-of-Cooperative- strengthening cooperatives. ACE is a ACE’s mission is to facilitate and Educators partner and advocate for cooperative communicate the diversity of Leaders: Sarah Pike, Executive educators and the role cooperative cooperative education resources and the Administrator; Tanya Gracie, education plays to positively impact our people who develop and deliver these Board President communities and economics. ■ —By resources. ACE achieves this through Sarah Pike, ACE Executive Administrator assisting with the creation and disseminating of educational resources, highlighting new research and programs, responding to inquiries from cooperative educators around the world and connecting them with peers to share and collaborate on similar education needs. as well as secondary school teachers and The definition of a “cooperative university professors/instructors. ACE educator” is used broadly, and many members are engaged in all of these people may not self-identify as a types of activities. cooperative educator even though they ACE benefits members by creating actually are doing co-op education forums for collaboration and work. There is a great diversity in the networking. One such forum is the type of co-op professionals who are ACE Institute. This annual conference regularly engaged in co-op education. highlights innovative programs in These may include staff whose duties cooperative education. It provides a encompass co-op marketing and unique opportunity to network with communications, co-op development educators across cooperative sectors and and co-op member relations. Co-op national borders. educators may also include those who During the past few years, the ACE ACE members tour a worker-owned bike work with co-ops boards and delegates, board has engaged in strategic planning cooperative. USDA photo

8 July/August 2015 / Rural Cooperatives Foundation supports wide range of co-op educational efforts

The 150 students CHS Foundation each year to help attending the College develop and enhance the understanding Conference on CHS FOUNDATION of cooperative businesses. Cooperatives earlier A grant to the Quentin Burdick this year are among the Center for Cooperatives at North more than 45,000 people benefiting Website: www.chsinc.com Dakota State University (NDSU) is yet from programs supported through a Email: [email protected] another example of how the CHS 2015 CHS Foundation Cooperative Phone: 1-800-814-0506 Foundation supports cooperative Education Grant. During this Mail: 550 Cenex Drive, Inver Grove education for students. The CHS conference, students from 25 states and Heights, Minn. 55077-1721 Foundation grant provides NDSU with Puerto Rico toured agricultural, Social Media: https://www. the support it needs to continue housing, retail and marketing linkedin.com/company/chs offering an undergraduate class on cooperatives in the Minneapolis-St. http://www.chsinc.com/twitter cooperative business models, in addition Paul, Minn., area. The group also heard https://www.youtube.com/user/ch to developing an online cooperative from cooperative members, directors sincorporated class for MBA students. and employees who offered insight on Current leaders: Carl Casale, Aynah, an organization that supports cooperative development. president and CEO of CHS Inc.; student cooperative education chapters “I really liked going to the CHS William Nelson: president of CHS at universities (see page 6 for more headquarters,” says conference Foundation; about it) is another recipient of a CHS participant Chelsea Wilkens, a student Foundation cooperative education at Fort Hays State University, Hays, grant. Other recent examples of co-op Kan. “It was amazing to see how each efforts it has helped fund include a person described their job with such documentary film about the cooperative passion. I also thought the cooperative business model and the fellowships it structure of the retirement home was endows for educators focused on unique — how they all owned a share of cooperative education. their home.” Over the past five years, the CHS “We are proud to support programs Foundation has contributed $6.5 that teach students about the dynamics million to cooperative education of cooperatives,” says William Nelson, programs across the country. In About 150 students attended this year’s president of the CHS Foundation and addition to providing cooperative College Conference on Cooperatives, vice pres-ident of CHS’ Corporate education grants, CHS and the CHS sponsored by the CHS Foundation. Citizenship office. “By expos- Foundation award nearly 700 ing students to cooperatives other grants and scholarships from across different indust- each year to programs that ries, they realize the challenges develop future agriculture cooperative face and the role leaders for rural America, they can play in helping them improve ag safety and grow be successful.” vibrant communities. In total, more than 60 For more information, projects, of which the College visit chsinc.com/stewardship. Conference on Cooperatives is ■ just one, are funded by the

Rural Cooperatives / July/August 2015 9 Serving Cooperatives All Across Rural America

CoBank is a nationwide U.S rural economy. financial services As a cooperatively structured lender, institution serving COBANK CoBank’s core mission is to serve as a about 3,000 dependable source of financing for its cooperatives and other customer-owners. CoBank provides rural borrowers across the United Website: www.cobank.com loans, leases, export financing and other States, including farmer-owned Phone: (800) 542-8072 financial services to agribusinesses and agricultural cooperatives, rural electric E-mail: Arthur Hodges, rural power, water and communications cooperatives and other businesses that [email protected] providers in all 50 states. As a member provide vital services to rural Mail: 5500 S Quebec St., of the Farm Credit System, the bank communities. With more than $100 Greenwood Village, CO 80111 also provides wholesale loans and other billion in assets, CoBank is one of the Social media: Twitter: @cobank financial services to 26 affiliated, largest private providers of credit to the Leader: Robert B. Engel, Chief cooperatively structured Farm Credit Executive Officer

MKC (Mid-Kansas Cooperative), a 5,800-member grain and farm supply co-op, has worked with CoBank to invest nearly $238 million to build three grain elevators, increasing its storage capacity by 6.4 million bushels. Photo courtesy CoBank

10 July/August 2015 / Rural Cooperatives Customer Highlights

Agribusiness: upgraded its network to 4G (fourth generation). To finance MKC these upgrades, Carolina West Wireless chose to partner Moundridge, Kan. with CoBank “because of its understanding of small rural community businesses, experience in the regional wireless MKC is a grain and farm supply cooperative with 300 full- space, and its reputation in the industry,” says CEO Slayton time employees and 5,800 members. Beyond grain storage Stewart. and marketing, MKC provides feed, agronomy, energy and risk management products to its customers. Over the past Water: few years, this co-op has worked with CoBank to put nearly Mid-South Synergy $238 million of debt capital in place, allowing MKC to add Navasota, Texas three new grain elevators that increase the co-op’s storage capacity by 6.4 million bushels. Founded in 1940 as an electric co-op, Mid-South Synergy took the unique step of expanding into the rural water Electric Distribution: business in the late 1990s. Since then, with CoBank’s help, it East Mississippi Electric Power Association has invested tens of millions of dollars to install pipes, wells, Meridian, Miss. pumping stations and water storage facilities. In 2014, Mid- South again turned to CoBank for $17.5 million in financing In addition to providing electric power to six counties near for new water infrastructure. the Mississippi-Alabama border for the past 75 years, EMEPA also serves the area by investing in local rural Community Facilities: economic development and through financial support for a United Methodist Manor of the Pee Dee variety of local community programs. In 2014, EMEPA Florence, S.C. worked with CoBank to secure a new $55 million credit facility that allowed it to refinance an existing loan from the CoBank continues to grow its mission to serve rural USDA’s Rural Utilities Service. The transaction also provided communities with a recent $12 million loan to United a letter of credit so EMEPA could continue investing in local Methodist Manor of the Pee Dee, a mission-driven 501(c)(3) economic development projects. not-for-profit organization that operates a retirement campus in Florence, South Carolina. This public-private partnership Communications: with the U.S. Department of Agriculture includes $11.4 Carolina West Wireless million in construction financing and $1.1 million in long-term Wilkesboro, N.C. bonds. The transaction showed ways in which CoBank is helping establish and develop hospitals, health care, and Jointly owned by three cooperative communications service retirement facilities that are crucial to America’s rural providers, Carolina West Wireless recently increased the communities. number of cell sites on its network by 50 percent and

associations, which in turn serve more half of its earnings to eligible customers corporate citizenship programs, than 75,000 farmers, ranchers and other in the form of patronage. During the including support for agriculture and rural borrowers. past 10 years, the bank has paid out local foods, rural disaster relief, CoBank has a long track record of almost $3 billion in patronage to research and education, and rural strong financial and business results on customers, which they have been able economic development. Through its behalf of its customer-owners. In 2014, to reinvest in their businesses and in electric cooperative customer base, the the bank recorded its 15th consecutive their local rural communities. bank is also one of the nation’s largest year of growth in profitability, an CoBank also strongly believes in the financiers of renewable energy projects, achievement matched by few, if any, cooperative principle of “concern for with a portfolio of loans for solar, wind, other banks in the world. Furthermore, community.” The bank invests millions hydro and other renewable energy each year the bank distributes about of dollars each year in an array of sources that total almost $1 billion. ■

Rural Cooperatives / July/August 2015 11 Improving co-op communications via professional development

When a cooperative has expertise with the attendees. The a story to tell, where Institute also offers several networking does it turn? To its COOPERATIVE opportunities and roundtable sessions cooperative COMMUNICATORS for cooperative communicators to learn communicators — ASSOCIATION from each other. those resourceful “Jacks- or Jills-of-all Each event, no matter if it is the trades” who write articles and capture one-hour webinar or the multi-day events in photos or video to share on Website: institute, is organized by CCA members the company blog while also laying out www.communicators.coop and focuses on providing professional the monthly newsletter and planning E-mail: [email protected] growth and education while helping the annual report — often all at the Phone: 877-326-5994 members forge self-help networks. same time! Whether they work in a Mail address: 174 Crestview Drive, small communications shop of one or Bellefonte, PA 16823 Laugh two people, or a larger public affairs Social media: Most cooperative communicators office of half a dozen or more www.Facebook.com/CCAInfo; enjoy the work they do because they employees, every cooperative www.Twitter.com/coopcomm like the nature of the work and because communicator needs to stay current on Leaders/contacts: Denise Ott, CCA of their strong belief that cooperatives the latest technology, software and Business Manager; Marian are a better way of doing business — communications tactics. McLemore, CCA president; Tammy for their members, employees and So where do these creative Simmons, CCA vice president communities. Their work often involves individuals turn for fresh ideas? The laughter after all of the work is done, Cooperative Communicators and sometimes even while it is going on. Association (CCA), a professional When you get communicators organization for people who together, be it a casual dinner or during communicate on behalf of cooperatives. a break between sessions at the Cooperatives are unique. Each is Institute, the stories will fly and the different — different industries, laughter will follow. Shared laughter different sizes and types of and shared stories ties us together more memberships, different functions — but closely as communicators. And we learn all have a story to tell. CCA, too, is Learn from each other at these times, as well. unique in both its membership — CCA organizes several professional which ranges from members who work development opportunities throughout Lead for utility and credit co-ops to those the year that are designed to fit any CCA is an organization of employed by farmer- and worker- budget or schedule. They include hour- professionals who also are leaders in owned cooperatives, among others — long webinars, day-long professional their organizations, industry and local and in its mission, which is to be the development workshops and a multi- communities. The opportunities are ultimate resource for the development day annual Communications Institute. plentiful for a member to enhance their of professional communicators. The annual Communications leadership skills through workshops and Membership in CCA can also benefit Institute is CCA’s signature event, involvement in CCA. anyone with a vested interest in usually held in early June. It is a multi- CCA is a volunteer-driven cooperative values and principles. CCA’s day professional development organization. Committees plan and goal is to provide opportunities for conference that provides members the coordinate the programming, whether cooperative communicators by helping opportunity to hear from high-caliber it involves the Master Cooperative them to “Learn. Laugh. Lead.” speakers who share their knowledge and Communicator certification program or

12 July/August 2015 / Rural Cooperatives the annual institute curriculum. CCA helps communicators to succeed. Members are able to get involved and Equally important, CCA emphasizes learn new skills which they can then a sharing environment among its apply in their work at their cooperative. members to further the ideas and Since 1953, when it was originally strategies aimed at making founded as the Cooperative Editorial communications more successful for Association, CCA has provided the cooperatives. It is the ultimate learning and networking opportunities professional network for people invol- for its members to excel in ved in communicating about co-ops. communications. Whether for press The word “communications” may relations strategies, writing, not be in your job title, but if you photography, social media campaigns, communicate for, or on behalf of, your video production, publication and cooperative, then you belong in CCA, website design or community affairs, to learn, laugh and lead with us. ■

A team of expert judges evaluate photo essays entered in CCA’s annual communications contest. USDA photo

Co-op Development Centers play key role in expanding use of co-op business model

Cooperatives are Once operating, co-ops are like self- Many centers linked to businesses with a perpetuating engines of economic universities, nonprofits proven strategy for activity. There is a large multiplier About half of the co-op development serving critical needs, effect associated with a small initial centers are stand-alone, nonprofit building wealth, public expenditure to support co-op startups. organizations with one to three staff creating jobs and developing rural Cooperative development centers members. The other half are university community infrastructure. Cooperative provide comprehensive assistance in all based or are part of a larger nonprofit development centers provide expertise aspects of launching a cooperative organization. in launching cooperatively owned enterprise. Though small business Many centers serving rural enterprises. assistance programs are widely available communities apply for funds offered All startup businesses face across the country, the majority lack the annually through USDA’s Rural organizational, financial and market specialized skills necessary to successfully Cooperative Development Grant challenges. Small business development launch a cooperative business. (RCDG) program to partially fund centers are generally positioned to meet Co-op centers offer crucial services, operations. There is usually a high level these demands. including educating the general public of competition for these funds. To help As member-owned organizations, about co-ops, guiding a group through leverage the RCDG funding, many cooperatives encounter additional the steps of organizing a co-op, centers also seek support from regional challenges related to collective action. conducting a feasibility study and funds and established cooperatives. The Most business development programs business plan, structuring an RCDG program was authorized in the are not prepared for these specialized organization and raising equity capital. 1990 Farm Bill, and the first recipients needs. With the targeted expertise of Staff at the centers also help in drafting received funding in 1993. cooperative development centers, co- articles of incorporation and co-op Prior to the RCDG program, about ops can turn the challenge of bylaws, training members and boards in a dozen centers existed, mainly in rural collaboration into their signature governance and in providing guidance areas with a strong cooperative strength. on advanced business topics. heritage. With leveraged federal

Rural Cooperatives / July/August 2015 13 funding, there are now about 45 centers defined geographic region. Most offer development centers and individual serving a much wider geographic area assistance to under-served populations practitioners. Cooperation Works! (see than was the case 25 years ago. Though or locales experiencing economic page 17) offers members professional the area being served has expanded, difficulty. development, a way to exchange best there are still regions — even entire practices, advocacy, peer research and states — not served by a general co-op Some centers specialize networking opportunities. To date, 33 development center. In the 35 years since the founding of organizations and 18 practitioners are Interest in urban-based co-op the first co-op development centers, members of Cooperation Works! development also continues to grow, some have specialized in a certain No universally accepted definition especially in some medium and large industry sector and may offer their exists as to what constitutes a cities (such as initiatives in Madison, services nationally. Industry-specific “cooperative development center,” and Wis., and in New York City), where co- centers exist for retail grocery, forestry, no external organization regulates what ops can help create jobs and business- manufactured housing, worker co-ops organizations may call themselves a co- ownership opportunities where they are and employee ownership. Several op center. Quality services, the sorely needed. To date, there is no established centers offer general sustainability of co-ops being assisted federal funding for urban co-op assistance while also offering two or and the test of time tends to define development centers. three industry specializations reflective what organizations continue to call The majority of cooperative of regional demand. themselves cooperative development development centers offer assistance Cooperation Works! is a voluntary centers. ■ —By Margaret Bau, across an array of industry sectors in a national network of cooperative USDA Co-op Programs

Co-op Development Centers

Federation of Southern Cooper- e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: mhamabata@ Cooperative Development atives/Land Assistance Fund Contact: E. Kim Coontz kohalacenter.org Institute Alabama Contact: Mathews Hamabata Massachusetts Website: http://www.federation Democracy at Work Institute/US Website: http://www.cdi.coop/ southerncoop.com Federation of Worker Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: Cooperatives Illinois Contact: Lynda Brushett [email protected] California Website: http://www.iira.org/ Contact: John Zippert Website: http://www.usworker. e-mail: [email protected] Cooperative Development coop/ Contact: Christopher Merrett Program/Michigan State Alaska Cooperative e-mail: [email protected] University Extension Development Contact: Melissa Hoover Indiana Cooperative Michigan Program/University of Alaska- Development Center Website: http://www.msue.anr. Anchorage Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Indiana msu.edu/program/info/coop/ Alaska Educational and Charitable Website: http://www.icdc.coop/ e-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.ced. Foundation e-mail: [email protected] Contact: Mark Thomas uaa.alaska.edu/acdp/index.html Colorado Contact: Debbie Trocha e-mail: Christi.bell@uaa. Website: http://www.rmfu.org/ Latino Economic Development alaska.edu foundation/ Iowa Alliance for Cooperative Center Contact: Christi Bell e-mail: [email protected] Business Development/Iowa Minnesota Contact: Bill Stevensen State University Website: http://www.ledc-mn. Arkansas Rural Enterprise Iowa org/ Center/Winrock International National Cooperative Business Website: http://www.extension. e-mail: [email protected] Arkansas Association iastate.edu/coops/ Contact: Ramon Leon Website: http://www.winrock. District of Columbia e-mail: [email protected] org/ Website: http://www.ncba.coop/ Contact: Georgeanne Artz North Country Cooperative e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Foundation Contact: Annett Pagan Contact: Michael Beall Kentucky Center for Agriculture Minnesota and Rural Development Website: http://www.north California Center for The Kohala Center Kentucky countryfoundation.org Cooperative Development Hawaii Website: http://www.kcard.info/ e-mail: tom@northcountry California Website: http://www.kohala e-mail: [email protected] foundation.org Website: http://www.cccd.coop/ center.org/ Contact: Aleta Botts Contact: Tom Guettler

