United States

Department of

Agriculture

Rural Business–

and Cooperative

Programs

Research

Report 223

Education Initiatives of

Farmer Cooperatives
Abstract This report describes farmer cooperatives' education initiatives by providing information on whom they are educating and how, topics covered, their sources for educational materials and programs, and what educational topics they feel directors most need. 

The degree of cooperative education provided is reported for respondents overall and

by cooperative type, size, and location.

Key Words: cooperative education, audiences, delivery, materials, topics.

Education Initiatives of Farmer Cooperatives

James J. Wadsworth

Rural Development

U.S. Department of Agriculture

STOP 3254

Washington, D.C. 20250-3254

Research Report 223

September 2011
Preface This report examines how farmer cooperatives promote co-op education for members,

directors, management, employees, and the general public. It provides information

about whether cooperatives provide education, the audiences they reach, the delivery

methods they use, the topics covered, where they get their educational resources,

whether they feel there are enough resources available, and what topics they feel are

most important for educating directors.

The report provides the findings of the analysis, discusses implications of the results,

and provides some recommendations for cooperatives and cooperative educators

given the findings and implications.

Data for this study were collected from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

annual statistical survey (for fiscal year 2009) of U.S. farmer cooperatives. The cooperatives were asked to answer an additional seven questions about their cooperative

education efforts. These data were sorted by whether they provide education and by

cooperative type, size, and location. Of the population of 2,389 cooperatives surveyed,

31 percent, or 751, responded to the educational initiative section.

The author gratefully acknowledges college intern Paris Carter for her assistance with

this study.

i
Contents Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .i

Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .iv

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Survey Design and Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Results—Cooperative Education Initiatives and Aspects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Respondents Provision of Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Audiences Receiving Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Delivery of Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Educational Need of Key Audiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Educational Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Sources of Educational Resources Used . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Importance of Director Educational Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Select Findings by Top Educational Sources Used . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Financial Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Study Implications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

A Majority of Cooperatives Educate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Director Education Important . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Education Delivery Methods Raise Several Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Perception of Audience Needs Doesn’t Match Education Conducted . . . . . . . . . . .6

Resources Not Perceived by Some as Being Widely Available . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Multiple Sources Used for Educational Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

All Topics Are Important for Director Education, but Finance Needs

Stand Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Financial Meaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Conclusion and Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Table 1—Cooperative respondents indication of providing cooperative 

education  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Table 2—Cooperative respondents indication of providing cooperative

education by type   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Table 3—Cooperative respondents indication of providing cooperative

education by size  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Table 4—Cooperative respondents indication of providing cooperative 

education by location  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Table 5—Audiences of cooperative training or provision of educational

materials concerning cooperative practices or issues  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Table 6—Audiences that cooperatives educate, by type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Table 7—Audiences that cooperatives educate, by size  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Table 8—Audiences that cooperatives educate, by location  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Table 9—Education delivery methods  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Table 10—Education delivery methods, by type  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Table 11—Education delivery methods, by size  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Table 12—Education delivery methods, by location  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Table 13—Cooperatives’ perceived level of need of education for audiences

(rated on scale of 1-5 with 1 needing education the least, 5 needing

it the most)  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Table 14—Cooperatives’ perceived level of need of education for audiences

(rated on scale of 1-5 with 1 needing education the least, 5 needing

it the most), by type  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Table 15—Cooperatives’ perceived level of need of education for audiences

(rated on scale of 1-5 with 1 needing education the least, 5 needing

it the most), by size  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

ii
Table 16—Cooperatives’ perceived level of need of education for audiences

(rated on scale of 1-5 with 1 needing education the least, 5 needing

it the most), by location  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Table 17—Cooperatives’ perception of whether there are enough education 

resources (materials, programs, workshops, etc.) available to them  . .18

Table 18—Cooperatives’ perception of whether there are enough education 

resources available to them, by type  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Table 19—Cooperatives’ perception of whether there are enough education 

resources available to them, by size  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Table 20—Cooperatives’ perception of whether there are enough education 

resources available to them, by location  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Table 21—Attainment of educational materials and programs  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Table 22—Attainment of educational materials and programs, by type  . . . . . . . . .20

Table 23—Attainment of educational materials and programs, by size  . . . . . . . . .21

Table 24—Attainment of educational materials and programs, by location  . . . . . .22

Table 25—Rating of types of education topics directors most need

(scale of 1 to 5 with 1 needed the least, 5 needed the most)  . . . . . . . .22

Table 26—Rating of types of education topics directors most need

(scale of 1 to 5 with 1 needed the least, 5 needed the most)

by type  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Table 27—Rating of types of education topics directors most need

(scale of 1 to 5 with 1 needed the least, 5 needed the most)

by size  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Table 28—Rating of types of education topics directors most need

(scale of 1 to 5 with 1 needed the least, 5 needed the most)

by location  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Table 29—Selected findings for respondents that source cooperative

councils, USDA, and other cooperatives for their educational

resources  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Table 30—Selected financial and other data for cooperatives, 2009  . . . . . . . . . . .26

Appendix Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

1. Survey—Education Initiative Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

2. Survey Respondents Versus Total Population of Farmer Cooperatives . . . . . . .27

3. Cooperative Type or Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Appendix Table 1—Respondent Population and Total Population of Farmer 

Cooperatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

iii
Highlights This study provides a national perspective of cooperative education initiatives by

farmer cooperatives. The analysis examines whom cooperatives educate, what

resources they use, what topics they focus on, where they source their programs and

materials, whether they feel there are enough resources available for education, and

what educational topics they feel directors most need to fulfill their duties. 

A USDA survey asked 2,389 farmer cooperatives to provide information on their educational initiatives with 34 percent (751) responding.

Some major findings include:

● Cooperative education is provided by 85 percent of respondents.

