USDA Rural Development has released the November/December 2013 issue of Rural Cooperatives magazine.
This issue of the magazine features the article, ‘Growing a Cleveland Renaissance,’ on Green City Growers (GCG) cooperative greenhouse. The urban greenhouse, which is owned and operated by its 25 workers, provides new jobs and local foods in a struggling neighborhood. With 3.25 acres of growing area, this large-scale greenhouse raises a number of varieties of high-quality lettuce and other leafy vegetables hydroponically.
The November/December 2013 issue also contains the following articles:
- Going Local in Big Sky Country—In the western part of the state, the Western Montana Growers Cooperative (WMGC) is leading the pack for local food aggregation, processing and distribution. The WMGC is celebrating its tenth year in 2013, with 38 farmer/members and nearly $1 million in sales in 2012.
- Essential Economic Roles of Farmer Co-ops—This article is a concise summary of a recently completed study into the nature of the cooperative. This summary addresses four salient points:
- Economic structure of cooperatives, or what are cooperatives?
- Market performance of cooperatives, or what do cooperatives do?
- Transaction governance roles of cooperatives, or how do cooperatives interact with other market participants?
- Variations on the cooperative business model.
- Legal Corner: Co-ops Should Periodically Evaluate Their Member Equity Practices—This article addresses the importance of returning earnings, or margins, to members and patrons on a patronage basis within a reasonable time. It also discusses the risks associated with failure (or a perceived failure) to do so.
Note: This issue also includes the 2013 article index for articles appearing in Rural Cooperatives magazine during the past year. Articles are indexed by feature article, subjects, magazine departments and authors.
Published six times a year, Rural Cooperatives magazine carries a wide variety of articles about the nation’s farm and utility cooperatives, with the goal of expanding understanding and use of the cooperative business model. To subscribe, go to: http://www.rdlist.sc.egov.usda.gov/listserv/mainservlet
Prepared by Diane Huntrods, Iowa State University, December 2013.