14 July/August 2015 / Rural Cooperatives Food Co-op Initiative North Carolina State University South Dakota Value-Added Cooperation Texas Minnesota North Carolina Agriculture Development Center Austin, Texas Website: http://www. Website: http://www.plantsfor South Dakota Website: http://www. foodcoopinitiative.coop/ humanhealth.ncsu.edu/extension Website: http://www. cooperationtexas.coop/ e-mail: stuart@foodcoop e-mail: [email protected] sdvalueadded.coop/ e-mail: carlos@ initiative.coop Contact: Justin Moore e-mail: [email protected] cooperationtexas.com Contact: Stuart Reid Contact: Cheri Rath Phone: 512-394-8648 Common Enterprise Contact: Carlos Perez de Alejo Agricultural Utilization Development Texas Rural Cooperative Center Research Institute North Dakota Texas Roc USA Minnesota Website: http://www.cedc.coop/# Website: http://www.portal. National NH base Website: http://www.auri.org/ e-mail: [email protected] utpa.edu/utp_main/ce_home Website: http://www.rocusa.org/ e-mail: [email protected] Contact: Bill Patrie e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Contact: Jennifer Berquam Contact: Rick Carrera Phone: 603-856-0246 North Dakota Association of Contact: Paul Bradley Mississippi Center for Rural Electric Cooperatives Cooperative Development Cooperative North Dakota Foundation Prospera Development/Mississippi Website: Virginia/District of Columbia Oakland, CA Association http://www.ndarec.com Website: http://www.cdf.coop/ Website: http://www. Mississippi e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] prosperacoops.org/ Website: http://www. Contact: Dennis Hill Contact: Leslie Mead e-mail: meche@ mississippiassociation.coop/ prosperacoops.org e-mail: myrabryant@ Ohio Employee Ownership Virginia Foundation for Phone: 510-451-3100 federation.coop Center-Kent State University Agriculture, Innovation & Rural Contact: Meche Sansores Contact: Myra Bryant Ohio Sustainability Website: http://www2.kent.edu/ Virginia Center for Family Life Lake County Community CAS/oeoc/coopdev/ Website: http://www.vafairs.com/ Brooklyn, NY Development Corporation e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.geo. Montana Contact: Roy Messing Contact: Chris Cook coop/node/636 Website: http://www. e-mail: [email protected] lakecountycdc.org/ Center for Cooperative Forest Northwest Agriculture Business Phone: 718-633-4823 e-mail: billie.lee@ Enterprises Center Contact: Emma Yorra lakecountycdc.org Ohio Washington Contact: Billie Lee Website: http://www.nnfp.org/ Website: http://www. Green Worker Cooperatives CCFE/ agbizcenter.org Bronx, NY Montana Cooperative e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www. Development Center Contact: Scott Bagley Contact: David Bauermeister greenworker.coop/ Montana e-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.mcdc.coop/ Ohio Cooperative Development Northwest Cooperative phone: 718-617-7807 mcdc Center Development Center Contact: Omar Freilla e-mail: [email protected] Ohio Washington Contact: Brian Gion Website: http://www.ocdc.osu. Website: http://www.nwcdc. The Working World USA edu/ coop/ New York, NY Nebraska Cooperative e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www. Development Center/University Contact: Christie Welch Contact: Diane Gasaway theworkingworld.org/us/ of Nebraska Phone: 646-257-4144 Nebraska Community and Shelter Cooperative Development Contact: Brendan Martin Website: http://www.ncdc.unl. Assistance Corporation Services edu/ Oregon Wisconsin Center for Workplace e-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.casaof Website: http://www.cdsus.coop Democracy Contact: Larry W. Van Tassell oregon.org e-mail: [email protected] Chicago, IL e-mail: chelseac@ Contact: Kevin Edberg Website: http://www. Center of Southwest Culture casaoforegon.org workerdemocracy.org New Mexico Contact: Chelsea Catto Great Lakes Cooperative Center: e-mail: info@ Website: http://www. Cooperative Network & UW workerdemocracy.org centerofsouthwestculture.org/ Keystone Development Center Center for Cooperatives Phone: 773-278-5418 e-mail: [email protected] Pennsylvania Wisconsin Contact: Dennis Kelleher phone: (505) 247-2729 Website: http://www. Website: http://www.glcc.coop Contact: Arturo Sandoval kdc.coop/home/ e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Contact: Courtney Berner Contact: Peggy Fogarty-Harnish

Rural Cooperatives / July/August 2015 15 Homecare co-op development a major focus of CDF

Since its founding in Fund administration 1944, the Cooperative CDF administers several separate Development COOPERATIVE funds that target specific cooperative Foundation (CDF) has DEVELOPMENT sectors or activities. The Howard used cooperation to FOUNDATION Bowers Fund has provided more than help communities meet economic and $380,000 in support of training and social needs. This work has ranged education for the board and staff of from its early days of assisting in the Website: http://www.cdf.coop/ food cooperatives. The Kagawa Fund is rebuilding of Europe after World War E-mail: [email protected] a revolving loan fund that helps student II, to its current work in developing Phone: 202-383-5456 housing cooperatives purchase and homecare worker cooperatives that Mail address: 1401 New York repair housing. benefit seniors, the disabled and care Avenue NW, Suite 1100, The predecessor funds of the newly workers. CDF has a proven track Washington, DC 20005 formed Cooperative Development Fund record of meeting societal needs Social media: Facebook.com/ have supported a range of cooperative through the self-help and mutual aid cooperativedevelopmentfoundation; development activities, including a derived from cooperatives. Twitter: @CoopFoundation focus on the needs of seniors, First known as the Freedom Fund, Leaders: Chair: Gasper Kovach, international development and housing. CDF was responsible for the creation of HESCO; Executive Director: Leslie The fund most recently provided the Cooperative for American Mead support for U.S.-Cuba cooperative Remittances to Europe (CARE). In the exchanges. 1980s, the Freedom Fund was renamed The Cooperative Emergency Fund the Cooperative Development provides aid to help cooperatives Foundation. With that new name came recover from disasters, including a new focus on domestic cooperative financing repairs to housing development. The mission of the cooperatives damaged by Hurricane organization is to promote community, Sandy and covering costs related to a economic and social development fire at a Midwest food cooperative. For through cooperative enterprise. more information about the funds providers and steering committees, administered by CDF go to: Meeting needs through CDF funds the development of www.cdf.coop co-op development resources to inform cooperative In recent years, keeping seniors in development and connects cooperatives Honoring cooperative heroes their communities through cooperative to technical assistance expertise. On the CDF is the administrator of the housing and home care has been the housing front, the foundation has Cooperative Hall of Fame, which focus of CDF's cooperative provided support to ROC USA (see honors those distinguished individuals development work. Through support page 42) to convert manufactured whose contributions to cooperative from contributions and private and home communities (usually with a business have been genuinely heroic. public grants, CDF works to develop majority of senior residents) to Nominations are received annually and strengthen homecare cooperatives cooperative ownership. It has also from the cooperative community and that provide quality care for seniors and provided predevelopment loan funds to reviewed by a screening committee and the disabled and a sustainable living senior cooperative housing. For more a selection committee appointed by the wage for care providers. information about CDF's work with chair of the CDF board of directors. Working with existing homecare seniors and housing visit: The Cooperative Hall of Fame cooperatives, technical assistance www.seniors.coop . induction ceremony is also a major

16 July/August 2015 / Rural Cooperatives fundraising event for the Foundation. It life-long commitment to the contributions from the cooperative is fitting that the occasion that bestows cooperative community. For more community and grant and fund this high honor on individuals who have information about the Cooperative Hall administrative fees. The Foundation is selflessly given of their lives to promote of Fame go to: www.heroes.coop governed by a nine-member board of cooperatives is also a vehicle to raise As a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public directors. ■ funds to perpetuate their work and their charity, CDF is supported by

Helping co-op developers sharpen skills to spread producer/user-owned business model

CooperationWorks! by the CW Madison Principles. (CW) is a professional By sharing knowledge, members association of COOPERATIONWORKS! maximize resources, avoid duplication cooperative developers of effort and bring the greatest benefit dedicated to to communities. To keep members and transforming the economy by helping Website: www.cooperation the public current on new co-op people meet their economic and social works.coop development projects and events, CW needs through cooperative enterprises. e-mail: info@ hosts webinars, publishes a newsletter, Driven by the vision to have the cooperationworks.coop maintains a member listserve and cooperative business model be the Phone: 763.432.2032 submits articles to USDA’s “Rural public’s preferred means to develop a Social media: https://www.facebook. Cooperatives” magazine. more just, democratic and sustainable com/pages/CooperationWorks/105504 CW helps future co-op developers economy, CW’s membership includes 922817622?fref=ts gain needed skills through its more than 100 individuals in more than Leader: Bill Stevenson, Board Chair professional training programs. More 40 states. The organization serves all than 100 participants have benefited co-op sectors, including agriculture, from this training, with topics that health, housing, technology, day care, include the steps of co-op business energy and food/groceries. development; co-op law and finance; CW unites co-op development business planning and business service providers to strengthen the structure. Case studies and co-op tours profession and help those involved in are also part of the curriculum. co-op business organizations. CW Members of CW are committed to: As CW looks forward, the delivers products and services that help • Sharing knowledge, skills and organization will be revamping its professionals provide the highest quality abilities; training programs to be more accessible technical assistance to the communities • Maintaining effective professional while still delivering an exceptional served. education programs; learning experience. This training will Since CW’s inception in 1990, its • Forging strong links to cooperative provide more professional development members have helped develop more communities; opportunities for experienced co-op than 700 new businesses in rural and • Supporting broad-based funding for developers, and will strengthen the urban communities and have created co-op development; growing network of cooperative more than 12,000 new jobs. Invest- • Maintaining CW as a learning developers who are improving ments in these co-op businesses exceeds organization; communities and their economies all $900 million. • Earning the trust of clients and across the United States. ■ —By Sarah Membership in CW is open to partners; Pike, Board Member/Professional organizations and individuals engaged • Adhering to ethical co-op Development Chair in, or that support, co-op development. development practices, as described

Rural Cooperatives / July/August 2015 17 Promoting Cooperatives in New England Region

Celebrating its 40th them get local products to markets. year in 2015, the They also help low-skill workers create Cooperative Fund of COOPERATIVE FUND or find good jobs and ownership New England (CFNE) opportunities and help communities is a community OF NEW ENGLAND gain access to healthy, affordable food. development financial institution A national study found that food co- (CDFI) that provides financing and ops support more local producers, sell technical assistance to co-ops and Website: www.cooperative more organic food and contribute more community-based nonprofits in New fund.coop to the local economy than conventional England and parts of New York. Since email: [email protected] grocers. (The study is online at: its founding, CFNE has raised $37 Phone: 800-818-7833 http://strongertogether.coop/food- million from social investors to make Mail: 5533 Peden Point Rd. coops/food-co-op-impact-study/.) more than 750 loans to new or Wilmington, NC 28409 Many organizations and individuals expanding co-ops and nonprofit Social media: https://www. looking for a socially responsible means organizations. These loans have helped facebook.com/pages/Cooperative- of investing see CFNE as a great way to to create or retain 9,900 jobs, 5,459 Fund-of-New-England/ put seed money in people’s hands to units of affordable housing and 215793893050 start sustainable, life-supporting thousands of business ownership Twitter: @CoopFundNE businesses. In fact, more than 40 opportunities. Contact: Rebecca Dunn, Executive percent of the CFNE’s funding comes CFNE has experienced a remarkably Director from faith-based organizations, high borrower repayment rate of over foundations, trusts and cooperatives — 99 percent, due in part to the broad many of which had previously been community involvement required to CFNE borrowers. successfully launch a cooperative. As a The Cooperative Fund of New certified CDFI, CFNE predominantly England is working toward a New serves underserved communities. England region where communities and In addition to financing cooperatives, workers freely use cooperative CFNE facilitates the provision of economic models to democratically technical assistance and partners with meet their needs and aspirations, numerous technical assistance including, but not limited to, dignified providers, including the CDS work, healthy food and affordable Consulting Co-op (which serves food housing. Through financing co-ops) and the ICA Group and cooperative enterprises, CFNE helps Democracy at Work Institute (which develop opportunities for wealth serves worker co-ops). Because creation in low-income and rural cooperative-oriented consultants are communities and economic not always needed, the CFNE also empowerment across the region. partners with conventional business In collaboration with practitioners of consultants, typically within the local socially oriented business, cooperative Since its founding, CFNE has raised $37 area of the cooperative business. development and impact investing, million to make 750 loans to new or expanding Every day, cooperatives bring social co-ops. Photo courtesy CFNE CFNE promotes, supports and finances justice, economic opportunity and cooperative business. ■ —By Gloria sustainable food to the nation’s food service co-ops, and community-owned LaBrecque, Northeast Loan and Outreach system, including farmer- and grocery stores (food co-ops). These Officer fisherman-owned marketing co-ops, cooperative links in the local food worker-owned transportation and food system support small producers, helping 18 July/August 2015 / Rural Cooperatives CUNA goes to bat for nation’s credit unions

Are you a credit union Council (CULAC), CUNA’s political member? It’s not a action committee (PAC), also helps to question that comes up CREDIT UNION foster the credit union difference. every day for most Charged with supporting credit union- people, but it’s on my NATIONAL ASSOCIATION friendly candidates running for federal mind every time I meet someone. And office, CULAC deploys support for one of the most common things I hear candidates on a bipartisan basis. Our back when I ask this question is: What Websites: www.cuna.org and PAC is one of the biggest in is a credit union? http://www.asmarterchoice.org/ Washington, and it’s one of the most Even some folks who are credit E-mail: officeoftheceo effective, with a 96 percent success rate. union members may have a hard time @cuna.coop CUNA also is active in providing figuring out what a credit union is. I am Phone: (202) 638-5777 education and training resources for glad for this opportunity to tell you — Mailing address: 601 Penn. Ave, credit union staff and volunteers members and non-members alike — NW, South Building Suite 600, (directors), conferences and forums for what a credit union is! Washington, DC 20004 credit unions to meet, share ideas and Credit unions are member-owned, Social media: Twitter: collaborate. Credit unions exist to help member-directed, not-for-profit @asmarterchoice; @CUNA; people, not make a profit. And CUNA financial cooperatives that offer a wide https://www.facebook.com/asmart helps credit unions deliver on this credit range of banking services. As not-for- erchoice?fref=ts union difference. profit cooperatives, they work to benefit Leader/contact: Jim Nussle, Credit unions help consumers attain their member-owners through lower President and CEO the knowledge and skills needed to interest charges on loans, lower or no achieve financial security at any stage of fees for services, higher interest paid on life, from youth through retirement. savings and financial education. They work to deliver a high level of The Credit Union National innovative banking services to their Association (CUNA) is the largest members, helping them save and national trade association in the United borrow. And credit union assets stay in States serving America’s credit the local community. This is a stark unions. With a network of affiliated difference from the large, commercial help remove barriers, raise awareness state credit union leagues, CUNA banking sector, which often operates and foster service excellence in all that advocates for the best interests of its primarily to benefit out-of-state we do for current and future credit member credit unions and America’s investors. union members. more than 100 million credit union The business principles which we With more than 100 million members. The nation’s nearly 6,400 share with so many other cooperative members, credit unions have a powerful credit unions have assets exceeding $1.1 businesses are part of what makes credit base to urge members of Congress to trillion. unions and CUNA’s work so powerful. show their support for legislation CUNA organizes and delivers It’s what makes us different in the crucial to the credit union advocacy, training, conferences and financial industry, and as CUNA moves movement. This is achieved through consumer education. These tie together forward, we’ll continue to work to “Hike the Hill” meetings in at CUNA’s Governmental Affairs advance and protect the best interests of Washington, meetings in home Conference (GAC) — the biggest week our members and the credit union districts, or our Member Activation of the year for credit unions, with more model. ■ —By Jim Nussle Program, which facilitates grassroots than 4,000 people coming together for CUNA President and CEO activism. one cause: credit unions. GAC focuses The Credit Union Legislative Action on how we can all work together to

Rural Cooperatives / July/August 2015 19 Farmers and Ranchers Stand Stronger Together