● More than 80 percent of grains and oilseeds, farm supply, service, and cotton and

cotton gin cooperatives provide co-op education. More than 70 percent of dairy,

fruits, vegetables, and nuts cooperatives provide it.

● Larger cooperatives provide education more than the smallest cooperatives.

● Directors, employees, and management are the primary audiences educated.

● Larger cooperatives educate directors more than other audiences. Smaller cooperatives vary in whom they educate most.

● Cooperatives educate by using staff more than any other method. External education through co-op councils or organizations that offer workshops is the second

most used method.

● Cooperatives indicated that the general public, members, and employees need

education the most; directors were next and management last.

● About 76 percent of cooperatives feel that there are enough educational resources

available; 17 percent did not feel there are enough, and 8 percent didn't know.

● Cooperatives most often use cooperatives councils, USDA, and “other” cooperatives to acquire educational materials and programs.

● Cooperatives feel that directors need education in cooperative finance the most, followed by tax and legal issues, leadership, governance, board meeting functions,

and lastly cooperative basics.

Some questions arise from the results of this study:

● What can be done to motivate cooperatives to educate their members more, and

what educational initiatives or materials do cooperatives need to educate members?

● Are the educational activities cooperatives are undertaking adequate enough to

educate their target audiences? 

● Are the various educational delivery methods being used sufficient to reach all audiences needing cooperative education?

iv
● Are cooperatives using internal staff to develop educational materials and development, or are these staff simply finding educational resources for the cooperative to

use?

● Why aren't some types of cooperatives using cooperative council educational programs more?

● Why aren't some audiences receiving as much education as others (even when

cooperatives feel that they need it)?

● Are there enough educational programs and materials available to meet all cooperative education needs? Are there enough resources, but some cooperatives just

don't know about them, or use them? 

● Are cooperatives receiving most of the resources that they truly need? Are there

other resources that their major sources need to develop? 

● Are cooperatives trying to educate the public on a regular basis and turning to certain sources to help with it? Or do they consider that education to be an endeavor

left to other cooperative educators to carry out?

● Are director education efforts sufficient? Are cooperatives regularly evaluating their

director educational needs?

Some recommendations include:

● More cooperatives should become involved in cooperative education. 

● Cooperatives need to ensure that the education conducted is extensive, and germane to the pertinent topics that their directors (and other audiences) need.

● Cooperatives need to educate members by providing more materials/programs for

them and/or holding special member events. 

● Cooperatives must actively search for educational materials and programs.

● Cooperatives need to focus their educational activities to closely match their perceptions of where education is most needed.

● Cooperatives need to freely reach out to educators when they feel gaps exist in

materials and programs, and educators need to work to fill those gaps.

● Educators need to effectively promote their materials and programs to ensure that

cooperatives are aware of and can gain access to them.

● Researchers should conduct further study of cooperative educational initiatives to

survey the actual content of cooperatives' educational undertakings to allow for

development of more targeted and effective education materials and programs.

v
Education Initiatives of Farmer Cooperatives

JamesJ.Wadsworth

AgriculturalEconomist

RuralDevelopment

Introduction

Educationisthelifebloodofcooperativesworldwide.ThefifthInternationalCooperativePrinciple

states:

Education, Training, and Information—Cooperatives

provide education and training for their members, elected

representatives, managers and employees so they can contribute effectively to the development of their cooperative.

They inform the general public—particularly young people

and opinion leaders—about the nature and benefits of cooperation.1

Thecooperativebusinessmodelisunique,and

thoseinvolvedinit—members,directors,employees,

andmanagement—mustunderstandallitsnuances.

Thegeneralpublicalsoneedstounderstandhow

cooperativesdifferfromotherbusinesstypesandhow

cooperatives'guidingprinciplescomeintoplayin

theirlivesandcommunities.

Cooperativeeducatorshavelongfocusedoncertainaudiencesforcooperativeeducationwork(e.g.,

workshops,programs,publications,materials,etc.).

Directorsandmanagementhavebeenakeyaudience,

aswellasthoseinterestedinlearninghowtodevelop

anewcooperative.In2009,agoodnumberofcooperativeeducatorsindicatedthatpeopleinterestedin

formingcooperatives,directors,andmanagement

werethethreetopaudiencestoeducate.2Theseeducatorsalsopointedtofinanceasthemostcrucialeducationtopic.

Thegoalofthisstudywastogainabetterunderstandingofwhatfarmercooperativesareundertaking

fortheireducationalinitiatives.Thisreportconsistsof

fourmajorsections:informationaboutthesurvey

instrumentused,discussionofthestatisticalfindings,

implicationsandquestionspertainingtotheresults,

andconclusionsandrecommendations.

Survey Design and Response

DataforthestudywerecollectedusingUSDA's

annualsurveyoffarmer,rancher,andfisherycooperatives.Inadditiontotheusualannualfinancialquestions,questionspertainingtoeducationwereaskedin

the2010survey(forfiscal2009).

Theadditionalquestionsaskedwhetherthe

cooperativesprovideeducationtovariousaudiences

(i.e.,members,directors,employees,management,and

thegeneralpublic),and,ifso,bywhatmeans.The

cooperativeswerealsoasked:toratetheaudiencesrelativetotheirneedofcooperativeeducation;whether

theyfeelthereareenougheducationresourcesavailable;wheretheygettheireducationalprogramsor

materials;andtoratethemostcrucialeducationtopics

fordirectors(seeAppendixNote1).Assessingallthe

answerstogetherforeachrespondentprovidedaview

oftheireducationinitiatives.Onlythosesurveyswell

filledoutwereincludedintheanalysisforthatreason.

1

1 TheInternationalCo-operativeAlliance,StatementoftheCooperativeIdentity:

http://www.ica.coop/coop/principles.html

3 Acursoryexaminationofthedataappearstoindicatethatthe

sampleofrespondentsfairlywellrepresentsthetotalpopulation

offarmercooperatives(seeAppendixNote2).

