cooperatives

To mark Co-op month, we honor James Wadsworth, the USDA Cooperative Services Branch Chief. Jim has been the caretaker of the Agricultural Cooperative Statistics program, which provides aggregated data on and to the agricultural co-op community. This time series is 100 years old and allows cooperatives to compare operations to others in the industry. The annual Top 100 list of the country’s largest cooperatives is derived from this data, giving a snapshot of how cooperatives can scale and still be democratically controlled by members while providing benefits and support to their individual farm operations.

When Congress enacted the Cooperative Marketing Act of 1926, it directed the USDA to create a range of federal services in support of producer-owned cooperatives. For nearly 100 years, USDA has gathered statistics, conducted research, provided education, and offered cooperative development to America’s agricultural cooperatives.

October is National Cooperative Month, and the theme, "The Future is Cooperative," anticipates the increasingly vital role cooperatives play in enhancing the quality of life in rural areas. At USDA Rural Development, we recognize the significance of these businesses in fostering economic growth, creating jobs, and building resilient communities.

This October USDA is celebrating National Cooperative Month, an observance that recognizes the cooperative model, its many influential uses, and how cooperatives benefit their members in numerous ways. There are at least 30,000 cooperatives in the United States providing more than $700 billion to the economy. This year’s theme is Owning Our Identity, a reference to the principles and values that distinguish cooperatives from other business forms.

When Linda Leaks organized tenants in low-income District of Columbia neighborhoods to fight eviction, she helped them gain more than home ownership. In combatting gentrification and the community displacement of the ‘80s and ‘90s, she empowered people to recognize the collective power of the cooperative business model.

As USDA Rural Development (RD) highlights National Cooperative Month, one worker owned co-op in Massachusetts stands out as a model for sustainability, collaboration, and local food system resiliency. The saying goes “it’s not easy being green.” But for Real Pickles in Greenfield, Massachusetts, the co-op wouldn’t have it any other way; they went green in 2011 with the addition of solar panels on its roof.

On the brinks of Beaufort, South Carolina, lies the brimming, remote island of St. Helena where the Gullah farmers are hard at work. For years, the Gullah Geechee community, an African American ethnic group located in the low region of the U.S., have struggled to make a living off their biggest asset: their land.

Co-ops are a business structure, and like any business, they require hard work to be successful. They are unique in that they bring individuals together to solve issues they wouldn’t be able to solve on their own. Cooperatives can help communities by creating jobs, meeting social or economic needs, and improving community services. Despite a myriad of benefits, there are many myths that prevent people from recognizing their value.

Cooperatives are a vital pillar of the U.S. economy and contribute essential goods and services to rural America. Many communities rely on cooperatives to provide locally grown food, housing, electricity, financial services, internet, retail services, and so much more.