For nearly a century, Fast forward to 2015: most the American Farm Americans are now at least three Bureau Federation, the AMERICAN FARM generations removed from the farm, nation’s largest meaning there’s an even greater need agriculture BUREAU FEDERATION for farmers and ranchers to work organization, has been the leading voice together. We have to promote for agriculture at the national level, agriculture and engage with both representing farmers and ranchers from Website: http://www.fb.org/ consumers and lawmakers on what goes all commodities, regions and Email: [email protected] into growing and raising our food. backgrounds across the United States. Phone: 202-406-3641 At the American Farm Bureau, we’re All that time, we’ve been at the front Mail address: 600 Maryland Ave. giving farmers and ranchers the tools lines helping farmers and ranchers SW, Suite 1000W, Washington, they need to tell their farm stories and navigate the shifting rural landscape, D.C. 20024 protect their businesses and livelihoods. fluctuating markets and changing Social media: https://www.face Recently, we launched the “Get a Move weather. Building prosperous book.com/AmericanFarmBureau On for GMOs (genetically modified agricultural communities remains at the Twitter: @FarmBureau organisms),” a campaign to help heart of our mission. Agriculture has https://twitter.com/farmbureau farmers and ranchers educate their https://www.pinterest.com/fbpin60 elected representatives on the benefits 0/ of biotechnology and the need for Contact: Mace Thornton, exec. national labeling standards. director of communications Farmers and ranchers know the importance of taking our message directly to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, and the Farm Bureau is leading the way with grassroots advocacy efforts. And while Washington, D.C., is far away from most of America’s farmland, our staff and volunteer leaders play a critical role in helping lawmakers understand been central to driving our economy the top issues facing agriculture today. forward and boosting our rural Farm Bureau members are also communities for much of our nation’s active in our local communities. We history. support volunteer leaders with practical This is no small task. Many farmers resources, programs and training. often rely on their ability to band their Committed to strengthening America’s businesses together as cooperatives. rural agricultural communities, we find One of Farm Bureau’s earliest successes, ways to pair great ideas with the the Capper-Volstead Act in 1922, paved funding they need. the way for farmers to form these Last year, for instance, we launched cooperatives without the threat of the first business competition focused antitrust prosecution. We built on this solely on promoting rural entrepreneurs success at the state level by helping to in the agriculture and food industry. organize regional and crop-specific This year’s competition will provide AFBF President Bob Stallman checks the rice cooperatives throughout the South, the even more opportunities for rural crop on his Texas farm. Photo courtesy AFBF Midwest and New England. entrepreneurs to get their businesses off

20 July/August 2015 / Rural Cooperatives the ground and boost their local to meet the challenges each day brings. voice is stronger when we stand economies. The Farm Bureau Rural We are growing more food with fewer together. Cooperative partnerships Entrepreneurship Challenge will award resources, reducing our environmental make our prospects for success brighter $145,000 to top contestants and impact and bringing quality products to and bolder. — By Bob Stallman, President connect still others with resources to new markets. The needs facing American Farm Bureau Federation jumpstart their businesses. agriculture may change from decade to Editor’s note: Stallman is a rice and cattle America’s farmers and ranchers rise decade, but we can be certain that our producer from Columbus, Texas. ■

Cutting Edge backs worker co-ops, others striving to build new economy

Cutting Edge Capital For a cooperative, where mission collaborates with drives the work, a DPO makes financial visionary and CUTTING EDGE and social sense. Investment courageous “change Crowdfunding allows a company to get makers” to build a CAPITAL needed capital, retain its mission- more sustainable and equitable new minded sensibilities and engage economy. We help social ventures raise customers and community members as capital in a way that allows them to Website: investors. As Dan Rosenberg, one of remain true to their mission and vision. www.cuttingedgecapital.com the founders of Real Pickles, says: “It’s a Our sister law firm, Cutting Edge e-mail: time in our society when increasing Counsel, offers a full range of legal [email protected] numbers of people are very excited for services, including entity formation and Phone: 510-834-4530 an opportunity to move their money strategic structuring, intellectual Mailing address: 436 14th Street, away from Wall Street and into property protection, employment law Suite 1120, Oakland, CA 94612 something they believe in.” compliance and commercial contracts of Social media: Whether you are a cooperative, a all types. All of these services are www.facebook.com/cuttingedgec nonprofit, or a for-profit business, there focused on assisting mission-aligned apital ; twitter:@cuttingedgecap are great fundraising tools available for companies. Leader/contact: Andy Bamber; you to engage with the new economy Several of our clients are worker- [email protected] and raise capital on your own terms. owned cooperatives, which we have We have developed innovative ways of helped to raise millions of dollars from helping our clients conduct a DPO as community investors. One of our cost effectively as possible. Using this clients, Real Pickles, successfully used a strategy, you can conduct a legally Direct Public Offering (DPO) to raise compliant offering of an investment $500,000 in just two months. opportunity that you can advertise The worker-owners at Real Pickles however you choose, with both chose to pursue an alternative form of accredited and non-accredited investors. financing to preserve their commitment See more at: http://www.cuttingedge to the food system, their employees and capital.com/resources-and-links/direct- decided to sell non-voting, preferred their community. In becoming a co-op, public-offering/. ■ stock through a DPO. the worker-owners at Real Pickles

Rural Cooperatives / July/August 2015 21 Farm Credit devoting more resources to young, beginning and small producers

The Farm Credit banks, 76 local lending institutions and Council, based in more than 1,000 branch locations, Farm Washington, D.C., is FARM CREDIT Credit serves more than half a million the national trade customers. association of the Farm COUNCIL Farm Credit’s mission is to ensure Credit System and represents the that agriculture remains strong, both System’s legislative and regulatory today and tomorrow. That includes interests. The cooperative institutions Website: www.fccouncil.com providing support for the next of the Farm Credit System support E-mail: [email protected] generation of farmers. Farm Credit rural communities and agriculture with Phone: (202) 626-8710 lenders annually report their lending reliable, consistent credit and financial Mailing address: 50 F Street, NW, activity in these areas to the Farm services, today and tomorrow. Suite 900, Washington, DC 20001 Credit Administration, the independent Farm Credit’s mission is to help Social media: federal regulatory agency that oversees these areas grow and thrive by financing Leaders: President and CEO: the Farm Credit System. vital infrastructure and communication Kenneth E. Auer; Board Chairman: Here are some ways Farm Credit is service, and to provide farmers with the Curtis Hancock. helping to support the nation’s next capital they need to make their generation of farmers: businesses successful. Because a steady ■ Young farmers are defined as those flow of credit means more jobs and 35 years of age or younger. In 2014, economic growth, Farm Credit is also Farm Credit made 59,145 new loans, helping invest in the vibrancy of worth nearly $8.73 billion to young communities throughout rural America. borrowers. In 2014, these loans The Farm Credit Council was represented 16.9 percent of new loans established in1983 by the leadership of made by Farm Credit during the year the Farm Credit System to ensure that and 11.3 percent of the dollar volume Farm Credit institutions have an of all loans made. advocate for their interests before ■ Beginning farmers are defined as Congress and federal agencies. The wheat and soybeans. those having 10 years or less of Council was organized as a federated Through the national network of experience. In 2014, Farm Credit made trade association, comprised of district lending institutions, the Farm Credit 74,009 new loans worth about $11.36 councils that had as their members both System: billion to beginning farmers. In 2014, the associations and the banks within ■ Provides more than $217 billion in these loans represented 21.2 percent of each Farm Credit district. loans and manages more than $282 new loans made by Farm Credit during Each district council elected billion in total assets; the year and 14.8 percent of the dollar directors to serve as members of the ■ With more than $45 billion in volume of all loans made. Farm Credit Council board, ensuring capital, Farm Credit has the financial ■ Small farmers are defined as those that the views of all System institutions strength to ensure that agricultural having annual gross agricultural sales of would be reflected in the policy producers and others in rural America $250,000 or less. In 2014, Farm Credit positions adopted and advocated by the have a reliable source of competitively made 140,608 new loans totaling nearly Council. For 2015, the Council’s 23- priced credit in good times and bad; $10.74 billion to small farmers. In 2014, member board of directors is led by ■ As a network of borrower-owned these loans represented 40.2 percent of Chairman Curtis Hancock, of Fulton, cooperatives, Farm Credit returned new loans made by Farm Credit during Ky., owner and operator of Hancock $1.195 billion in dividends to the year and 13.9 percent of the dollar Farms. His operations consist of 1,400 customers; and volume of all loans made. acres of row crops, including corn, ■ With four wholesale lending The Council’s Denver, Colo.-based

22 July/August 2015 / Rural Cooperatives subsidiary, FCC Services, provides a development; conferences, programs corporate finance advisory; risk wide range of business services to Farm and events for professional management and insurance Credit System institutions. FCC development; executive coaching; management; national buying Services provides services including: professional speakers; strategic talent programs; and credit review and credit governance and leadership management; merger, acquisition and review training. ■

Farm Credit System (FCS) staff are just as at home visiting members on their farms as they are working in the office. Photo courtesy FCS

Rural Cooperatives / July/August 2015 23 NFU stands tall for family farmers and their co-ops

Founded as the previous co-op education. Learn more Farmers Educational about CCOC at: http://www.nfu.org/ Cooperative Union of NATIONAL nfu-foundation/ccoc. America in Point, ■ The All-States Camp Cooperative Texas, National FARMERS UNION Camp Store. Each summer, NFU Farmers Union (NFU) helps the family members age 17-20 who have farmer address profitability issues and distinguished themselves as leaders are monopolistic practices. NFU has been Website: www.nfu.org. given the opportunity to attend this working since 1902 to protect and E-mail: [email protected] camp. Young people from across the enhance the economic well-being and Phone: (202) 554-1600 United States come to Bailey, Colo., quality of life for family farmers, Mailing address: 20 F Street, NW, where they spend a week at the NFU ranchers and rural communities Suite 300, Washington, D.C. 20001 Education Center, nestled among the throughout the nation. Social media: Twitter: peaks of the Rocky Mountains. As part Today, NFU is led by President www.nfu.org/NFUDC of their week at camp, leaders form a Roger Johnson. The 113-year-old www.facebook.com/nationalfarme mock cooperative camp store, where organization represents farmers and rsunion they elect a board, buy and manage ranchers in all states, with organized Leaders/contact: NFU President: shares in the cooperative and then divisions in 33 states. The key to the Roger Johnson; NFU Foundation liquidate it at the end of the week. For success and credibility of the Executive Director: Maria Miller; those eager to work on the nuts and organization has been Farmers Union’s Social media contact: Andrew bolts of an actual cooperative, the grassroots structure, in which policy Jerome, [email protected]. experience is invaluable. Learn positions are initiated locally. The more: http://www.nfu.org/nfu- policy process includes the presentation foundation/all-states-leadership-camp. of resolutions by individuals, followed National Farmers Union believes by possible adoption of the resolutions that good opportunities in production at the local, state and national levels. agriculture are the foundation of strong Members and staff of the Farmers farm and ranch families, and strong Union advocate these policy positions farm and ranch families are the basis for nationwide. thriving rural communities. Vibrant National Farmers Union Foundation rural communities, in turn, are vital to (NFUF) carries out the cooperative the health, security and economic well- mission of education and outreach. Led being of the entire national economy. by Executive Director Maria Miller, Whether it is representing family NFUF offers several programs of farmers and ranchers on pressing issues interest to those who care about this of the day — such as Country-of- nation’s cooperatives, including: Origin Labeling (COOL), the ■ The College Conference on Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and Cooperatives (CCOC). This conference trade policies, or educating the nation’s takes place every February and attracts youth about the principles of farming students from across the nation. and cooperatives — NFU is the Featuring presentations by cooperative farmer’s “go-to” organization in leaders from all across the spectrum, Washington, D.C. ■ the event is beneficial to both beginning Democracy in action: delegates vote on students and to those with some resolutions at the NFU annual meeting.

24 July/August 2015 / Rural Cooperatives FCI helps guide rapidly expanding food/grocery co-op sector

During the past 10 As we teach co-op organizers best years, there has been a practices, we are constantly learning major surge of interest FOOD CO-OP from each co-op we support. New in forming new food resources and training materials are cooperatives. This INITIATIVE added regularly to make this interest has ranged from communities information available to other co-ops with little or no access to healthy food, and to the cooperative development to metropolitan areas where food co- Website: www.foodcoopinitiative. centers that support food co-ops in ops have earned a reputation for both coop their regions. Current projects include: the quality of their food and their E-mail: [email protected]; or ■ FCI hosted the first Food Co-ops service to the community. However, [email protected] in Low-Resource Communities Forum there was no organization that had the Phone: 844-324-Co-op (2667) last February, bringing together a experience and capacity to guide the Mailing address: 14314 diverse group of people actively organizers of these co-ops. Featherstone Trail, Savage, MN working to find ways to open viable Food Co-op Initiative (originally 55378 food co-ops in low-income and small called Food Co-op 500) was created to Social media: https://www.face rural communities. This was the first fill that void by providing peer support book.com/FoodCoopInit time an event of this focus and scope and development grants to help new Leaders/contacts: Stuart Reid, has been held. The Forum allowed retail food co-ops open more quickly Executive Director; Jacqueline participants to share information and and to avoid the need to reinvent Hannah, Food Co-op Development begin the process of identifying “best successful development models for Specialist; Mary Stennes practices” for co-op projects in low- every startup. Wilbourn, Operations and income and rural communities. A Food Co-op Initiative (FCI) Outreach Coordinator Facebook discussion group has been incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit in formed and there are plans for another 2010. Our mission is to build and Forum. maintain a support system that enables ■ A complete revision of “How to a faster and more effective startup Start a Food Co-op,” the only process, resulting in new cooperative comprehensive training resource food stores successfully serving their targeted for food co-op organizers, is in communities. final draft and will be released soon as a We have expanded our resources to free download. It will incorporate a full provide free guidance, training events, description of the startup process, with an on-line library of guides and special emphasis on the early stages. reference material and networking planning. (For more information on this ■ FCI is publishing a new Capital opportunities to organizing groups model, see: http://tinyurl.com/orpbqmq.) Campaign resource book that covers across the United States. FCI resources member loans and preferred shares, are structured to encourage thoughtful direct public offerings, crowd-funding planning and use of proven Our competitive seed grant program and more. The guide will include case development strategies. provides development capital (matched studies, templates and examples of We use and promote the Four by the community) during early capital campaign documents and Cornerstones in Three Stages organizing and is augmented by staff guidance on appropriate legal review. development model, inspired by the site visits, close monitoring and regular ■ Live training webinars have been research and experience of Cooperative contact. To date, 69 food co-ops have conducted regularly and continue on a Development Services consultants, to received grants of up to $10,000, more monthly basis. These are free and provide structure and thoughtful than $560,000 since the program began. recorded for our on-demand webinar

Rural Cooperatives / July/August 2015 25 library. The library includes over 40 critical development challenges. will cohost it in 2016. training webinars. ■ The Up & Coming Conference is As important as all these resources ■ FCI recently hosted the third a national training event targeting are, our daily contact with co-op Food Co-op Development Summit, a startup and recently opened food co- organizers may be FCI’s most valuable national meeting of cooperative ops. Over 100 co-op organizers role. FCI has helped 75 new food co- developers, practitioners and partners attended in 2015. FCI helped plan this ops open their doors, with another 140 who seek ways to overcome our most conference for the past five years and in development. ■

Grange has deep roots in promoting co-ops as a key to strong rural America

The Grange, founded utility districts, volunteer fire in 1867 and officially departments and state police programs referred to as The across the nation. National Grange of the NATIONAL GRANGE The National Grange sponsors many Order of Patrons of local fairs throughout the country, Husbandry, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, which attract millions of visitors each fraternal organization that advocates for year and provide a platform to showcase rural America and agriculture. With a Website: www.nationalgrange.org local agriculture production and strong history of grassroots activism, Email: [email protected] community-based economic family values and community service, Phone: (202) 628-3507 development opportunities. In addition, the Grange is part of more than 2,100 Mail: 1616 H Street NW, Floor 11, the National Grange introduced the hometowns across the United States. Washington, DC 20006 “Rochdale” system of cooperative The Grange, with more than 80,000 Social Media: business organization to America in members in 37 states, is a family Twitter: @NationalGrange 1875. Over time, successful national organization with members of all ages www.facebook.com/NationalGrange and regional farm cooperatives were and focuses on building family and www.youtube.com/NationalGrange formed from locally organized Grange friendships through local community Leader/contact: Edward Luttrell, cooperatives and Grange stores. This outreach, service and improvement. President; Bryan Marchefsky, system became the basis and standard The Grange is the oldest agricultural Communications Manager model for many cooperatives that are advocacy organization in the United still in existence today. States and has a long history of Today, the National Grange sponsors bringing the voices and needs of rural community service programs that America to the attention of state and generate more than 1 million volunteer federal governments. hours annually for community One of the core goals for the improvement projects. In addition, the inception of the Grange included Grange continues to advocate for the working, buying, and selling farm use of cooperatives among our local products and equipment collectively. coalition of Midwestern U.S. farmers farming communities. Anyone over the The Grange was instrumental in the who fought against the monopolistic age of 5 can become a member of our development of rural America in the grain transport practices of the railroad Junior Grange and can become a full late 19th and early 20th century with companies at the time. member at age 14. Our members enjoy the passage of the Granger Laws and Starting in the 1920s, the Grange a host of benefits. Visit our website at the establishment of rural free mail was instrumental in organizing rural www.nationalgrange.org or call (202) delivery. After the American Civil War, electric cooperatives, telephone 628-3507 and find out more about the the “Granger movement” was a cooperatives, water cooperatives, public Grange. ■

26 July/August 2015 / Rural Cooperatives NAHC leading advocate to address needs of nation’s housing co-ops

Incorporated in 1960, member organizations; the National ■ Promote the development of other Association of Housing NATIONAL ASSOCIATION self-help activities among members of Cooperatives (NAHC) OF HOUSING housing cooperatives. is a 501(c)(3) COOPERATIVES NAHC’s government relations organization and the only national program advocates for housing cooperative housing organization in the cooperatives with officials in United States. NAHC’s mission is to Website: www.NAHC.coop Washington, D.C., other federal support, educate and represent E-mail: [email protected] agencies and with state legislatures. professionals, organizations and Phone: (202) 737-0797 NAHC has accomplished many goals to individuals interested in promoting the Fax: (202) 216-9646 promote cooperative homeownership, interests of cooperative housing Mailing address: 1444 I Street, such as the American Homeownership communities as the best and most NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC and Economic Opportunity Act and the economical form of homeownership. 20005-6542 Bankruptcy Reform Bill. NAHC Leaders: President: Gregory J. monitors issues, updates and involves Carlson; Chair: Ralph J. Marcus members on current legislation and NAHC members include: topics of concern. ■ Associations and federations Among NAHC’s legislative initiatives of housing cooperatives organized is encouraging the U.S. Housing and around a special-interest and/or a Urban Development’s (HUD) Federal geographic region (member Housing Administration (FHA) to associations); extend reverse mortgages to cooperative ■ Individual housing housing owners. It continues to support cooperatives; FHA’s work to expand opportunities for ■ Organizations and working families and to enhance the professionals that provide services Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund. to housing cooperatives, such as Through NAHC’s partnership with attorneys, property management the organization. At the annual business Wells Fargo, it successfully launched a firms, nonprofit organizations, meeting, major issues are brought new service for our members: the financial organizations, before the entire membership. opportunity to buy hazard and liability accountants, government agencies, NAHC and its affiliates work on insurance. and consultants; behalf of the 1.5 million families living Although the majority of NAHC ■ Groups and individuals that in cooperative housing in the United members are in urban areas, it is crucial develop housing cooperatives; States to promote the development of to the success of NAHC to work with ■ Registered cooperative housing cooperatives through research, the other cooperative organizations, managers (RCMs); education, forums and other means. especially on congressional ■ Other individuals and The following are NAHC’s current issues. NAHC has lobbied on behalf of organizations interested in housing chief objectives: rural issues with New York City ■ cooperatives. Encourage best practices in the members of Congress and has worked operation of housing cooperatives to with rural cooperatives when we need ensure maximum long-term benefits to to reach members of Congress from NAHC is supported and governed their owner-occupants and to sustain rural districts. Organizations such as the by its members. The membership is their cooperatives; National Rural Electric Cooperative ■ represented through a national board of Develop programs and services to Association (NRECA) have helped directors, which guides the policies of benefit, strengthen and improve NAHC reach a wider rural audience.