2 “Co-opEducatorsSeeCriticalNeedtoRamp-up,Expand

EducationEfforts,”RuralCooperatives,March/April,2009.
Ofthe2,389U.S.farmercooperativessentsurveys,

therewere751(31percent)usableresponsestotheeducationsurvey.Thesampleappearstobeafairlywell

representedsubsetofthetotalpopulation.3

Theannualsurveyoffarmercooperativescollects

otherdata(i.e.,financial,operational,structural,etc.).

Thosedatacorrespondingtothecooperativeeducation

surveyrespondentswerecombinedwiththeeducation

data.Thisallowedforcrosstabulationofeducation

resultsbycooperativetype,size,location,andfinancial

position.

Results-Cooperative Education Initiatives

and Aspects

Farmercooperativesprovideeducationoncooperativeprinciples,finance,governance,taxandlegal

issues,andahostofothercooperative-relatedtopics.

Theamountofeducationconductedandforwhom,

however,isnotwellknownforallcooperatives.

Inthisstudy,cooperativeeducationinitiatives

wereanalyzedbyoverallsampleandbysize,type,and

location.Cooperativesandcooperativeeducatorsmay

finditusefultofurtherassessspecificareasofinformationinwhichtheyareinterestedfromthetablescontainedherein.

Respondents Provision of Education

Amajority(85percent)oftherespondentcooperativestothesurveysaidthattheyprovideeducationto

members,directors,employees,management,orthe

generalpublic(Table1).

Table2showstheprovisionofeducationby

respondenttype(seeAppendixnote3formoreon

cooperativetype).About92percentofgrainand

oilseedrespondentsprovideeducation,followedby

farmsupplyandservicecooperativesat85percent.

Cottonandcottongincooperativesareat81percent;

dairyat79percent;fruits,vegetables,andnutsat74

percent;livestock,poultry,andwoolcooperativesat63

percent;and“other”marketingcooperativesat65percent.

Largercooperativesappeartoeducatemorethan

smallercooperatives(Table3).Morethan90percentof

cooperativerespondentsinthethreelargestsizecategoriesprovideeducation,whileonly59percentofthe

smallestcooperativerespondentsdo.

Table4providesdatacategorizedbylocation.Six

regions(madeupofvariousstates)aredepicted—

Pacific,Intermountain,GreatPlains,Southeast,North

Central,andNortheast.Datafromsomeselectstatesare

alsoshownforgreaterinformation,butthestateanalyseswerelimitedtoonlythosestatesthathadatleast15

responsestomostsurveyquestions.

ThecooperativerespondentsinthePacific,Great

Plains,andNorthCentralregionsprovidethemost

education,with88percent,87percent,and86percent,

respectively,providingeducation.TheNortheast

regionrespondentsprovidetheleastamountofeducation,witha62-percentprovisionrate.Seventy-ninepercentoftherespondentsfromboththeIntermountain

andSoutheastregionsprovideeducation.

RespondentsfromNebraskahadthehighestprovisionrateat97percent,buttherearealsosixother

stateswitheducationprovisionratesofmorethan90

percent—Washington,SouthDakota,Tennessee,Iowa,

Ohio,andWisconsin.ThefivestatesofCalifornia,

Kansas,Oklahoma,Texas,andMinnesotahadprovisionratesofmorethan80percent.Ofthestatesincludedintheanalysis,thosewiththelowestratesinclude

Missouri,Michigan,Pennsylvania,andMontana.

Audiences Receiving Education

Forthoserespondentsthatprovideeducation

(Table5),mostindicatedthattheyprovideitmostlyto

directors(82percent),followedbyemployees(70percent),management(66percent),members(35percent),

andthegeneralpublic(15percent).

Table6showstheaudiencesthatcooperative

respondentseducate,bytypeofcooperative(see

AppendixNote3foradefinitionofthecooperative

typesdiscussedinthisreport).Farmsupplyandgrain

andoilseedcooperativesprovideeducationmostlyto

directorsandemployees.Dairycooperativeseducate

directorsandmembersmorethanotheraudiences.

Fruits,vegetables,andnutscooperativeseducatedirectorsandmanagementthemost.Cottonandothermarketingcooperativeseducatedirectorsthemost,then

employees.Livestockcooperativeseducatemembers

themost,whileservicecooperativeseducatedirectors

andmanagementtothesamedegree.Overall,directors

arethepredominateaudienceeducated,withtheonly

exceptionbeinginlivestock,poultry,andwoolcooperatives.

Morelargercooperativesthansmallerprovide

educationtodirectors,with97percentofcooperatives

withassetsof$50millionormoreprovidingeducation

tothisaudience(Table7).Amongthesmallestcooperativerespondents,membersweretheaudiencereceiving

themosteducation,followedbydirectors.Thegeneral

publicistheaudiencereceivingtheleasteducationby

cooperativerespondentsofallsizes,whiledirectors,

employees,management,andmembersweremore

favoredforeducation.

2
Table8showsaudiencesthatcooperativeseducate

byregionandselectstates.Thecooperativesinthe

Pacific,Intermountain,GreatPlains,andNorthCentral

regionsallputmostoftheireffortsineducationfor

directors.ThePacificandIntermountainregionshad

managementasthesecondaudiencetheyeducate,

whiletheGreatPlainsandNorthCentralregionshad

employeessecond.TheSoutheastregioneducates

employeesmost,followedbydirectors,andthe

Northeastcooperativeseducatemembersfirstwith

directorssecond.

Respondentcooperativesin11ofthe17stateseducatedirectorsthemost.Texas,Pennsylvania,Tennessee,

andWisconsineducatedirectorsandemployeesin

equalamounts.SouthDakotarespondentseducate

employeesthemost,Missourieducatesmanagement,

andPennsylvaniaeducatesmembers.

Delivery of Education

Fortheeducationthatrespondentsdoprovide,

mostuseseveralmeansofdelivery.Table9showsthe

breakdownofdeliverymethodsused.Sixty-fourpercentoftherespondentsindicatedthattheyprovide

educationinternallywiththeirstaff.About60percent

saidtheygeteducationtotheiraudiencesbyattending

workshopsprovidedbyacooperativecounciloranothercooperativeorganization.Othermeansofdelivery

thathavesignificantuseincludesinternalpublications

andmaterials,attendanceatnationalconferences,and

internaluseofaconsultant.Itisapparentthatmany

cooperativesuseavarietyofmethodsfordelivering

educationtotheiraudiencesanddonotrelyonjustone

method.

Deliverymethodsvarybytypeofcooperative,but

useofcooperativestaff,cooperativecouncils,andpublicationsandmaterialswerepredominatelythemethodsused(Table10).Farmsupply,dairy,livestock(wool

andpoultry),othermarketing,andservicecooperatives

allusedinternalstaffthemost.Grainandoilseed,fruits

(vegetablesandnuts),andcottoncooperativesused

cooperativecouncilprogramsthemost.

Table11showsdeliverymethodsbycooperative

size.Similartotype,useofcooperativestaff,cooperativecouncils,andpublicationsandmaterialsarethe

majordeliverymethodsacrosscooperativesizes,except

forthoseinthe$20to$49.9milliongroup,whichuse

cooperativecouncilsmost.Useofcooperativestaffis

themostuseddeliverymethodbycooperativesofall

sizes.Cooperativerespondentslargerthan$2.5million

inassetsreportedthattheyusedcooperativestaffand

cooperativecouncilsthemostfordeliveringeducation.

Thesmallestcooperatives(under$2.5million)used

cooperativestaffthemost,andthenpublicationsand

materialsfordelivery.

Forthemostpart,cooperativecouncilsareamajor

educationdeliveryvehicleforcooperativesthatreside

incouncilstatesorregions(Table12).Forinstance,85

percentofthecooperativesinKansas,83percentof

thoseinIowa,and79percentofthoseinNebraskaindicatedthattheygettheircooperativeeducationdeliveredthroughcooperativecouncils,inadditiontoother

majormethodssuchasuseofcooperativestaffand

publicationsandmaterials.

Educational Need of Key Audiences

Cooperativeswerepolledonwhichaudiences

theythinkneededucation.Table13showsthatcooperativesperceivethatthegeneralpublicmostneedscooperativeeducation,followedrespectivelybymembers,

employees,directors,andmanagement.Overall,the

respondentsfeelthatalltheaudiencesareinneedof

cooperativeeducationtosomedegree.

Farmsupplycooperativesindicatedthatthegeneralpublicneedseducationthemost(Table14).Dairy

andlivestock,poultry,andwoolcooperativessaidthat

membersneededucationthemost.Grainsandoilseeds

cooperativeshadatiebetweengeneralpublicand

membersforneedingeducationthemost.Thehighest

ratingforallaudiencesbytypewasa4.1(onascaleof1

to5with1needingleastand5needingmost)byother

marketingcooperativesfordirectors—thus,thosecooperativesfeelthatdirectorsneededucationthemost.The

nexthighestratingwas3.7forthegeneralpublicby

farmsupplycooperatives.Thelowestratingwas1.5by

othermarketingcooperativesforthegeneralpublic.

Overall,managementwasperceivedasneedingeducationtheleastbymostcooperatives.Cottonandcotton

gincooperativesweretheexceptionastheyindicated

thatmanagementneedededucationmost.

Table15showsthatthegeneralpublicwasthe

audienceperceivedtoneededucationoncooperatives

themostbyallbutthesecondsmallestrespondentsize

category.Memberswerealsoscoredrelativelyhighin

theperceivedneedofeducation,byallthesizecategories.

Respondentcooperativesinmostoftheregions

andstatesincludedinTable16thoughtthatthegeneral

publicneedededucationaboutcooperativesthemost.

Cooperativesfrom16regionsorstatesratedthegeneral

publicthehighestinneed(althoughtwohadties

betweengeneralpublicandmembers).Respondentsin

sevenregionsorstatesratedmembershighest,while

threerateddirectorshighest(althoughthreehadties

betweenmembersandotheraudiences),andrespon3
dentstwostateshademployeesratedhighest,though

tiedwithmembers.However,theratingsformostof

thesethreeaudiences-members,directors,andemployees-didnotdifferbyagreatdealinmostcases.

Educational Resources

Morethan75percentoftherespondentsindicated

thatthereareenougheducationresources,suchas

materials,programs,workshops,conferences,etc.,

availabletothemforeducationalneeds(Table17).

About17percentsaidtherearenot,andalmost8percentdidnotprovideanopinion.

Theperceptionoftheavailabilityofcooperative

educationalresourcesdifferssomewhatbycooperative

type.About82percentoffruits,vegetables,andnuts

cooperatives,aswellasthesameproportionofgrain

andoilseedcooperatives,thinkthereareenough

resources(Table18).Othertypeswherethemajority

feelsthereareenoughresourcesincludefarmsupply,

cotton,service,anddairy.However,lessthan50percentoflivestock,poultry,wooland“other”marketing

cooperativerespondentsindicatedthatthereare

enoughresourcesavailable.

Table19presentsperceptionofavailabilityofeducationalresourcesbysize.Morethan70percentofall

thesizecategories,exceptthesmallestgroup(assets

lessthan$1million),indicatedtheythoughttherewere

enoughresources.Just52percentofthesmallestsize

feltthereareenough.Also,26percentofthelargestsize

group($50millionormoreinassets)indicatedthat

therearenotenougheducationresourcesavailable.