Rural Cooperatives / July/August 2015 27 One of the current issues NAHC is Today, as coalition building becomes NCBA have all expressed support for focused on is FEMA (Federal increasingly crucial to success in the NAHC’s issues and this legislation as Emergency Management Agency) nation’s capital, so too does NAHC’s well. NAHC will continue to partner disaster relief for housing alliance with other organizations. with organizations and legislators with cooperatives. The National Cooperative Recently, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney shared interests to achieve the most Business Association (NCBA) has of New York asked NAHC about other successes for its members and extended for this effort, since many of organizations that support NAHC’s stakeholder in the future. its members are from rural areas. The Veterans Administration loan guarantee NAHC’s 2015 Annual Conference National Cooperative Bank (NCB) has issue, which she is working on will be held in South Carolina at Hilton also been very supportive of NAHC’s legislation for. The Consumer Head Island Oct. 14–17. ■ efforts. Federation of America, NCB and Founded as the profitability issues and monopolistic Farmers Educational NATIONAL practices. NFU has been working since Cooperative Union of America in 1902 to protect and enhance the NCBA CLUSA: Building a Cooperative Future

Point, Texas, National Farmers Union Website: www.nfu.org. economic well-being and quality of life (NFU) helps the family farmer address E-mail: [email protected] For nearly 100 years, long-term success and community impact. National Cooperative Engagement, dedication and service Business Association NATIONAL COOPERATIVE build the framework of NCBA CLUSA (NCBA) CLUSA has BUSINESS ASSOCIATION membership. Using the “Blueprint for a been dedicated to the CLUSA Cooperative Decade” as a guide, NCBA growth and development of cooperative CLUSA provides services that support businesses across the United States and and strengthen the cooperative sustainable development internationally. Website: www.NCBA.coop movement across all sectors. Our work is concentrated on building E-mail: [email protected] NCBA CLUSA believes that cooperative infrastructure, promoting Phone: 202-638-6222 building a strong cooperative future the cooperative economy and Mailing Address: 1401 New York starts with convening and collaborating, protecting the interests of the Ave., NW, Suite 1100, Washington, supporting one other and working cooperative business model. DC 20005 together. We are committed to We believe in collaboration and in Social Media: https://www.face connecting our members and raising bringing value to cooperative efforts book.com/pages/NCBACLUSA awareness of their unique products and already underway through our co-op Leader/Contact: Mike Beall, services. One of our most important development partners, in keeping with president and CEO; Klaretta jobs as the national trade association for the Sixth Cooperative Principle Fowler, executive assistant to the cooperatives is getting co-ops the (Cooperation Among Cooperatives). president answers they need. We strive to be one NCBA CLUSA is committed to of the most important resources and building a cooperative future through support systems for all co-ops. its role as a facilitator, convener and In the past year, NCBA CLUSA was supporting partner. at the leading edge of a historic shift in As such, we act in a support role for United States/Cuban relations. In July the growing number of Cooperative 2014, it led an education and research Business Associations (CBAs) across the tour of Cuba’s emerging co-op sector. United States. NCBA CLUSA believes As part of its pursuit of economic it has a responsibility to provide reform, Cuba is shifting many of its guidance, structure, resources and state-owned farms and businesses into leadership as each group works toward cooperatives, providing a new found

28 July/August 2015 / Rural Cooperatives sense of ownership and greater In May, NCBA CLUSA joined establish a Congressional Cooperative economic independence for member- InterAction members to pledge a Business Caucus. owners. collective $1.5 billion toward global Building and supporting community When the federal government began food security. NCBA CLUSA was also groups through cooperative principles is to normalize diplomatic relations with part of InterAction’s efforts to fast-track the bedrock of NCBA CLUSA’s Cuba, NCBA CLUSA found itself bipartisan food security legislation in international development work. uniquely poised to advance Cuba’s Congress in 2014. Whether leading a flagship nutrition- cooperatives as part of the country’s In June, a breakthrough agreement led agriculture project in Senegal or nascent private sector. In March 2015, signed by NCBA CLUSA and the investing in youth-led democracy and NCBA CLUSA formally launched the government of Kenya solidified the governance in Kenya, NCBA CLUSA U.S. — Cuba Cooperative Working organization’s leadership in Kenya’s believes cooperation is at the core of Group. With this bold and cooperative sphere. NCBA CLUSA’s sustainable development, transforming experimental transition, Cuba is advocacy efforts also contributed to vulnerable populations into resilient, building what could become a dynamic, securing $22 million in funding for the empowered and productive cooperative-based economy — one USDA’s Rural Cooperative communities. NCBA CLUSA is committed to Development Grant (RCDG) program. NCBA CLUSA is active in 17 supporting and learning from. In December, NCBA CLUSA held a countries in Africa, Central America Another key component of NCBA briefing with lawmakers to rally support and Southeast Asia, focusing on the CLUSA is the organization’s ongoing for a food security act seeking to codify areas of cooperative development; food advocacy work. NCBA CLUSA’s the U.S. government’s “Feed the security, nutrition and agriculture; advocacy efforts are focused on creating Future” initiative. In May 2015, NCBA democracy and governance; the positive and enabling environments in CLUSA held the first cross-sector economic empowerment of women and which cooperatives can thrive and cooperative advocacy conference in youth; natural resource management; economic freedom is protected. Washington, D.C., with the aim of and community-based health. ■ 2014 was a pivotal year for advocacy. educating lawmakers and working to

NCBA CLUSA representatives file up the steps of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., to attend a White House-sponsored forum on cooperatives. Photo courtesy NCBA CLUSA

Rural Cooperatives / July/August 2015 29 NCB meets banking needs of under-served communities, co-ops

National Cooperative purchasing co-ops, credit unions or Bank (NCB) was housing co-ops. Other customers share chartered by Congress NATIONAL in the spirit of cooperation, driven by in 1978 and privatized democratic organizing principles. They as a cooperatively COOPERATIVE BANK may be Alaska and Native American owned financial institution in 1981. It is enterprises, which by their very nature, currently owned by 3,000 customer/ are member run and member owned. owners. Website: www.ncb.coop Other customers may include NCB provides comprehensive E-mail: [email protected] community health centers or charter banking services to cooperatives and Phone: (703) 302-8876; (800) 955- schools, driven entirely by community other member-owned organizations 9622 needs. What they all have in common is throughout the country. What makes Mail: 2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 800, a single fundamental principle: they NCB unique is that the bank was Arlington, VA 22202 have joined together cooperatively to created to address the financial needs of Social media: @coopbanking on meet personal, social, and/or business an under-served market niche — people twitter; www.facebook.com/ needs. who join together cooperatively to meet NationalCooperativeBank; In accordance with our congressional personal, social or business needs, www.youtube.com/NationalCoopBank charter, NCB has a significant especially in low-income communities. Leader/contact: Charles E. Snyder, commitment to community NCB’s mission is to help President & CEO; Mary Alex revitalization. The employment of the cooperatives grow by supporting, and Blanton, Director of Marketing & cooperative model in the development being an advocate for, America’s Communication of business and affordable housing is cooperatives and their members, critical for low-income Americans, placing special emphasis on serving the helping to strengthen communities in needs of communities that are both urban and rural areas. As part of economically challenged. its mission, NCB targets 35 percent of NCB’s customers are cooperatives, its lending to benefit low-income such as grocery wholesaler co-ops, communities.

NCB employees built and donated more than 20 bikes for the holiday toy drive of Women Giving Back, based in Virginia, which serves low-income families during the holiday season. Photos courtesy NCB

30 July/August 2015 / Rural Cooperatives By dramatically leveraging its NCB is a socially responsible, and personal, by approaching every appropriation from Congress, NCB has cooperative financial institution. As customer as an individual and every succeeded in growing the original $184 such, the principles of collaboration, community as a partner. million capitalization to more than $5 impact and community are at the heart people. —By Mary Alex Blanton, NCB billion in specialized lending, invest- of its mission and business practices. Senior Vice President and Director of ments and technical assistance to under- These values have allowed NCB to Marketing and Communications ■ served communities across the country. operate in a way that is both profitable

Customer Highlights

Housing Small Business Amalgamated Housing Cooperative Glennallen Hardware & Lumber, LLC Bronx, N.Y. Glennallen, Alaska $30,000,000 First Mortgage $540,000 Amalgamated Housing Cooperative is the oldest limited- In Glennallen, Alaska, with a population of 483, Ernest and equity housing cooperative in the United States, consisting Rhonda Christian’s dream of owning a business became a of 1,482 units. It was originally sponsored by the reality following the retirement of the then-owner of Amalgamated Clothing Workers Union. NCB’s loan provided Glennallen Building Supply, who had operated the True the necessary funds to do major capital improvements at the Value store since 1997. NCB provided a $540,000 Small cooperative. Business Administration loan to purchase the land, building and business assets. The loan also funded property improve- Food/Grocery ments, inventory purchases and increased the retail space. Wheatsville Food Co-op Austin, Texas Native Organizations $4.7 million term loan Kodiak Microwave Systems $285,000 line of credit Kodiak Island, Alaska Wheatsville Food Co-op is a full service, natural foods $3.6 million term loan cooperative grocery store which has been serving the The lack of broadband access is a challenge in remote Austin community since 1976. Wheatsville is the only retail villages in Southwest Alaska. In 2014, NCB provided funds to food cooperative in Texas and has more than 15,000 invested refinance existing debt on the KMS 1 Microwave owners. NCB has financed two store locations which telecommunications system on Kodiak Island. The system employ 235 people. will decrease the cost of Internet access, given the current reliance on satellite technology.

NonProfit The Congregation of Benedictine Sisters Boerne, Texas $4.8 million real estate loan The Benedictine Sisters is a nonprofit, religious organization focused on assisting the poor, disenfranchised and youth in the community within and surrounding Boerne, Texas. NCB provided a $4.8 million loan to finance the construction of a new building on the existing campus that will provide housing for the 16 Sisters of the Congregation and serve as their administrative offices. The facility will not only enhance the current community life of the Sisters, but will also optimize the congregation’s current resources to better serve the future needs of both the Sisters and their NCB has financed two locations for the Wheatsville Food Co-op. mission.

Rural Cooperatives / July/August 2015 31 Representing the business, policy interests of farmer-owned co-ops

Since 1929, the cooperative professionals who monitor National Council of and analyze legal, tax and accounting Farmer Cooperatives NATIONAL COUNCIL OF issues important to farmer co-ops. The has been the voice of FARMER COOPERATIVES committee develops and recommends America’s farmer- policies relating to these matters, owned cooperatives. Our members are provides a forum for the exchange of regional and national farmer co-ops, Website: www.ncfc.org information among co-ops and acts as a which are in turn comprised of nearly Phone: 202-626-8700 resource for the advocacy of NCFC 3,000 local farmer cooperatives across Mailing address: 50 F Street, N.W., policies. the country. NCFC members also Suite 900, Washington, DC 20001 include state and regional councils of Social media: Twitter: Government Affairs Committee cooperatives. @farmercoops; https://www.face Development of public policies, For more than 100 years, farmer- book.com/FarmerCoop coalition building with other owned co-ops have played an integral Leaders/contacts: Chuck Conner, agricultural and food organizations and role in the lives of farmers, the business President & CEO; Marlis Carson, collaboration with members’ of agriculture and the economy of rural Senior Vice President, Legal, Tax government affairs representatives are America. Through their co-ops, & Accounting and General the purview of the NCFC Government individual farmers and ranchers gain Counsel Affairs Committee. Members identify, strength from their numbers that helps review and analyze public policies and preserve the family farm and a uniquely programs, including legislative and American way of life. regulator issues impacting farmer co- Farmer co-ops also reach into the lives of consumers across the globe. They play a central role in ensuring an abundant, safe, healthy and affordable food supply. From grains to dairy, meat to fruit, vegetables and nuts, and much more, farmers rely on their co-ops to Open dialogue and collaboration help them provide the food we eat and among top cooperative leaders and the clothes we wear. industry experts are some of the rewarding and popular benefits of NCFC’s mission and values NCFC membership. Our committee Our mission is to advance the system is one way members can business and public policy interests of participate in ongoing discussion with America’s cooperatives and other other cooperative experts on issues farmer-owned enterprises. In fulfilling impacting farmer-owned businesses. this mission, NCFC upholds four core Member cooperatives appoint values. These are: employees or other affiliated • Farmer ownership and control in the representatives to serve on NCFC ops and their producer-owners. production and distribution chain; committees. The group develops and • Continued economic viability of recommends to the NCFC board America’s farmers and ranchers and Legal, Tax and Accounting appropriate policies, strategies and the businesses they own; (LTA) Committee actions related to such issues. This • Stewardship of natural resources; The LTA Committee is comprised of forum facilitates increased coordination • Vibrant rural communities. some 200 attorneys, accountants and and communication in support of such

32 July/August 2015 / Rural Cooperatives strategies and seeks to maximize the opportunities for co-op staff and board the Directors Education Conference, political effectiveness of NCFC and its members to exchange ideas, learn from held in conjunction with the NCFC members. best practices and continue Annual Meeting, the Human Resources development of the skills needed for Conference and Cooperative Enhancing director skills farmer co-ops to thrive in today’s Sustainability Workshops. ■ NCFC also provides several economic environment. These include

Putting it all together for food co-ops

Natural and organic ■ A dynamic and transparent food sales are at an all- organization with clear, meaningful time high in the United NATIONAL ways for members to participate. States. Today, Members are successful in a competitive consumers can find CO+OP GROCERS market and have access to: healthy food almost anywhere they find • Competitive pricing; groceries. In an increasingly • Professional development and competitive market, one of the original, Websites: www.ncg.coop & training; pioneering healthy food retailers — www.strongertogether.coop • Product selection and sourcing community-owned food co-ops — are email: [email protected] tailored to common needs; investing in growth. To grow the Phone: 866-709-COOP (2667) • Operational and merchandising cooperative economy, co-ops should Mail address: 14 S. Linn St., Iowa “best practices.” unite to help ensure that they continue City, Iowa 52240 ■ A powerful advocacy voice on food to survive and thrive. Social media: https://www.face co-op issues. National Co+op Grocers (NCG), book.com/coop.strongertogether ■ A development mechanism for founded in 1999, is a business services https://twitter.com/strongrtogethr new and expanding co-ops. cooperative that connects and ■ Members who adhere to agreed empowers many of the nation’s retail upon co-op operating standards. food co-ops. Its 143 member and associate co-ops operate more than 190 Two paths to NCG membership stores in 38 states; they have combined NCG offers two ways for interested annual sales of more than $1.7 billion. co-ops to affiliate with, and participate in, its programs and services: as Providing national members or as associate co-ops. clout for local co-ops Because these two membership levels NCG’s mission is to provide the offer different benefits and access to vision, leadership and systems needed to By providing a variety of purchasing, services, each carries different catapult a virtual chain of food co-ops management, development, marketing requirements. NCG offers two levels into a position of prominence in the and other grocery related services, because it realizes not all co-ops are natural foods industry. It carries out this NCG affiliates are able to gain many of able to meet and adhere to its mission, in part, by helping to unify the advantages large grocery chains membership requirements. At the same food co-ops to optimize operational and enjoy, while still reflecting the unique time, it recognizes that all co-ops gain marketing resources, strengthen qualities of their local communities. by working together to strengthen the purchasing power and, ultimately, to On behalf of its members, NCG entire retail food co-op system. offer more value to food co-op shoppers continuously works toward the Both members and associate co-ops everywhere. following outcomes: enjoy numerous benefits. ■

Rural Cooperatives / July/August 2015 33 NASCO services help to bolster student housing co-ops