TheGreatPlainsregionwastheonlyregionwhere

morethan80percentoftherespondentssaidthatthere

areenougheducationresourcesavailable(Table20).

However,eightstateshadover80percentsayingthere

areenough:California,Kansas,SouthDakota,

Tennessee,Iowa,Michigan,Ohio(over90percent),and

Wisconsin.Theregionsthathadthehighestproportions(morethan20percent)sayingthattherearen't

enoughresourcesaretheIntermountain,theSoutheast,

andtheNortheast,whilethehighestproportions

amongstatesareWashington,Montana,Oklahoma,

Minnesota,Missouri,andPennsylvania.

Sources of Educational Resources Used

Table21showsthatrespondentswhoconduct

educationacquiretheirresourceslargelyfromthestate

orregionalcooperativecouncils(58percent),from

USDA(43percent),andfromothercooperatives(38

percent).Avarietyofothersourcesarealsoused,such

astheInternet(25percent),universities,andcooperativecenters(both15percent).Cooperativedevelopment

centersarenotyetasignificantsource,withonly5percentofrespondentsnotingthattheyattainresources

fromthem.Othersources(e.g.,NationalSocietyof

AccountantsforCooperatives,attorneys,auditors,consultants,NationalFarmersUnion,FarmBureau,trade

organizations,etc.)wereattainedby12percentofcooperatives.

Bytype,co-opcouncilsaremostwidelyusedby

grainandoilseed(67percent),farmsupply(58percent),

andcottonandcottongin(70percent)cooperatives

(Table22).USDAismostwidelyusedbydairy(58percent);fruits,vegetablesandnuts(53percent);andlivestock,poultry,andwool(83percent)cooperatives.

BesidescooperativecouncilsandUSDA,otherfairly

significantsourcesforthevarioustypesareothercooperatives,universities,cooperativecenters,online

resources,andothersources.

Table23showsthatsmallercooperatives(upto$5

millioninassets)relymoreheavilyonUSDAtoattain

educationalresources,andlargercooperatives(greater

than$5millioninassets)relymoreonthestateor

regionalcooperativecouncils.Othercooperativesare

fairlywellusedalso.Cooperativesofallsizesalsouse

universities,onlineinformation/courses,cooperative

centers,etc.,assources.

Co-opcouncilsandUSDAweretheprimary

resourcesforeducationalmaterialsin13statesand5

regions,respectively(Table24).USDAwasthesecond

mostusedinnineregions.

Importance of Director Educational Topics

Cooperativeswereaskedtoratetheimportanceof

directoreducationonsixoveralltopics:cooperative

basics,finance,governance,leadership,boardmeeting

functions,andtaxandlegalissues.Thehighestneed

ratingwasforcooperativefinance,followedby(in

highestorderofneed)taxandlegalissues,leadership,

governance,boardmeetingfunctions,andcooperative

basics(Table25).Thehighestratingwas3.4forfinance

(onthescaleof1to5with1beingleastneededand5

beingmostneeded)andthelowestwas2.8forbasics.

Bytype,directortraininginfinanceisratedas

beingmostneededbyfarmsupply,grainsandoilseed,

dairy,service,andothermarketingcooperatives(Table

26).Fruits,vegetables,andnutsandlivestock,poultry,

andwoolcooperativesratebasicsasmostneedededucationfordirectors.Leadership,boardmeetings,and

taxandlegaltopicsareequallyratedhighestbycotton

andcottongincooperatives.

Table27showsthatfinanceratedhighinrelative

termsofdirectoreducationneedbyallclassesofcooperativesize,fromsmalltolarge.Governance,leader4
ship,andtaxesandlegalareratedrelativelyhighin

needalso.Basiccooperativeeducationisratedrelativelyhighbythetwosmallercooperativegroups.

Byarea,cooperativerespondentsintheGreat

Plains,Intermountain,Southeast,NorthCentral,and

NortheastregionsandinthestatesofSouthDakota,

Iowa,Michigan,andMinnesotaratedfinanceashighly

neededfordirectoreducation(Table28).Therewere

alsofiveotherregionsandstates—GreatPlains,

Northeast,NorthDakota,Texas,andWyoming—that

ratedfinanceashighestalthoughitwastiedwith

anothertopic.Boardmeetingfunctionsisthetopic

ratedhighestbycooperativesinthePacificand

California(althoughCaliforniaalsohadthesamerating

forcooperativebasicsandgovernance).Leadershipasa

topicisratedhighbycooperativesinWashington,

Nebraska,Oklahoma,Tennessee,andWisconsin.The

taxandlegalissuetopicishighlyratedamongcooperativesintheGreatPlains,Nebraska,NorthDakota,and

Texas.Basiccooperativeeducationisratedhighestin

needbycooperativesinCalifornia,Washington,

Missouri,Ohio,andPennsylvania.

Select Findings by Top Educational Sources

Used

Table29providesselecteducationalfindingsfor

thoserespondentsthatnotedthattheysourcetheireducationalprogramsandmaterialsthroughcooperative

councils,USDA,andothercooperatives(thetopthree

sourcesofrespondents).

Someoftherespondentsareincludedinallthree

categories.Ofthe389cooperativesthatsourcematerials/programsfromstateorregionalcouncils,45percent

(176cooperatives)alsouseUSDAasasourceand35

percent(138cooperatives)useothercooperatives.Of

the287cooperativesthatuseUSDA,37percent(107

cooperatives)alsouseothercooperatives.Twohundred

fifty-fourcooperativesuseothercooperativesasa

source.