To help promote a NASCO also works to connect community-oriented aspiring cooperators with established cooperative movement, NORTH AMERICAN cooperative businesses. This may take the North American the form of connecting job seekers who Students of STUDENTS OF are passionate about cooperatives with Cooperation (NASCO) organizes COOPERATION co-ops looking to hire interns. In the affordable housing and group-equity past year, NASCO placed 12 co-op co-ops and educates members about leaders in paid internship positions with cooperatives. NASCO provides innovative cooperative organizations. Website: https://www.nasco.coop training, educational resources, With funding from the CHS E-mail: [email protected] technical assistance, development Foundation, it also created more than Phone: 773-404-2667 consulting and a network of support for 40 instructional videos, available free of Social media: Facebook.com/ its 60 member cooperatives. charge online, on topics that include NASCO.coop NASCO was created in 1968 by co-op development, economics, Twitter: @NASCO_Coops student housing cooperatives in the governance and compliance. Mailing address: 330 S. Wells St., United States and Canada to build NASCO provides development Suite 618-F, Chicago, IL 60606 strength and resilience through consulting for startup and expanding Leaders/contacts: Rek Kwawer, cooperation among cooperatives. Today, cooperatives. Last year, it provided Director of Operations, NASCO continues to build the initial consulting services to 30 groups [email protected]); Morgan cooperative movement by supporting and indepth consulting to four groups, Crawford, Director of Education, co-ops that leverage the “sweat equity” which led to two groups completing the [email protected]; Corrigan and passion of young people who create purchase of new residential properties. Nadon-Nichols, Director of and maintain cooperative spaces that In Athens, Ohio, NACSO guided Development, corrigan@ transform daily life. The Vine Co-op in acquiring a second, nasco.coop. In the past year, NASCO provided eight-person group house. This effort free onsite training and consultations involved NASCO Properties, a for 33 housing cooperative members. consortium of eight cooperatives that Many NASCO cooperatives are smaller hold property assets collectively. In groups with short-tenure members. Baltimore, Md., NASCO worked with Training can make a crucial difference Horizontal Housing for more than two in the success of such co-ops. NASCO years to acquire three adjacent row training for members covers board NASCO serves as conduit between houses as part of an urban farming and governance, meeting facilitation, many student and youth-led community center project. member-labor management, budgeting cooperatives and the larger cooperative NASCO takes an educational and finance, anti-oppression theory and sector. Each year, NASCO holds its approach to development, with co-op practice, building maintenance, legal Cooperative Education and Training members leading the process to create a compliance, and business and property Institute. This is an intense weekend of cooperative that meets their needs and development. workshops, networking and fun that is leaves them with the skills and NASCO also acts as a “help line,” or attended by more than 400 people, knowledge to continue to grow their clearinghouse, for cooperative best- from California to Quebec. Many cooperative and launch future practices questions. It helps to connect participants gain their first exposure to cooperative endeavors. NASCO co-op members, directors and staff with the larger cooperative movement member cooperatives are helping to their peers at other co-ops. “No one during the conference. Some go on to build a more cooperative society, knows everything, but together we become involved as directors, founders engaging students of cooperation to know a lot,” is one NASCO motto. or staff for other cooperatives. manifest this vision of the future. ■

34 July/August 2015 / Rural Cooperatives Connecting Cows, Co-ops, Capitol Hill and Consumers for 100 Years

The National Milk Inc. and the U.S. Dairy Export Council. Producers Federation In recent years, NMPF has fought advances the well-being NATIONAL MILK for dairy-friendly policies in areas of dairy producers and PRODUCERS including trade, immigration, the the cooperatives they FEDERATION environment and food safety. It has also own. Its members produce the majority led the dairy industry in opposing of the nation’s milk supply, making efforts to make raw milk more NMPF the voice of more than 32,000 Website: www.nmpf.org accessible to consumers, stressing the dairy producers on Capitol Hill and E-mail: [email protected] public health risks associated with with government agencies. Phone: (703) 243-6111 consuming milk that has not been NMPF, established in 1916 in Social media: pasteurized. Chicago and based since the 1980s in www.facebook.com/nationalmilk In 2003, NMPF created Arlington, Va., was one of the country’s www.twitter.com/nmpf Cooperatives Working Together, a first agricultural trade associations. Mail address: 2101 Wilson voluntary, producer-funded export Today, after a century of operation, it is Boulevard, Suite 400, assistance program that last year helped still recognized as one of its most Arlington, VA 22201 farmer-owned cooperatives sell the influential farm membership Leaders: Board Chairman: Randy equivalent of nearly 2.5 billion pounds organizations. Mooney, Rogersville, Mo.; NMPF of milk overseas. The National Milk Producers President and CEO: Jim Mulhern In 2009, the organization created an Federation was founded by a handful of animal care program, Farmers Assuring dairy leaders amid the milk strikes and Responsible Management, which now turmoil that characterized dairy involves 90 percent of the nation’s milk production early in the 20th century. supply. In 2013, NMPF took over NMPF scored numerous legislative management of the iconic dairy victories over the decades, with early REAL® Seal, the red-and-white milk- successes including the enactment of drop symbol that has been distinguish- the Capper-Volstead Act — known as ing between real and imitation dairy the Cooperative Bill of Rights — in which established the dairy price products since the 1970s. 1922, and the establishment of the support program that was just ended by Finally, in the wake of the 2008-09 federal milk marketing order program the 2014 Farm Bill. In the 1940s and recession, NMPF conceptualized and in the 1930s. 1950s, the federation helped establish spearheaded enactment in 2014 of the The federation also lobbied and expand the National School Lunch dairy producer Margin Protection successfully for tariffs and duties on Program and other federal child and Program, the most significant rewrite of imported dairy products and challenged adult nutrition programs. federal dairy policy in a generation. the manufacture and marketing of Organizationally, the federation None of these efforts would have oleomargarine and other imitation dairy helped create the National Council of been possible without the help of foods. Farmer Cooperatives in the 1920s, NMPF’s producer, cooperative and The federation joined with other sponsored the first national Dairy associate members, who together farm groups to secure passage of the Month in the 1930s and spurred the determine and carry out the Packers and Stockyard Act in 1921 and formation of the American Dairy organization’s programs and policies. the 1926 law that created the Association in 1940. In the mid-1980s, Their involvement has sustained the Agriculture Department’s Cooperative it convinced Congress to create the organization for nearly a century, and Marketing Division. It also was mandatory national dairy check-off their continued commitment will assure instrumental in enactment of the program, which today funds promotion the organization thrives into the 21st landmark Agricultural Act of 1949, efforts that include Dairy Management century. ■

Rural Cooperatives / July/August 2015 35 CFC provides financial support for nation’s rural electric co-ops

The National Rural on delivering credit to America’s Utilities Cooperative electric cooperative network and Finance Corporation NATIONAL RURAL designing innovative products that (CFC) is a member- specifically meet the vital capital needs owned, nonprofit UTILITIES COOPERATIVE of each system. CFC offers a wide cooperative based in Dulles, Va., that FINANCE CORPORATION range of innovative services and was incorporated in 1969. CFC products, ranging from basic long-term provides capital and industry-leading loans and short-term letters of credit to financial products to America’s 900- syndications. It has also had a unique plus, not-for-profit, consumer- Website: www.nrucfc.coop relationship with the Federal controlled electric cooperatives and E-mail: PublicRelations@ Agricultural Mortgage Corporation rural utility systems. CFC members are nrucfc.coop (Farmer Mac) in recent years. located in 48 states, the District of Phone: 800-424-2954 Unlike a bank or for-profit lending Columbia and two U.S. territories, Mailing address: 20701 Cooper- institution, CFC does not exist to where they serve more than 42 million ative Way maximize profit. As part of its mission consumers. Dulles, VA 20166 to serve member systems, CFC takes a CFC’s origins can be traced to 1958, Social media: conservative approach, setting loan when electric cooperative leaders began www.facebook.com/ rates that cover costs while maintaining to publicly recognize the need for new cooperativefinancecorporation a margin-supporting, long-term capital sources of financing to supplement Twitter: @coopfinancecorp strength. Excess margins are returned lending programs of the Rural Leader/Contact: Brad Captain, to members as patronage capital, with Electrification Administration (REA), Senior Vice President, Corporate more than $1.5 billion retired since now the USDA Rural Utilities Service. Relations Group 1980. In 1967, electric cooperatives began By maintaining high credit standards devising a plan for meeting future and investment-grade credit ratings financing needs. After almost two years from Moody’s Investors Service, Fitch of deliberation and discussion, electric Ratings and Standard & Poor’s cooperatives approved the creation of a Corporation, CFC provides its self-help cooperative financing members with competitively priced organization that would be charged financing and investment opportunities. with raising funds for its members from While serving as the electric the capital markets. cooperative voice to Wall Street, CFC The CFC concept was unique. The takes pride in the support shown by its combined strength of member systems electric cooperative members and let CFC issue financial securities and owners. raise funds from the market that most Member investments and equity total members could not access on their own. roughly 20 percent of CFC’s total debt REA also agreed to share with CFC the funding. This demonstration of The CFC headquarters building in Dulles, Va. mortgages it already held on borrowers’ confidence keeps costs down for all utility networks. member systems. At the time, the concept of game” by investing in Capital Term In addition to financing, CFC — the mortgage-backed securities was very Certificates to provide CFC needed only lender created and owned by new and untried in the non- equity. America’s electric cooperatives — governmental sector. In addition, Today, CFC — governed by a 23- provides members with tailored members put their own “skin in the member board of directors — focuses financial planning models, forecasting

36 July/August 2015 / Rural Cooperatives and analytical tools, electric rate times, CFC has stayed true to its electric cooperatives seek financing, in analyses and world-class educational mission: ensuring that electric amounts both large and small, CFC’s training opportunities. cooperatives can access the funding commitment and promise to deliver Even in the most difficult economic they require to keep the lights on. As that credit has never been stronger. ■

NSAC a valuable resource for co-op financial professionals

In 1935, the National our live webinar learning platform, live Society of Accountants sessions at our annual conference and for Cooperatives NATIONAL SOCIETY OF through our nine regional chapters and (NSAC) was formed in ACCOUNTANTS FOR the national chapter. In 2014-15, NSAC the wake of regulatory COOPERATIVES offered more than 190 hours of changes and newly created tax education and training in addition to provisions in the United States that upgrading the support and guidance created oversight into the financial Website: www.nsac.coop provided to the chapters. recordkeeping of cooperatives. The E-mail: [email protected], Through partnerships and key founders of NSAC recognized that Phone: 937-222-6707 relationships with organizations that there was a critical need for expert Mail address: 136 South Keowee work with and for cooperatives, NSAC information, education and networking Street, Dayton, Ohio 45402 has provided written support for tax and for those responsible for the financial Leader/contact: Jeff Roberts, accounting legislation that would reporting and management of Association Executive maintain and enhance the operation of cooperatives. cooperatives. NSAC collaborated with Today, with more than 1,600 the National Rural Electric Cooperative members, NSAC remains dedicated to Association (NRECA) to provide more providing information, education and than 70 breakout sessions and seven promoting networking among the general sessions at the 2015 Tax, accountants, attorneys, CEOs, chief Finance & Accounting Conference for financial officers, controllers, tax Cooperatives, held in early August in directors, insurance and other financial Denver. professionals who comprise NSAC’s Recently, Kenneth Spearman, past membership. NSAC members and president of NSAC, was appointed by partners represent virtually all President Obama to serve as the cooperative sectors: agriculture, worker, NSAC provides networking and chairman and CEO of the $282 billion supply, marketing, electric, telephone, professional development opportunities Farm Credit Administration. Spearman grocery, hardware, insurance and for members and supports cooperative is a U.S. Army veteran who served in others. business interests in standard-setting Viet Nam and has a distinguished, 28- NSAC encourages an ethical processes to enable our members to year career in the cooperative citrus approach to meet or exceed a required effectively serve cooperatives. industry. Spearman was named to the standard. Where no standard exists, we Using the input of members through Farm Credit board in 2009. encourage accuracy and transparency. standing committees, NSAC is able to NSAC membership is open to To guide our Society, we strive to be identify and respond to relevant anyone employed by or affiliated with a the recognized leader in providing accounting and tax issues on a timely cooperative, or who provides pro- accounting, tax and business education basis. NSAC provides enhanced and fessional services or is engaged in the uniquely tailored to cooperatives. expanded educational programs through advancement of cooperative principles. ■

Rural Cooperatives / July/August 2015 37 NRECA works with utility co-ops to build crucial rural infrastructure

In June 2015, National community solar projects, advanced Rural Electric lighting and an array of other Cooperative NATIONAL RURAL technologies. NRECA is partnering Association (NRECA) ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE with Honeywell, Carnegie Melon facilitated a day-long ASSOCIATION University and Cigital to develop a new conversation about rural issues with a approach, funded by the U.S. group of experts from diverse fields. Department of Energy, to cybersecurity Over the course of many conversations, Website: www.nreca.coop for utilities. a shared vision began to emerge. New E-mail: [email protected] But more needs to be done. ideas, new data and new technologies Phone: 703-907-5732 Over and over again, rural summit hold the potential to bring renewed Mailing address: 4301 Wilson participants pointed to the lack of vitality to America’s rural communities. Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22203 broadband as a limiting factor in Just as electricity boosted rural Social media: economic development. Put simply, economies and raised the quality of life www.facebook.com/ NRECA.coop broadband gives rural communities in the early part of the 20th century, Twitter: @NRECANews access to economic opportunities. And new investments in technology Leaders/Contact: Jo Ann Emerson, for many of us in today’s world, infrastructure will promote the viability CEO; Jim Bausell, Vice President broadband access will boost the quality of rural areas in the new economy. of Communications of life in remote areas. As the trade association for more Co-ops are stepping up. In southern than 900 rural electric co-ops that can Virginia, which faced an enormous help lay the foundation for necessary economic development challenge as the rural infrastructure, NRECA aspires to industries that built the region’s partner with co-ops, federal agencies economy – furniture, textiles, and and other co-op affiliates to realize the tobacco – went into decline, rural vision articulated at the rural summit. in modernizing the electric grid. Co- communities were struggling to recruit NRECA has committed to assisting ops lead the industry in deploying and retain 21st-century jobs. Old co-ops in building a workforce that can digital meters, a central component of a Dominion Electric Cooperative compete in this new economy. The future “smart grid.” In Kentucky, for (ODEC) identified lack of broadband as association offers members a wide example, every one of the distribution a significant economic hurdle and selection of professional conferences, as co-ops has deployed smart meters. proposed deploying a fiber-optic well as in-person and online training, Smart grid technologies are already backbone along Route 58 in the heart covering everything from cybersecurity improving the reliability of rural of the region. and renewable energy integration to co- electric systems and making the electric To accomplish this goal, the op governance. Fundamentally, system more efficient overall. cooperative helped establish Mid- NRECA’s education program seeks to There has been a surge in Atlantic Broadband Cooperative make the wealth of experience and cooperative innovation, including (MBC), which secured millions of knowledge residing in the network substantial investment in renewable dollars in state and federal funding for available to co-ops not only in this resources. NRECA’s member-driven the project. In 2006, MBC began country, but also abroad. research program plays a role in this transmitting data via fiber-optic cable In addition to professional trend, piloting and demonstrating new along Route 58. development, NRECA also offers technologies at cooperatives and With the continued support of member co-ops health care and monitoring technology developments. ODEC, MBC has been able to expand retirement options that can help them Rural co-ops are testing micro-grids, its mission far beyond the originally attract and retain workers. batteries and energy-storage systems, proposed service area along Route 58 By some measures, co-ops are ahead automated load-management programs, into 20 Virginia counties. To date,

38 July/August 2015 / Rural Cooperatives MBC has provided fiber-optic links to policymakers to craft a regulatory The vision of sustainable rural 60 industrial and technology parks and framework than can accommodate the communities will remain just a vision is currently working to bring broadband uniqueness of the cooperative business without a commitment to building to all of the secondary schools in its model. In large part, that means telling public-private partnerships. NRECA service territory. the co-op story to the universe of stands ready to join with co-ops and our To maximize public and co-op regulatory and legislative staff both in stalwart partners to make this investments, NRECA works with Washington, D.C., and elsewhere. commitment. ■

Helping rural telecoms bridge the rural/urban divide with broadband

NTCA—The Rural communications service. NTCA Broadband Association member companies currently deploy is a nonprofit NTCA–THE broadband services to 96 percent of association representing RURAL BROADBAND K–12 schools in their service areas and nearly 900 independent, ASSOCIATION 98 percent of public libraries. community-based telecommunications NTCA is a full-service association, companies that are leading innovation offering a wide array of member in rural and small-town America. These Website: www.ntca.org services, including: an effective “telecoms” serve customers in the rural E-mail: [email protected] government affairs program; expert areas of 46 states, with a service area Phone: 703-351-2000 legal and industry representation; a that covers more than 40 percent of the Social media: https://www.face broad range of educational services; nation’s landmass. book.com/NTCARuralTelecom comprehensive regular and special On average, the customer density of https://twitter.com/NTCAconnect publications; public relations programs; NTCA member companies is about https://www.youtube.com/user/Rur assistance with business and technology seven subscribers per square mile. In an alTelecommunity programs; and a complement of era of rapidly evolving technology, Mail address: 4121 Wilson Blvd., national and regional meetings. deregulation and marketplace Suite 1000, Arlington, Va. 22203. NTCA also offers a complete range competition, NTCA’s goal is to ensure Leaders: CEO: Shirley Bloomfield; of employee benefits programs through that rural Americans receive Board President: James M. “Jim” its wholly owned subsidiary, Services telecommunications service on par with Dauby Management Corporation. The benefits those available to urban residents — program ensures that members and and at comparable rates. their employees have health care, NTCA’s members are complete retirement income, savings plans and communications providers, offering insurance. every service from high-speed Internet The Telecommunications Education to video and voice services. NTCA of NTCA members provide broadband Committee Organization is the members are delivering services that services at speeds of more than 10 association’s political action committee. make rural markets vibrant places to megabits per second. The Foundation for Rural Service is live, work, raise a family and remain In addition to broadband and voice NTCA’s nonprofit, 501(c)(3) competitive with technological innovation. services, more than three-quarters of organization. The foundation’s mission A 2013 survey of NTCA members NTCA members offer video services to is to promote, educate and advocate to found that 100 percent of respondents their customers, including Internet the public on rural telecommunications offer broadband to their customers, Protocol (IP)-based television services issues in order to sustain and enhance compared with 58 percent of and traditional cable TV. Another 60 the quality of life within rural respondents in 2000. Nearly two-thirds percent provide wireless communities. ■

Rural Cooperatives / July/August 2015 39 Helping Build a Cooperative Economy

Northcountry cooperatives have access to the Cooperative technical assistance and training Development Fund resources to support the cooperative’s (NCDF) is a national success. loan fund and NORTHCOUNTRY In 2014, NCDF made $3 million in Community Development Financial COOPERATIVE loans to cooperatives, and our loans Institution (CDFI) that provides helped leverage $30 million in financing for cooperatively owned small DEVELOPMENT FUND additional capital from other sources. businesses and housing. NCDF is Examples of recent projects include: organized as a cooperative association owned by more than 175 cooperatives Durham Cooperative in 30 states, including consumer, Market, Durham, N.C. housing, producer and worker-owned Website: www.ncdf.coop Durham Cooperative Market is a cooperatives. E-mail: [email protected] consumer-owned retail grocery co-op in Over many years, the organization Phone: 612-767-2114 Durham, N.C., which opened in March has established a successful track record, Mail address: 2600 E Franklin Ave, 2015. The cooperative began providing more than $40 million in Suite 2, Minneapolis, MN 55406 organizing in 2008 to offer the loans to over 800 cooperative startups Leader/contact: Christina community access to local and organic and expansions. Jennings, Executive Director products. NCDF was founded in 1978 by In 2014, NCDF partnered with two cooperatives that were frustrated by the other lenders to make a $576,000 loan challenges of trying to get bank for the co-op’s $2 million project. financing. They came together to create Completion of the 10,000-square-foot a self-help, revolving-loan fund to store also required the support of a enable them to invest in each other’s local community development businesses and obtain financing not organization and loans from members. available to them from conventional The co-op is bringing more economic lenders. As a federal certified CDFI, activity to the neighborhood, creating NCDF provides the majority of our jobs for local people and providing an financing to cooperatives located in important additional market for local economically disadvantaged and under- farmers. served communities and to businesses NCDF members provide 40 percent of without access to conventional the fund’s capital. Those investments Irvington Court Realty financing. The projects supported are leveraged to raise socially minded Company, Indianapolis, Ind. provide living-wage jobs, build investments from foundations, religious The Irvington Court housing co-op community wealth and provide access institutions and banks. is home to 18 families who live in the to dignified affordable housing in rural In addition to offering loans, staff two rows of brick townhouses facing a and urban communities. provides training and technical pleasant courtyard in a historic NCDF offers loans of $5,000 to assistance to startup and expanding neighborhood of Indianapolis. The $500,000 to finance real estate cooperatives, helping them understand homes were built for railroad workers acquisition, leasehold improvements, financing options, lender requirements in 1924 and were converted to a equipment, inventory and working and develop realistic financing plans. housing cooperative in 1951. The capital. Capital comes from member NCDF frequently partners with cooperative structure has helped keep equity and loans and preferred stock cooperative development centers and the homes affordable even as area from members and non-members. other experts to ensure that housing prices have risen. “The co-op

40 July/August 2015 / Rural Cooperatives The ribbon-cutting celebration for the opening of the Durham Co-op Market last March was a festive occasion, culminating a process that began in 2008. Photos courtesy NCDF made it possible to stay here,” says Sue Taylor, a 20-year resident. When the co-op needed a loan for a new boiler heating system, a local bank said it didn’t know how to structure a loan for a housing co-op. The members turned to NCDF, which provided a $150,000 mortgage to replace the boiler and add new gutters and downspouts. It also provided assistance to the co-op’s board to help create a maintenance budget and to establish capital reserves to fund future projects. ■

The Irvington Court housing co-op, in a historic area of Indianapolis, Ind., has helped to maintain the complex as affordable housing while real estate values around it have soared.

Rural Cooperatives / July/August 2015 41 Helping manufactured-housing owners take charge of community destiny

It began as a one-time outlined a host of problems in the fix to a pressing MHC sector: sharp rent increases problem. Now, the following a sale, parks being sold for a social venture ROC more profitable change of use, failing USA® has brought ROC USA infrastructure that wasn’t being together other nonprofit groups from addressed, unfair evictions and more. coast to coast to make resident Eades had discovered a mostly invisible ownership of manufactured-home sector of affordable housing that no one communities (“mobile home parks”) was talking about as a problem. Or an Website: www.rocusa.org / viable and successful in 14 states. More opportunity. www.myROCUSA.org than 10,000 homes are now Today, 25 percent of the e-mail: [email protected] permanently part of affordable manufactured-home communities in Phone: (603) 513-2791 communities, providing individuals and New Hampshire are resident owned. Mailing address: 6 Loudon Road, families with a secure footing on which Word of the New Hampshire ROC Suite 501 Concord, NH 03301 to build wealth, spur civic engagement, portfolio’s demonstrated success spread Social media: and improve their lives and those of outside the Granite State. Paul Bradley, www.facebook.com/ future generations. then the Community Loan Fund’s vice rocusa.bettertogether, Twitter: But its success is rooted in 13 president, organized a 2006 training, @ROCUSAorg homeowners’ struggle to stave off the inviting affordable housing Leaders/contacts: Paul Bradley, closure of their small community and practitioners, cooperative developers President, ROC USA, LLC; the loss of their biggest assets — their and other professionals to come to New [email protected] homes. Hampshire and learn together. Homeowners in commercial Bradley then spent the next 18 manufactured-home communities months creating a business plan and (MHCs) live half the American Dream. raising start-up capital for a sustainable They enjoy homeownership, but rent social venture. The plan was to scale the land under their homes. Third- ROCs through three core services: party landlords also own the roads, • Pre-purchase, purchase, and community features and infrastructure, construction/rehabilitation financing; and control the rent and park rules. In • Pre- and post-purchase technical 1984, the owners of Meredith Trailer board of directors. Swack, who had assistance; and Park in New Hampshire needed to sell recently helped establish the New • Ongoing member services. their park. The homeowners, their Hampshire Community Loan Fund, This combination truly changes the longtime “tenants,” were rebuffed at a suggested the park residents form a value proposition for homeowners in local bank when they sought a loan to cooperative to buy their community. manufactured home communities. In buy the property; they were told they They did, and what began as a the ROC USA model, ROC members didn’t have sufficient equity or mission-driven, one-off project for the buy one low-cost share of the resident experience in running a community. fledgling Community Loan Fund corporation and join a community run One homeowner had a connection to blossomed into a resident ownership by a democratically elected board. a New Hampshire College student who movement that changed the face of the Members set the budget and the rent; needed a community development New Hampshire manufactured-home they decide when to invest in project to finish her master’s degree. sector. community improvements. They enjoy She discussed the park residents’ Community Loan Fund President the security of knowing they will never problem with her professor, Michael Julie Eades soon realized that the issue be forced to move. Swack, who today serves on ROC USA’s was systemic and widespread. Callers Today, ROC USA’s network of eight

42 July/August 2015 / Rural Cooperatives certified technical assistance providers is equipped to work in 23 states. Together, we have helped 171 communities in 14 states become resident-owned. We are 10,000 homes strong and growing. Capitalizing on the size of the network, ROC USA and technical assistance providers are increasingly delivering scalable member services, including marketing, leadership development, purchasing discounts and more, Many services are delivered through innovative online community centers called “myROCUSA.org.” But we’re far from done. ROC USA is working to develop low-interest community rehabilitation loans, a fixed- rate home loan program and other key services. We look forward to being 15,000 homes strong and still growing. —By Mike Bullard [email protected] ■

Clackamas River Community Cooperative (below) is a 76-site manufactured-home community in Clackamas, Ore. The cooperative purchased the community for $5 million in October 2012. Photo by Mike Bullard. Above: Cranberry Village is a resident-owned co-op in Carver, Mass. Photos courtesy ROC USA

Rural Cooperatives / July/August 2015 43 State Co-op Councils Grow By Serving Wide Diversity of Needs

We all think that our Cooperative Principle Six, for cooperative extension services and cooperative is unique, “Cooperation Among Cooperatives.” It cooperative education. State and correctly so, is becoming more common for co-ops cooperative councils have thus moved because our members to ask for assistance across state to help “fill the gap” by sponsoring and their needs are boundaries, with some co-ops director and employee educational different from any other cooperative in belonging to more than one cooperative programs for multiple cooperative the world. While they may have many council. Some state councils support sectors. things in common, no two cooperatives state rural electric co-ops or credit For example, the Mid-America are alike. Similarly, state councils of union leagues, in addition to offering Cooperative Council partnered with the cooperatives have members who are technical assistance to other state Michigan State Cooperative seeking to have their unique needs councils. Development Center to conduct a served by an association or council. For example, a startup health cooperative director training program, There are about 30 state cooperative insurance cooperative in Illinois has focused on educating younger members councils in the United States, roughly asked the Cooperative Network (which and directors about their legal duties half of which have at least one full-time primarily serves members in Wisconsin and governance issues. The program employee. The other half operate and Minnesota) for support, based on had a very diverse group of attendees through an all-volunteer working board the Network’s expertise in starting and was a rich learning experience. of directors. insurance cooperatives. The Mid- A break-out group session included Agriculture co-ops tend to the America Co-op Council sponsors a farm supply and fruit marketing co-op biggest industry sector for council credit conference for co-op financial directors who discussed co-op memberships, but more than 15 other professionals. This program has governance issues with food and business sectors are represented on the attracted attendees from a dozen states housing co-op directors. Grain councils. Councils may be focused on who share ideas about how to meet producers who were growing one state, or have members in a number common challenges. This council also genetically modified (GMO) grain of states. The number of member co- partners with the National Society for varieties discussed cooperative ops in these state councils ranges from Cooperative Accountants to offer its governance with food cooperative about a dozen to more than 400 co-ops. members continuing education credit. directors who often refuse to allow From my perspective as the executive ■ Many state or regional cooperative GMO products in their stores. director of a state cooperative council, councils began when smaller groups Directors for livestock genetics, milk the following are some key points about realized they could work more marketing and laundry cooperatives these councils: effectively together. Other councils were also in attendance. All left the ■ Each state council is unique — grew from university extension services. event as more knowledgeable none conform to a “cookie cutter” Some councils are almost exclusively cooperative directors. pattern. Services provided to members engaged in state legislative and ■ Many cooperative councils offer are as different as the members regulatory affairs. Many of their co-op strategic planning or economic studies themselves. Just as each cooperative members are facing a myriad of new for their members. Members of one began because of unmet needs in the regulations, and state councils have state cooperative council recognized a marketplace, so cooperative councils are responded by forging strong need for labor in rural areas. So the driven to help their members succeed relationships with their state legislatures council members began speaking to by finding new ways to provide them and regulatory agencies. universities and community colleges in with a wide variety of services. If ■ Many cooperative councils also their state about cooperative career anything, the services members seek focus on Cooperative Principle Five, opportunities. This resulted in classes from state councils will become even “Education, Information and Training.” that explain the cooperative business more diverse in the years ahead. As university funding has changed in model and ways to recruit employees ■ Cooperative councils practice the past decade, so too has its support for co-ops.

44 July/August 2015 / Rural Cooperatives ■ Funding for cooperative councils development grants to carry out their contributing to its support. is mostly derived from member dues. work, while others rely on sponsorships State cooperative councils need For some councils, funding comes from vendors who serve the co-op everyone’s support and engagement. We primarily from one industry sector sector. are all better served when co-ops (perhaps agriculture), while for others Unfortunately, many cooperatives cooperate with each other via their state the funding comes from diverse have not joined their state cooperative councils! —By Rod Kelsey, Executive industry sectors (perhaps ag, utilities, council, presenting a “free rider” Director Mid-America Cooperative Council finance/credit unions, etc.). A few co-op problem. They enjoy many of the ■ councils receive USDA cooperative benefits of a council’s work, without

State Cooperative Councils

Alabama Council of Cooperatives Florida Council of Cooperatives Kansas Cooperative Council (3/08) Contact: Contact: Contact: Ray Huddleston, Secretary/Treasurer David Bridges, President Leslie Kaufman, President/CEO P.O. Box 2648 330 N Brevand Avenue 816 SW Tyler, Suite 300 Auburn, AL 36831-2648 Arcadia, FL 34266-4502 Topeka, KS 66612-1635 334-821-4261 800-307-5672 785-233-4085 [email protected] 785-220-4068 / Cell Arkansas State Committee on Cooperatives [email protected] Contact: Georgia Cooperative Council, Inc. www.kansasco-op.coop Kim Magee, Secretary Contact: P.O. Box 391 Cindy Greene, Executive Director Amy Chambers Little Rock, AR 72203 35 Amanda Drive 1515 E. 30th Avenue 510-671-2082 Eastman, GA 31023 P.O. Box 1747 478-278-8000 Hutchinson, KS 67504-1747 Agricultural Council of California [email protected] 620-662-0662 Contact: [email protected] Emily Rooney, CEO Idaho Cooperative Council, Inc. 1000 G Street, Suite 230 Contact: Kentucky Council of Cooperatives Sacramento, CA 95814 Rick Waitley, Executive Director Contact: 916-952-4887 55 SW 5th Ave., Suite 100 Mickey Miller 916-952-9151 / Cell Meridian, ID 83642-3030 306 Charles E. Barnhart Bldg. [email protected] 208-888-0988 University of Kentucky www.agcouncil.org [email protected] Lexington, KY 40546-0276 859-257-1637 Cooperative Network (Minn,, Wis.) Illinois Cooperative Coordinating Committee Contact: Contact: Louisiana Council of Farmer Cooperatives Bill Oemichen, President CEO Nancy McDonald Contact: 1 S. Pinckney Street, Ste. 810 6460 S. 6th St. Frontage Rd. East Billy Gibson, Executive Dir Madison, WI 53703-2869 Springfield, IL 62708 P.O. Box 667 608-258-4407 217-529-5561 Thibodaux, LA 70302-0667 [email protected] [email protected] 985-446-9450 [email protected] Tim Clay, VP of Operations Iowa Institute for Cooperatives Lenny Waguespack, Secretary 608-258-4384 Contact: [email protected] [email protected] Dave Holm, Executive Director 2515 University Blvd., Suite 104 Louisiana Association of Cooperatives (8/09) Matt Hughes, Minn. Managing Director Ames, IA 50010 Contact: 651-228-0214 515-292-2667 Harvey Reed, Executive Director [email protected] [email protected] P.O. Box 2067 www.iowainstitute.coop Greta, LA 70054 504-319-1085 [email protected]

Rural Cooperatives / July/August 2015 45 Mid-America Cooperative Council (8/09) The Cooperative Marketing Association in Tennessee Council of Cooperatives (9-08) Contact: New Jersey Contact: Rod Kelsay, Executive Director Contact: Charles Curtis, President 6302 Rucker Road, Suite H Austin B. Maggioncald, Treasurer Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation Indianapolis, IN 46220 P.O. Box 606 P.O. Box 313 317-726-6910 Buena, NJ 08310-0606 Columbia, TN 38402-0310 317-409-2038 / Cell 856-696-2200 931-388-7872 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] www.macc.coop www.tennesseecouncilofcoops.org Northeast Cooperative Council Minnesota Association of Cooperatives Contact: Texas Agricultural Cooperative Council See Cooperative Network above Roberta Severson, Executive Contact: Dept. of Applied Economics and Tommy Engelke, Executive Vice President Mississippi Council of Cooperatives Management, Cornell University 1210 San Antonio Street, Suite 101 Contact: 425 Warren Hall Austin, TX 78701 P.O. Box 3300 Ithaca, NY 14853-7801 512-450-0555 Ridgeland, MS 39158 607-255-1987 512-585-0993 / Cell mscouncil.coop [email protected] [email protected] www.cooperatives.dyson.cornell.edu www.texas.coop Missouri Institute of Cooperatives Contact: Oklahoma Cooperative Council Utah Council of Farmer Cooperatives (9-08) Kristi Livingston, Education Coordinator Contact: Contact: University of Missouri R. J. Gray, Executive Director Christopher Falco, President 200 Mumford Hall P.O. Box 13548 P.O. Box 95850 Columbia, MO 65211 Oklahoma City, OK 73113 0714 South Jordan Gateway 573-882-0140 405-880-6867 South Jordan, UT 84095 [email protected] [email protected] 801-255-4228 www.mic.coop www.okagcoop.org [email protected]