Cooperativesusingallthreeofthesesourceseducatedirectorsmorethanotheraudiences.Ninety-one

percentofthecooperativesthatusecooperativecouncilseducatedirectors,while84percentand88percent

thatuseUSDAandothercooperatives,respectively,

educatedirectors.Morethan70percentofcooperatives

usingthethreesourceseducateemployeesandmanagement.

Cooperativesusingallthreesourcesratedthegeneralpublicastheaudiencethatmostneedscooperative

education.Membersandemployeeswereratedsecond

andthird,respectively,bythesecooperativesforneed

ofeducation.

Morethan80percentofcooperativesinallthree

sourcegroupsfeelthatthereareenougheducation

resourcesavailable,higherthanthe75percentofthe

entirepopulationofrespondents.

Cooperativesusingcooperativecouncilsasan

educationsourceratedfinanceastheeducationtopic

mostneededbydirectors(ratingof3.4),followedby

leadership,andtaxandlegaleducation(bothrated3.2).

Governanceeducationwasnext(ratingof3.1).

CooperativesusingUSDAratedfinanceandtaxand

legaltopicshighest(ratingsof3.3),followedbyleadership(ratingof3.2).Governancewasnext(ratingof3.1).

Cooperativesusingothercooperativesratedfinance

highest(ratingof3.4),followedbytaxandlegal(rating

of3.2).Governanceandleadershiptopicswerenext

(ratingsof3.1).

Financial Position

Table30presentsaggregatefinancialdataofthe

751respondentcooperativesthatprovidedinformation

ontheireducationalinitiatives.The636cooperatives

thatprovideeducation(educators)hadaveragetotal

salesof$86.7million,whilethe115cooperativesthatdo

notprovideeducation(non-educators)hadtotalsalesof

$31.5million.Theeducators'averagenetincomewas

$2.2million,andthenon-educators'averagenetincome

was$0.96million.Theaverageeducatorcooperative

hada9.1—percentreturnonassets,andnon-educator

cooperativeshad6.4percent.Educatorsweremore

highlyleveragedthannon-educators.Theeducator

cooperativeshadanaverageof76full-timeemployees

and950members,whilethenon-educatorcooperatives

had29full-timeemployeesand564members.

Study Implications

Thissectionprovidesananalysisofsomeofthe

implicationsofthestudyresults.Somequestionsthat

educatorswouldlikelyaskgiventhederivedimplicationsarepresentedalso.

A Majority of Cooperatives Educate

The85-percentmajorityoftherespondentcooperativesthatprovideeducationareafairlysignificant

proportion,but100percentshouldbethegoal.

That90percentofgrainandoilseedcooperatives

areprovidingeducation,andthat85percentoffarm

supplyandservicecooperativesdo,iscommendable.

But25percentormoreofsometypesofcooperatives

arenotprovidinganyeducation,whichisnotaspositive.

Largercooperativesprovidemoreeducationthan

smallercooperativeslikelybecausetheysimplyhave

5
moreresources.Largercooperativesmayalsobemore

awareofcooperativeeducationmaterials,publications,

andprogramsandhaveaclosertietocooperativecouncils,universities,andotherresourcesthansmaller

cooperativesdo,makingiteasierforthemtoprovide

education.

Whilenoneofthesixregionshad90percentor

moreoftheassociatedcooperativesprovidingeducation,sevenofthestatesdid.Itisinterestingthatallof

thosestateshaveactivecooperativecouncilsproviding

education,likelynotacoincidence.Allbutoneofthe

fivestateswithmorethan80percentofthecooperativesinvolvedineducatingalsohavecouncilsactivein

education.Californiaistheexception(whileCalifornia

doeshaveanactivecooperativecouncil,itdoesnotconducteducationalactivities).

Director Education Important

Directorsaretheaudiencebeingmosteducatedby

cooperatives.Giventhecomplexbusinessenvironment

inwhichcooperativesoperate,keepingdirectorsupto

speedoncooperativeandbusinessissuesisimperative,

andcooperativesseemtounderstandthis.Thelargest

cooperativesareeducatingdirectorsthemost,likely

becauseofthecomplexityintheiroperationsthattheir

directorsneedtounderstand.Ofallaudiences,membersaretheleasteducatedbycooperatives,receiving

evenlesseducationfromrespondentsthanthegeneral

publicdoes.Butthereisanexception—livestock,poultry,andwoolcooperativesdoeducatemembersmore

thanotheraudiences.Thiscouldbebecausethosecooperativeshavestrongcompetitionwithnon-cooperatives

and,thus,strivetokeepmemberswellawareofcooperativebenefits.Still,cooperativeleadersoftenvoicethat

loyaltyandcommitmentfromtheirmembersisamajor

issuetheyface,soitwouldbenefitthemtoimprove

thatbyeducatingmembersmorethantheycurrently

do.

Afewquestionsarisingfromtheseimplications

include:whatcanbedonetomotivatecooperativesto

educatetheirmembersmore,andwhateducationalinitiativesdocooperativesneedtousetoeducatemembers?Aretheeducationalactivitiescooperativesare

undertakingadequateenoughtofullyeducatetheirtargetaudiences?

Education Delivery Methods Raise Several

Questions

Thefindingthatcooperativesprovidemostof

theireducation“internallywithcooperativestaff”begs

thequestion:whattypeofeducationarethesestaffs

providing?Aretheydevelopingtheirownmaterials

andprograms,orsimplyfindingeducationalresources

forthecooperativetouse?

Cooperativecouncileducationalprogramsare

fairlywellused,with60percentofcooperativesusing

themforeducationdelivery.Grainandoilseedandcottonandcottongincooperativesusethemmorethan

othertypesofcooperatives.Inlightofthis,whyaren't

livestock,poultry,wool,anddairycooperativesusing

councilprogramsmorethantheyare?Partofthe

answerislikelycouncilmembershipstatusorlocation

proximity.Someofthosecooperativesnotusingcouncilsmaynotbemembers,orlocationlogisticsdonot

warranteasyparticipationincouncilprograms.

Overall,cooperativesclearlyusemultipleeducationmethods.Aquestionarisesgiventhisfinding:are

thevariousdeliverymethodsbeingusedoftenenough

andbeingtargetedtoreachallthekeyaudiencesneedingcooperativeeducation?

Perception of Audience Needs Doesn't Match

Education Conducted

Allaudiencesareperceivedtoneededucationto

somedegreebycooperatives.Aninterestingfindingis

thatthegeneralpublicwasdeemedasneedingeducationthemost.However,onlyasmallproportionof

cooperativesareprovidingeducationtothegeneral

publicrelativetootheraudiences.Memberswerealso

perceivedasneedingmoreeducation,buttheytoo,are

notreceivingitfrommostcooperatives.Thus,two

audiencesfelttobeneedingeducationarenotreceiving

muchofitfromcooperatives—thequestioniswhynot?

Itmaybethatcooperativesthinkthatthegeneralpublic

doesn'tunderstandtheirbusinessverywell,ormaybe

boardsdon'tfeelit'sthatimportant,orfinancially

worthwhile,toeducatethem.Cooperativesmayneedto

focustheireducationaleffortstomorecloselymatch

theirperceptionsofneedwhentheyfeelitwillbenefit

them.

Thefindingthatfarmsupplycooperativesfeel

thatthegeneralpublicneedseducationmost(even

morethanalltheothercooperativetypes)mayimply

thatfarmsupplycooperativesdonotfeelthatthegeneralpublicunderstandsthattheirsupplybusinessis

different(i.e.,ownedbyfarmers)thanotherprivate

farmsupplybusinesses,and,thus,theythinkthateducatingthemonthatisveryimportant.

Resources Not Perceived by Some as Being

Widely Available

While85percentofthecooperativesprovideeducation,75percentfeelthatthereareenougheducational

resourcesavailable.Thisfindingbringsupsomeinter6
estingquestions.Aretherenotenoughresourcesavailabletomeetallcooperativeeducationneedsinthe

UnitedStates?Arethereenoughresources,butsome

cooperativesjustdon'tknowaboutthem,orusethem?

Arethereresources,butnotentirelyoftherightkindto

meetallneeds?Thesequestionssignalthatthereare

someissueswithcooperativeeducationalresourcesthat

needtobeaddressed—thateitherresourcesarenot

plentifulenoughtofullymeetneeds,orthepromotion

strategiesofthemanyresourcesthatareavailableare

notfarreachingenough.

Multiple Sources Used for Educational

Resources 

Cooperativesthatconducteducationuseavariety

ofresourcesfortheirmaterialandprograms.

Cooperativecouncils,USDA,andothercooperatives

weremostusedbyrespondents.Itishighlylikelythat

throughtheuseofcooperativecouncils,cooperatives

areacquiringseveraltypesofresources—educational

workshopsandconferences,aswellassomeinformativetypeliteratureinhardcopyorelectronicformat.

ForthoseusingUSDA,itcanbereadilyassumedthat

thecooperativesaregainingaccesstoitsreports,publications,magazinearticles,andperhapssomeofitselectronicmaterialscontainingeducationprogramsor

information(e.g.,CDs,VHS,andDVDs).Forthose

acquiringresourcesfromothercooperatives,universities,online,etc.,it'sabitmoredifficulttoascertain

whatitistheyareusingorgetting.

Somecross-overacquisitionisgoingon.Forexample,acooperativecouncilmayuseUSDAeducational

publicationsforitseducationalworkshopsorhandouts.

Oritmightuseaprofessorforaspeakerorinstructor,

oruniversitystudiesandmaterials.Togetherwiththe

findingthatmanycooperativesfeeltherearenot

enoughresourcesforeducation,questionsariseasto

whatcooperativesareactuallygettingfromtheir

sources.Aretheyreceivingmostoftheresourcesthat

theytrulyneed?Arethereotherresourcesthattheir

majorsourcesneedtoprovide?Hopefully,cooperatives

voicetheirneedstothosetheyuseassources.Feedback

andcommunicationareextremelyimportantinthe

realmofprovidingcooperativeeducationalprograms

andmaterials.

Forthosecooperativesusingthesethreemain

sources,directors,management,andemployeesare

educatedthemost—however,thesecooperativesindicatedthatthegeneralpublicistheaudiencethatneeds

themosteducating.So,thequestionis,arecooperatives

tryingtoeducatethepubliconaregularbasisandturningtocertainsourcestohelpwithit?Ordotheyconsiderthateducationtobeanendeavorlefttoother

cooperativeeducatorstocarryout?

Ahighermajorityofthecooperativeswhousethe

threemajorsourcesfeelthereareenougheducational

resourcesthantheoverallrespondersdo,butnearly20

percentofthismajoritystillfeelthattherearenot

enough.Thus,itisincumbentuponeducatorsandthe

cooperativesthemselves,insomeinstances,tofind

wherethegapsareandfillthem.

All Topics Are Important for Director Education,

but Finance Needs Stand Out

Cooperativerespondentsfeelfinanceistheeducationaltopicmostneededbydirectors.However,some

typesofcooperativesratedothertopicshigher.Overall,

thefindingsreflectthatallthetopicsarefelttobeneededfordirectoreducation.Thesefindingsweresimilar

amongthecooperativesthatsourcedcooperativecouncils,USDA,andothercooperativesaswell.Asfarmer

cooperativesstrivetooperateeffectivelyinatougheconomicclimate,well-educateddirectorsareanimperativetosoundgovernance.Questionsarisefromthese

topicfindings:cooperativesindicateearlyoninthesurveythattheyareeducatingdirectors,butaretheyeducatingthemenoughonthevarioustopicstheyfeelthey

need?Arecooperativesregularlyevaluatingtheirdirectoreducationalneedssothattheycanensuredirectors

aregettingtheneedededucation?