Montana Council of Cooperatives Agricultural Cooperative Council of Oregon Virginia Council of Farmer Cooperatives, Inc. Contact: Contact: (3-12) Janice Brown Misty Slagle, Executive Secretary Contact: P.O. Box 3027; 12 3rd St. N.W. Ste. 110 6745 SW Hampton, Suite 101 Phil Miller, Executive Secretary Great Falls, MT 59404 Portland, OR 97223 P.O. Box 25202 406-727-1517 503-924-1181 Richmond, VA 23260-5202 [email protected] [email protected] 804-281-1211 [email protected] Cooperative Council of North Carolina South Carolina Cooperative Council (8/09) Contact: Contact: Washington State Council of Farmer Jennie R. Gentry, President Marie Stiles, Executive Director Cooperatives P.O. Box 10426 151 Rocky Ridge Road Contact: Raleigh, NC 27605 Leesville, SC 29070 Dan Coyne, Executive Director 919-834-5544 803-604-9191 625 Delphi Road NW 919-744-7434 / Cell 605-222-0330 / Cell Olympia, WA 98502 [email protected] [email protected] www.wscfc.org www.scco-opcouncil.org 360-786-8180 Nebraska Cooperative Council 360-951-5262 / Cell Contact: South Dakota Association of Cooperatives [email protected] Robert C. (Bob) Andersen Contact: 134 South 13th St., Suite 503 Brenda Forman, Executive Director Wisconsin Federation of Cooperatives Lincoln, NE 68508-1901 116 N Euclid See Cooperative Network above 402/475-6555 Pierre, SD 57501 [email protected] 605-945-2548 [email protected] www.sdac.coop

46 July/August 2015 / Rural Cooperatives Funding food co-op development throughout America

The mission of the Due to the more than $100,000 Twin Pines Cooperative TWIN PINES donated for our Golden Jubilee Year Foundation (TPCF) is (1965-2015) and to TPCF’s actively to support the national COOPERATIVE pursuing the sixth Cooperative development of food FOUNDATION Principle — “Cooperation among cooperatives, as well as some other cooperatives” — the CCF program is types of co-ops. TPCF is the leading Website: www.community.coop undergoing rapid growth. co-op provider of equity capital to E-mail: cmurnighan@ By fiscal 2020, it is estimated that 70 cooperative development organizations community.coop or dthompcoop@ participant co-ops supported by the (CDOs) in the United States. aol.com CCF will: Whether a food co-op is expanding Phone: 530-753-COOP or 530-757- • Serve more than 50 million customers in its present location, moving to a 2233 in co-op food stores annually; larger location or expanding to Mail address: 216 F. Street, PMB • Complete about $1 billion in annual additional locations, TPCF’s dollars are 1844, Davis, Calif. 95616 retail trade; at work through CDOs. The same is Leaders: Exec. Director: Cathy • Serve 1.5 million people in 500,000 true for many worker co-ops, housing Murnighan; President: David J. member households; co-ops and manufactured housing Thompson (e-mails above) • Operate more than 90 retail locations communities that are converting to co- in 25 states; ops. TPCF also provides support for • Invest $5 million equity in saving farmland from development. cooperative development TPCF’s dollars are helping to build the organizations; U.S. cooperative sector every day! Leverage $50 million for co-op TPCF is best known for operating development throughout the United the Cooperative Community Fund States. (CCF) program. Many of the food co- During TPCF’s Golden Jubilee Year, more than $100,000 was raised to bring new co-ops into the CCF program. For ops that participate in the program are 2016, it is anticipated that another in rural areas. By 2020, our goal is for $100,000 will be raised. Among CCF to provide support for 70 food co- organizations that provided funding for ops and to leverage the investment of the effort are: Blooming Prairie $5 million in assets into $50 million of Foundation; Cabot Creamery; Capital capital for co-op development. Impact Partners; Equal Exchange; Every dollar invested by the Frontier Co-op; National Cooperative TPCF/CCF program leverages $10 of Bank; National Cooperative Grocers; additional financing for co-op Organic Valley and The Cooperative development. To protect farmland and Foundation. family farmers, TPCF operates Co-op The CCF program actively fulfills Farmland Trust. three of the International Cooperative The CCF program dollars do double Alliances Cooperative Principles: duty. By 2020, the 70 food co-ops that Education, training and information; CCF helps sponsor will be donating Cooperation among cooperatives; and Co-op food stores frequently turn to the Twin more than $200,000 per year from Concern for community. —By David Pines Cooperative Foundation for financial endowment interest they earn to local Thompson, President, Twin Pines backing. nonprofit community groups. Foundation ■

Rural Cooperatives / July/August 2015 47 University Cooperative Centers play crucial role in spreading co-op knowledge

Cooperative education The University of Missouri puts programs are vital if the much of its energy into a co-op cooperative business UNIVERSITY conference every summer: The model is to thrive and Graduate Institute of Cooperative expand. Yet there has COOPERATIVE Leadership. This Institute is designed been a great deal of concern among CENTERS to enable cooperative leaders to acquire cooperative advocates and educators and develop new approaches for leading during the past 25 years or longer that and managing in the changing global the business curriculum at the nation’s marketplace. Summer Institute colleges includes ever-less course participants gain knowledge to help material about cooperatives. agenda that examines cooperative issues their cooperative improve performance. To help counter this trend, a number across multiple business and social It addresses such topics as: of land-grant universities and others are sectors. • Are basic cooperative principles teaching cooperative courses as part of The UW Center is also home to the relevant for decision making by the resident instruction programs, Randall Torgerson Cooperative Library, today’s cooperative management? conducting research about cooperative made possible through a gift from the • Is the cooperative structure being businesses and providing education and Torgerson family. It is one of the largest used effectively as an offensive training, often through the Cooperative cooperative collections in the world, strategic tool? Extension Service. Some U.S. with more than 7,000 books related to • What are the cooperative models of universities have developed special co-ops, including extensive subject files, the future? ■ cooperative centers or programs to a large archive collection and many journals. better promote understanding of cooperatives and to foster future cooperative leaders. For example, the mission of the Arthur Capper Co-op Center at Kansas State University is to “determine, develop and deliver research and education for the cooperative community. The Center’s primary goal is to enhance society’s understanding of the nature and role of cooperatives. We strive to develop and deliver innovative and integrated research and educational programs that are of direct interest to cooperatives.” The University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives “seeks to increase understanding and encourage critical thinking about cooperatives by fostering scholarship and mutual learning among academics, the Ashley Guenther (standing, in this photo from 2010) received a scholarship from the Arthur cooperative community, policy makers Capper Cooperative Center at Kansas State University to pursue a major in agriculture and the public.” Its staff pursues a communications and economics. Today, Ashley (Guenther) Stambaugh works at the Federal research, educational and outreach Reserve Bank of Kansas City. Photo by David Lundquist, courtesy CHS Inc.

48 July/August 2015 / Rural Cooperatives University Co-op Centers

Arthur Capper Cooperative Quentin Burdick Center for Roy Davis Cooperative Cornell University Center at Kansas State Cooperatives at North Management Program at Cooperative Enterprise University: Dakota State University Texas A&M University Program Website: http://accc.k- Website: http://www.ag. Website: http://cooperatives. Website: http://cooperatives. state.edu/ ndsu.edu/ cooperatives/ tamu.edu dyson cornell.edu/ E-mail: [email protected] or E-mail: Gregory.McKee@ E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] [email protected] ndsu.edu Phone: (979) 845-1751 Phone: 607-255-1987 Phone: 785-532-2573 or 785- Phone: 701-231-8521 Mail address: Dept. of Mail address: Cornell 532-1522 Mail address: Quentin Agricultural Economics, University, Charles H. Dyson Mail address: Kansas State Burdick Center for Co-ops, Texas A&M University, 2124 School of Applied Economics University, Ag Economics, 305 Dept. of Agribusiness & TAMU, College Station, TX and Management, 137 Waters Hall, Manhattan KS Applied Economics, NDSU 77843-2124 Reservoir Rd. Ithaca, NY 66506 Dept. # 7610, PO Box 6050, Leader/Contact: John L. Park, 14853 Leaders/contact: Brian Fargo, ND 58108-6050 Roy B. Davis Professor of Leaders/contact: Bobbie Briggeman, Director and Leader/contact: Gregory Agricultural Cooperation Severson, Program Director; Associate Professor; Seleise McKee, Director Todd Schmit Barrett, ACCC Managing Associate Professor GICL Summer Institute at Director. ([email protected]) University of Wisconsin University of Missouri Center for Cooperatives Website: http://muconf. Bill Fitzwater Cooperative Website: http://uwcc.wisc. missouri.edu/GICL_Summer/ The Ohio State University Center at Oklahoma State edu/ info.html Center for Cooperatives University E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: LivingstonK@ Website: http://southcenters. Website: http://agecon. Phone: (608) 262-3981 missouri.edu osu.edu/cooperatives okstate.edu/coops/ Mail address: 427 Lorch Phone: 573-882-0140 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Street, Madison, WI 53706- Mail address: GICL, 125 Phone: 614-292-6229 Phone: 405-744-9818 1503 Mumford Hall, University of Mail address: 220 Mail address: OSU, Dept. of Leader/Contact: Anne Mo., Columbia, MO 65211- Agricultural Administration Ag Economics, 516 Ag Hall, Reynolds, Executive Director 6200 Building, 2120 Fyffe Road, Stillwater, OK 74078 | ([email protected]) Leaders/contacts: Michael L. Columbus, OH 43210 Leader/contact: Philip Kenkel, Cook, Robert D. Partridge Leader/Contact: Ani Regents Professor & Bill Professor of Cooperative Katchova, Director Fitzwater Cooperative Leadership; Kristi Livingston, Endowed Chair education coordinator of the ([email protected]) Missouri Institute of Cooperatives

Rural Cooperatives / July/August 2015 49 USDA: A Century of Supporting Co-ops

USDA has been USDA Rural Development also supporting cooperatives maintains a number of financial for well over a century, UNITED STATES programs that can help cooperatives. with the mission For example, the Rural Cooperative becoming formalized in DEPARTMENT OF Development Grant Program provides 1926 with the passage of the AGRICULTURE funding for a network of cooperative Cooperative Marketing Act. This law directs USDA to build a stronger agriculture co-op sector through Backing nation’s Website: (Co-op Library): education, research, statistics and www.rd.usda.gov/publications/pub rural utility co-ops technical assistance. lications-cooperatives Today, that work is carried on by the E-mail: [email protected] Cooperative Programs office of USDA Phone: 202-720-7395, 202-720-6483 Through its Rural Utilities Program Rural Development. USDA maintains a (successor agency of the Rural Mail address: USDA Co-op library of about 200 cooperative Electrification Administration), USDA Programs, Stop 3254, 1400 Rural Development provides financing publications and videos, ranging from Independence Ave. SW, and technical assistance that help rural broad topics — such as “How to Start a Washington, D.C. 20250 utilities fund upgrades and keep their Cooperative” and “Co-ops 101” — to technology up to date. USDA not only more technical reports, such as a multi- supports traditional electric and volume set of reports on tax laws for telephone systems in rural America, but also broadband, distance learning and cooperatives. telemedicine – services that help rural For 82 years, USDA has published communities more successfully “Rural Cooperatives,” a bimonthly connect with not just urban areas, but magazine that reports significant with the world marketplace. USDA also achievement by cooperatives and funds water and waste facilities to ensure safe water is available for those examines the key issues facing them, who live and work in rural communities. presents the most advanced thinking of Since 1995, every telephone line cooperative leaders and highlights structure and operations of constructed with USDA financing has agency research, technical assistance cooperatives. Data help identify and been broadband capable. The Distance and educational activities. The primary support research and technical Learning program continues to wire rural schools so that students and assistance activities. This information is target audience includes the leaders of teachers can to tap into a rich universe the nation’s farm, farm credit and used extensively by legislative and of educational classes and resources. electric co-ops; ag educators; rural executive branches of government in For more information visit: development specialists; rural formulating agricultural and www.rd.usda.gov/ about-rd/agencies/ Congressional representatives; cooperative-related policy. rural-utilities-service. Cooperative Extension staff; and other Cooperative research creates a professionals who work with co-ops. knowledge base necessary to support A recent survey by the Cooperative cooperatives dealing with changing Foundation found that USDA’s library markets and business trends. Studies development centers around the nation. constituted the most widely used include financial, structural, managerial, USDA Rural Development also cooperative education materials in the policy, member governance, legal and sponsors a number of business loan and nation. social issues, among others. Research is grant programs that cooperatives can Agriculture cooperative statistics are designed to have direct application to benefit from, such as the Value-Added collected and published annually to current and emerging requirements of Producer Grants and the Business & detect growth trends and changes in cooperatives. Industry Guaranteed Loan Programs. ■

50 July/August 2015 / Rural Cooperatives Promoting Cooperative Development Around the Globe

U.S. cooperatives have individual cooperative development been involved in organizations in this area. Many of economic development U.S. OVERSEAS these early efforts were carried out by in under-developed COOPERATIVE cooperative managers who were asked countries for more than DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL to share their experiences overseas. 60 years. Their work grew out of the In 1968, the advisory committee was conviction that, having helped millions disbanded in favor of a more formal in this country, cooperatives can be Website: www.ocdc.coop group that could lobby Congress for adapted to help low-income people E-mail: [email protected] cooperative development funding. In everywhere. Phone: 202-261-3558 1982, the organization was named U.S. Nine of the most active U.S. Mail address: 1250 Connecticut Overseas Cooperative Development organizations in international Ave., NW, Suite 200 Council and set up as a cooperative. cooperative development work together Washington, DC 20036 Despite many positive outcomes, as the U.S. Overseas Cooperative Leaders: Executive Director: Paul OCDC members today face challenges. Development Council. They are: Hazen; Board Chair: Dean Gilge, A major stumbling block in some ACDI-VOCA, Global Communities, Cooperative Resources countries is the lack of a legal Communications Cooperative International framework for cooperatives. So, OCDC International, Cooperative Resources devised a set of cooperative law International, HealthPartners, Land principles that can be applied anywhere. O’Lakes International Development, A subsequent report on the application NCBA CLUSA, National Rural of the principles has been translated Electric Cooperative Association into five languages. International and the World Council of Another problem is that insufficient Credit Unions. documentation of the success of OCDC members carry out the cooperative development hinders largest portfolio of cooperative to link producer cooperatives in poor funding. OCDC thus recently created development programs in the world. countries with food cooperatives in the the International Cooperative Research They oversee multi-year projects in United States and other developed Group, which will present clear about 100 countries in Africa, Latin countries. evidence of the effectiveness of America, Eastern Europe and Asia. OCDC’s roots extend to the 1960s, cooperative development around the Together, these projects support with the Kennedy administration’s globe. cooperatives serving 130 million people. support for cooperatives as part of land OCDC is governed by a 16-member OCDC’s mission is to promote effective reform in Latin America. After studying board currently led by Dean Gilge, a international cooperative development. cooperative development, the U.S senior executive of Cooperative One major initiative, for example, Agency for International Development Resources International. Day-to-day studied development projects worldwide recommended creation of an advisory operations are overseen by Paul Hazen, to determine the characteristics most committee that included national who became executive director in likely to produce a thriving cooperative cooperative associations, the Catholic February 2012. ■ in a challenging marketplace. Another Church and labor unions. identified three pathways — economic, Initially, the committee focused on democratic and social — for implementing recent legislation cooperatives to contribute to designed to encourage the use of transformational change in developing cooperatives, credit unions and savings countries. and loan associations worldwide. An A more recent paper looked at ways office was set up to build on the work of

Rural Cooperatives / July/August 2015 51 Working together to build support for worker co-ops

The U.S. Federation of directed at helping worker cooperatives Worker Cooperatives reach a scale that has real impact on (USFWC) and the people’s lives. Democracy at Work U.S. FEDERATION OF WORKER The two organizations work together Institute (DAWI) are COOPERATIVES AND DEMOCRACY closely to make sure that DAWI’s work separate but affiliated organizations AT WORK INSTITUTE reaches and benefits Federation working together to build a well- members, as well as the general public. supported worker cooperative Together, they help existing worker community that is both grounded in cooperatives connect to support today’s worker cooperatives and Website: http://www.usworker.coo resources and new worker cooperatives expanding to reach new communities of p, http://institute.usworker.coop to connect to membership worker-owners. e-mail: [email protected], organizations. This “sister The USFWC is the national [email protected] organization” approach brings on-the- grassroots membership organization Phone: 415-392-7277, 415-379-9201 ground experience of running a (501(c)(6)) that brings together worker Mailing address: 1904 Franklin cooperative business together with a cooperatives, democratic workplaces Street, Suite 400, Oakland, birds-eye view of the national stage. It and worker cooperative developers to CA 94612 helps to ensure that future growth is exchange information and expertise. Social media: facebook.com/ rooted in a movement, adequately The USFWC also advocates and helps usworker & twitter @usfwc supported and strategically directed. its members advocate for policies and facebook.com/democracyatworkin One example of the two conditions that support worker st & twitter @Dematwork organizations working together is in the cooperatives. Leaders: USFWC Executive transition of conventional businesses to “The Federation” as its members call Directors: Amy Johnson and cooperative ownership. With millions it, was founded in 2004 after years of Esteban Kelly; DAWI Executive of baby boomers retiring in the coming local and regional organizing by worker Director: Melissa Hoover years, thousands of small businesses — cooperatives across the country. It has many of them without a succession plan grown at a rate of 25 percent annually and many in rural areas — will face since its founding. More than 60 closure. Helping these businesses percent of its newest members are also transition to worker cooperative newly-formed worker cooperatives, and ownership has the potential to save 18 percent of members operate in, or critical “anchor businesses” and to directly serve, rural communities. create more worker cooperatives at the In 2013, as the next stage of growth same time. in a rapidly expanding worker A key factor in persuading owners to cooperative movement, the USFWC sell to their employees is seeing and helped launch the Democracy at Work hearing from other owners who have Institute. The Institute’s mission is to done the same thing. This is where the expand the worker cooperative model USFWC comes in: more than 40 to communities most directly affected percent of USFWC member by inequality, focusing on low-wage cooperatives are conversions from some workers, recent immigrants and rural other form of ownership. These communities. It is a 501(c)(3) “think USFWC members can tell the story of and do tank” that is engaged in their conversions and show retiring research, education, training, technical owners that it is not just possible, but assistance and leadership development that cooperatives can thrive and access a

52 July/August 2015 / Rural Cooperatives Worker Co-op Associations

There are a number of other organizations that promote worker-owned cooperatives, many with a local or regional focus, or that support Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), which in many ways are similar to worker co-ops. Some examples include:

Madison Worker Cooperatives (Wisconsin) Worker-Owned and Run Cooperative Vermont Employee Ownership Center Website: http://madworc.org/ Network of Greater Boston (WORC’N) Website: http://www.veoc.org/ E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.worcn.org E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 608-535-9672 Phone: 802-338-7448 Contact: John Conowal The ESOP Association Mail address: 286 College Street PO Box 546, Website: http://www.esopassociation.org/ Burlington, VT 05402 Network of Bay Area Worker Cooperatives E-mail: [email protected] (San Francisco Bay Area) Phone: 202-293-2971; Toll free: 1-866-366-3832 Rocky Mountain Employee Ownership Website: http://nobawc.org/ Mail address: 1726 M Street, NW, Suite 501 Center E-mail: [email protected] Washington, D.C., 20036 Website: http://www.rmeoc.org/ Phone: 510-736-2667 Leaders/contact: J. Michael Keeling, E-mail: [email protected] Mail address: NoBAWC, P.O. Box 3246, President; Cindy Turcot, Chair Phone: 303.351.2003 Oakland, CA 94609 Mail address: 383 Corona St.; Denver, CO Leader or Contact: Ohio Employee Ownership Center 80218 Website: http://www.oeockent.org/ The National Center for Employee E-mail: [email protected] Beyster Institute at the University of Ownership Phone: 330-672-3028 California-San Diego Website: http://www.nceo.org/ Mail address: 113 McGilvrey Hall, Kent State Website: http://rady.ucsd.edu/beyster/ E-mail: [email protected] University. Kent, OH 44242 E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 510-208-1300 Phone: 858-246-0654 Mail address: 1629 Telegraph Ave., Suite 200, Mail address: Beyster Institute, 9500 Gilman Oakland, CA 94612-3445 Drive, Otterson Hall South, Fourth Floor MC Leader/contact: Loren Rodgers, Executive 0553, La Jolla, CA 92093-0553 Director [email protected]) Leader/contact: Martin Staubus, Exec. Director

whole community of support. cooperatives. Newly converted USFWC and DAWI make worker Technical assistance from the businesses can join one of many ownership through the cooperative Democracy at Work Institute can help membership organizations for model possible, appealing and well- businesses successfully convert and cooperatives, among them the supported. ■ build their capacity to self-govern as USFWC. By working together,

Rural Cooperatives / July/August 2015 53 Newsline Co-op developments, coast to coast

Send co-op news items to: [email protected]

Photo courtesy Swiss Family Farms Caves of Faribault shortages on store in new partnership shelves, feed Caves of Faribault, a subsidiary of shortages on the Swiss Valley Farms, and Norseland Inc. farm and intense have formed a partnership to expand competition for sales outreach in the specialty food farm milk.” segment. Caves of Faribault produces Meeting award-winning blue cheese, Gorgonzola attendees engaged and other specialty cheeses. The goal of in talks on key the partnership is to “realize accelerated topics, such as growth and domain authority within farmer recruitment, this artisan category.” attrition, farm Norseland, Inc., the exclusive succession, the importer of Jarlsberg® cheese in the proposed organic United States, has a strong national promotion board sales force and distribution network and how organic that will facilitate the expansion of fits into the federal Caves of Faribault products to grocers, system. “It’s retailers and foodservice channels. democracy in Norseland is a wholly owned subsidiary action,” Arnie of TINE SA, a cooperative of more Trussoni, president than 15,000 dairy farmers in Norway. It of the all-farmer is Norway’s largest producer, distributor board of directors, and exporter of dairy products. said of the sessions. Caves of Faribault was founded in “Our ability to 2001, but the actual caves were first agree to disagree used to hand-craft blue cheese in 1936. through these 65 jobs, ending 2014 with a staff of 802. The company, which became a Swiss challenging discussions helps our Organic Valley, the nation’s largest Valley subsidiary in 2010, is best known cooperative remain resilient.” The co- cooperative of organic farmers and a for its Amablu brand cheese. op continued to invest in programs that leading organic brand, drew nearly 400 encourage young farmer retention — New sales record farmer-owners to the meeting in La an especially a critical part of Organic for Organic Valley Crosse, Wis. The meeting theme was Valley’s member base. “Resilience Through Cooperation.” Organic Valley had record sales of In 2014, “We had strong growth, $972 million and a profit of $14.5 CWT to continue through 2018 good profits, recovered from our 2013 million in 2014, proving that its National Milk Producers Federation headquarters fire, raised the pay price business model can withstand market (NMPF) directors have voted to to farmers and rolled out some great fluctuations, members attending the co- continue Cooperatives Working new products,” said George Siemon, op’s annual meeting in April were told. Together (CWT), a farmer-funded the founding farmer and self-described The co-op implemented a record export assistance program, through “CEIEIO” of Organic Valley. “Looking increase in farmer pay price, which 2018 at the current funding level of ahead, we continue to struggle with, went up in most regions by 10 percent, four cents per hundredweight. NMPF and plan for, the surge in organic sales, on average. Organic Valley also added developed and manages the 13-year-old

54 July/August 2015 / Rural Cooperatives October Is Co-op Month — Spread the Word!

Co-ops and co-op organizations are urged to plan some type of educational activity in October to help spread the word about cooperatives. For example, Cooperative Network — the regional co-op organization for all types of co-ops in Wisconsin and Minnesota — has produced a cooperative- themed coloring book that can be distributed at local elementary schools and organizations such as 4H. Cooperative Network is now taking orders for its “Co-op Town” coloring books. They will be offered at cost to Network members, and a slightly higher cost for non- members. Orders must be placed by Aug. 28 to receive them in time for Co-op Month. Small crayon boxes are also available for purchase. Contact Wendy Fassbind, [email protected] or 608-258-4401, for pricing and ordering. Other activities may include: ■ Hold an open house at your co-op; offer some refreshments and tours of one of your facilities. You can request free co-op educational brochures or booklets from USDA for handouts (send requests to: Coopinfo@ wdc.usda.gov); ■ Make a classroom visit. A co-op staffer and/or members can give short talks to students about your co-op and the vital role it plays for members and the community; ■ Issue a press release and contact your local newspapers or radio stations and let them know it is store or facility, a local school or municipal building, etc. Cooperative Month; offer them contact information for your ■ For more ideas, visit Cooperative Network’s Co-op manager and a board member who can talk about the co-op Month website http://bit.ly/Co-opMonth (which will be business model and your co-op. updated for 2015 in early August), or the National ■ Post something about Co-op Month on your website Cooperative Business Association’s website at: www.ncba. and put up posters with facts about co-ops at your co-op coop/events/co-opmonth.

self-help program. Mooney, a dairy farmer from 2015 alone, CWT helped its members CWT’s extension until December Rogersville, Mo. contract to sell 35.1 million pounds of 31, 2018, comes at a time of increasing “Through its vote, the NMPF board cheese, 26.6 million pounds of butter U.S. milk production, declining world recognizes how important CWT is in and 20.1 million pounds of whole milk dairy prices and increased global helping every farmer gain access to fast- powder. Together, these transactions competition due to the removal of growing overseas markets,” Mooney will export the equivalent of 1.07 billion European Union milk quotas. “With added. “The program remains a pounds of milk to customers in 28 the United States exporting the tremendous self-help tool for all of countries on five continents. equivalent of one-seventh of its milk America’s dairy producers.” production, today’s vote will help CWT is a voluntary membership New Hampshire community ensure that this country remains a program funded by contributions from converts to co-op consistent and competitive supplier of 37 dairy cooperatives and more than The New Hampshire Community dairy products to the world,” said 100 individual farmers. Loan Fund and ROC-NH have helped NMPF Board Chairman Randy Through the first five months of residents of Bob’s Mobile Home Park in

Rural Cooperatives / July/August 2015 55 Milan, N.H., convert the park into a Association (WBA), responding to the percent of S.D. Wheat Growers cooperative, just days ahead of a American Bankers Association (ABA) members voted to merge, but only 49 planned foreclosure auction. The area President Frank Keating’s call for an percent of North Central members has little other affordable housing to end to the Farm Credit System (FCS). voted “yes.” The proposed merger which residents could have moved had Keating had publicly called for the required majority votes from both co- the park been closed and sold to land elimination of FCS in April, according ops. developers. to a report in Co-op Network’s North Central General Manager A resident called ROC-NH, an “Contact” newsletter. Mike Nickolas said the merger proposal affiliate of ROC USA (see page 42), for The letter to WBA says: “The array was “a one-shot deal.” Wheat Growers’ help just two weeks prior to the of credit products offered by both Farm Senior Vice President Steve Briggs said auction. Two days later, 10 of the park’s Credit and commercial banks — often “there is no appetite” for pursuing the 18 families met with the ROC-NH team. in a collaborative, cooperative manner merger, despite the close vote. “There was a lot of fear in the — ensures that agricultural producers Associated Press said Nikolas noted room,” says ROC-NH Cooperative and their industry sector partners have that the two co-ops had held more than Conversion Specialist Angela Romeo. access to financial tools that are vital to 100 member meetings to promote the “They didn’t know if they had any their success and economic merger. “We did everything we could to options.” It was felt to be very unlikely sustainability.” get the proper information out there for that a buyer at the auction would keep The letter stresses that “the our members to make their decision,” the current land use. suggestion that the FCS and/or he said. “There's nothing more we The residents voted to incorporate as commercial banks and other lending could have done.” Deer Estates Cooperative Inc., and to institutions should be further South Dakota Wheat Growers has pursue buying the park themselves. The constrained, or even eliminated, from more than 5,400 members while North ROC-NH team contacted the park’s the marketplace would be unwelcome Central Farmers Elevator serves 2,500 owners, who were more than willing to and injurious to those who live and members. Both co-ops are about 100 work with the cooperative. On April 21, work in rural America. The stakes are years old. it closed on the sale, creating the state’s simply too high for rural America to 113th resident-owned community. have fewer financing options to meet Cooperative Network Financing was arranged through the the challenges of advancing rural seeks new CEO New Hampshire Community Loan economic growth.” Cooperative Network — the Fund, which has a 31-year history of The letter concludes by asking to regional co-op council for Wisconsin moving quickly to help homeowners “find ways to work constructively and Minnesota — is seeking candidates convert 112 privately owned together to improve and expand for its next president/CEO, following manufactured-home parks to resident- farmers’, ranchers’ and rural businesses’ the announcement of Bill Oemichen's owned communities. access to competitive and stable credit retirement from the post. The position The cooperative is already planning offerings to meet the challenges rural is based in Madison, Wis., and directs improvements, including replacing its areas face in our still-recovering all activities of the two-state association. aging water system. Co-op homeowners economy.” Primary duties include working with are now eligible for products and the board of directors; directing the services such as real mortgages, Dakota co-op legislative and regulatory agenda in available only to resident-owned merger defeated both Minnesota and Wisconsin; communities. An attempt to merge the South working closely with cooperative For more information about the loan Dakota Wheat Growers and North directors, managers and employees; and fund, visit: www.communityloan Central Farmers Elevator was defeated acting as a spokesperson for the fund.org; to learn more about resident- in a member vote held in June. association’s cooperative agenda. owned co-ops in the state, visit: Supporters of the merger had hoped to Qualified candidates should have a www.communityloanfund.org/how-we- create a new co-op, to be called bachelor’s degree and at least 10 years help/roc-nh/nh-cooperatives. CentraGro Cooperative, which they of experience in business management, said would save millions of dollars in association management, government Cooperative Network, overhead and other costs, while or cooperative management, among others defend Farm Credit opponents countered that a merger others. Deadline for applications and Cooperative Network was joined by would result in a less competitive related materials is Aug. 14. For more 16 other associations in a letter sent in marketplace for producers. information, visit: www.cooperative May to the Wisconsin Bankers According to Associated Press, 61 network.coop. ■

56 July/August 2015 / Rural Cooperatives Casale, Jorgenson, Jones winners of top CCA honors

CHS Inc. CEO Carl Casale, co-op journalist Nancy Union, along with her work as a freelance consultant. From Jorgensen and GROWMARK communications specialist speeches to film scripts, from advertising to stockholder Karen Jones are the recipients of the three top awards education and websites to book presented during the Cooperative Communicators publishing, cooperatives have Association annual institute in Indianapolis, Ind., in late May. learned about themselves in an Casale, who took over leadership at CHS in 2011, was educational and entertaining way honored both for his own skills as a communicator and for his thanks to the “Nancy quill.” strong support for maintaining a quality communications “Nancy’s byline has been program at the Minneapolis- synonymous with cooperatives,” based fuel, grain and foods says Janet Hunter, the editorial cooperative. director of the Farm Credit Bank of “His first day on the job as Texas. “She has an intuitive sense CEO included holding a meeting of how to reach a wide and diverse to review and discuss his 100- audience with content that is both day communications plan,” says comprehensive and easily Linda Tank, CHS senior vice understood,” adds Geoff Oldfather, communications manager president of communications and for Arizona’s G&T Cooperatives. public affairs. “That level of Chuck Lay, director of communications of MFA Inc., says: commitment to frequent, open “Nancy has discussed story ideas and has taken a run-of- dialogue with all of the the-mill story and improved it by suggesting a new angle. Her cooperative’s stakeholders has been a constant in Carl’s story is stronger and better explains and features the tenure as CHS president and CEO.” cooperative model.” Another priority of Casale’s was to spend time “in the country,” getting to know the people of CHS. Setting a Jones top young grueling schedule, he met with more than 650 CHS employees communicator and member-owners in a 90-day period. Karen Jones, GROWMARK During his first two years at CHS, Casale also hosted the cooperative affairs and popular “Coffee with Carl” small group sessions to get to communications specialist, took know employees. Casale came to CHS after a 26-year career home the Michael Graznak Award, with Monsanto Co., where he rose to executive vice which recognizes an outstanding president and chief financial officer. young communicator (under 35) “Carl recognizes the value of targeted, quality who has made superior communication pieces and is supportive of providing the contributions to cooperative budget necessary to create outstanding publications, annual communications and gives reports, videos, web and other communication tools,” says promise of a successful future. Lani Jordan, CHS director of corporate communications. Jones wears many hats — writer, youth development coordinator and cooperative educator, just to name a few. Jorgenson wins She also drives employee engagement and enrichment Klinefleter Award programs. Jones uses these roles to continually foster an For more than three decades, Nancy Jorgenson’s talents appreciation for the value of cooperatives among coworkers have benefitted cooperatives across a wide spectrum of and community. business and industry. She was recognized with the H.E. She completed the Master Cooperative Communicator Klinefelter Award, CCA’s top career award for someone who program in 2011 and served as a regional ambassador for the has helped to raise the level of co-op communications. Midwest region in 2012. Most recently, she served as co- Jorgenson’s service has included employment with chair for the 2015 CCA Institute in Indianapolis, Indiana. CoBank, Farm Credit, the North Dakota Association of Rural For more information visit: www.communicators.coop. Electric and Telephone Cooperatives, and National Farmers

Rural Cooperatives / July/August 2015 57 58 January/February 2015 / Rural Cooperatives New

Running a Food Hub: Lessons Learned From the Field, SR 77

This report is part of multi-volume, technical report series: Running a Food Hub. This first volume compiles a number of best business practices for starting or expanding a food hub enterprise. It includes operational profiles of the food hubs profiled in the report.

Rural Cooperatives / January/February 2015 59 United States Department of Agriculture Washington, DC 20250 Periodicals Postage Paid U.S. Department of Agriculture OFFICIAL BUSINESS

Penalty for private use, $300

NOTICE: ❑ Check here to stop receiving this publication and mail this sheet to the address below. ❑ NEW ADDRESS. Send mailing label on this page and changes to:

USDA/Rural Business—Cooperative Service Stop 0705 Washington, D. C. 20250-3255

Begin Here

Launch your cooperative using the tried and true steps outlined in USDA’s “How To Start a Cooperative.” This guide (Cooperative Information Report 7) now has updated editorial and graphic content. It includes a step-by-step game plan and sample documents and work sheets designed to help new co-ops put down healthy roots. It can be used for starting all types of cooperatives.

For free hard copies, send your request to: [email protected], or write: USDA Co-op Info., Stop 0705, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, D.C. 20250, or call: (202) 720-7395. It is also posted on the USDA Rural Development website at: www.rd.usda.gov/publications/publications- cooperatives.

60 July/August 2015 / Rural Cooperatives