Financial Meaning

Thefinancialdatashownforrespondents,broken

downintowhethertheyconducteducation,doesnot

provideanysignificantimplications.However,thedata

reinforcesthefindingthatlargercooperativesprovide

moreeducation,withaveragetotalassetsandtotal

salesofeducatorsbeing$20millionand$55million

more,respectively,thannon-educators.Performanceis

onlyslightlyhigherforeducatorsrelativetonon-educators,andbothcategoriesperformedwellfinancially,as

didtheentiresamplepopulation.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Cooperativesprovidingeducationontheirbusinessmodel,itsuniquecharacteristics,andtheenvironmentinwhichtheyoperate,isextremelyimportant.

Manyaudiencesneedtobereachedsothatafullunderstandingofcooperativesisgained.Membersneedto

knowmoreabouttheirbusiness;directorsneedto

understandcomplexissuesandcooperativeprinciples

andpracticestoproperlygovern;managersneed

knowledgeandtoolstoeffectivelymanagetheopera7
tions;employeesneedtounderstandcooperativesin

ordertoproperlyservemember-owners;andthegeneralpublicshouldunderstandhowcooperativesdiffer

fromotherbusinessformsandhowtheybenefittheir

communitiessotheycanfullyappreciateandsupport

them.

Thisstudyprovidesinformationoneducational

initiativesbyfarmercooperatives—whomtheyeducate,

howtheydoit,whatresourcestheyuse,whichaudiencestheyfeelneededucatingthemost,andthetopics

onwhichtheythinkdirectorsneedtobeeducated.

However,duetospacerestrictions,thesurveyinstrumentusedwaslimitedinthenumberofquestionsit

couldinclude.Morequestionscouldhavedelveddeeperintocooperatives'specificeducationactivitiesto

enhancetheresultsofthisstudy.

Nevertheless,thisstudyprovidessomeinteresting

informationthatshouldbeusefultocooperativesand

educatorsastheydevelopcooperativeeducational

activities.Manycooperativesprovidecooperativeeducationandtakeadvantageofavailableresources.

However,somecooperativesdonoteducateatall.

Somerecommendationsforfarmercooperativesand

educatorsgiventheresultsofthisstudyinclude:

● Cooperativesthataren'teducatinganyaudiences

shouldstrivetobecomeeducators.

● Cooperativesneedtomakesurethattheeducation

conductedisextensiveandgermanetothepertinent

topicsthattheirdirectors(andotheraudiences)

need.

● Cooperativesneedtoeducatemembersbyproviding

morematerials/programsforthemand/orholding

specialmemberevents.

● Cooperativesmustactivelysearchforeducational

materialsandprograms.

● Cooperativesneedtofocustheireducationalactivitiestocloselymatchtheirperceptionsofwhereeducationisneeded.

● Cooperativesneedtofreelyreachouttoeducators

whentheyfeelgapsexistinmaterialsandprograms,

andeducatorsneedtoworktofillthosegaps.

● Educatorsneedtoeffectivelypromotetheirmaterials

andprogramstoensurethatcooperativesareaware

ofandcangainaccesstothem.

● Researchersshouldconductfurtherstudyofcooperativeeducationalinitiativestosurveytheactualcontentofcooperatives'educationalundertakingsto

allowfordevelopmentofmoretargetedandeffectiveeducationmaterialsandprograms.

8
9

Table 1—Cooperative respondents' indication of providing cooperative education

Number Percent

Yes 636 84.7

No 115 15.3

Total 751 100

751 respondents represent 31 percent of the 2,389 farmer cooperatives in the United States.

Table 2—Cooperative respondents' indication of providing cooperative education, by type

Cooperative type Yes No

percent

Farm supply (n = 345, 45.9%) 84.6 15.4

Grain and oilseed (n = 225, 30%) 91.6 8.4

Dairy (n = 47, 6.3%) 78.7 21.3

Fruits, vegetables, & nuts (n = 39, 5.2%) 74.4 25.6

Cotton & cotton gins (n = 36, 4.8%) 80.6 19.4

Livestock, poultry, & wool (n = 16, 2%) 62.5 37.5

Other marketing (n = 17, 2.3%) 64.7 35.3

Service (n = 26, 3.5%) 84.6 15.4

Total (n = 751, 100%) 84.7 15.3

See Appendix note 3 for a description of the cooperative type categories.

Table 3—Cooperative respondents' indication of providing cooperative education, by size

Cooperative asset size Yes No

percent

Less than $1 million (n = 75, 10%) 58.7 41.3

$1 million to $2.49 million (n = 74, 10%) 78.4 21.6

$2.5 million to $4.99 million (n = 125, 16.6%) 86.4 13.6

$5 million to $9.99 million (n = 139, 18.5%) 84.9 15.1

$10 million to $19.99 million (n = 142, 18.9%) 90.1 9.9

$20 million to $49.99 million (n = 113, 15%) 91.2 8.8

$50 million or more (n = 83, 11%) 92.8 7.2

Total (n = 751, 100%) 84.7 15.3
10

Table 4—Cooperative respondents' indication of providing cooperative education, by location

Cooperative location Yes No

percent

Pacific (n=68, 9.1%) 88.2 11.8

California (n = 33, 4.4%) 84.8 15.2

Washington (n = 21, 2.8%) 95.2 4.8

Intermountain (n=48, 6.4%) 79.2 20.8

Montana (n = 16, 2.1%) 75.0 25.0

Great Plains (n = 240, 32%) 87.1 12.9

Kansas (n = 53, 7%) 88.7 11.3

Nebraska (n = 34, 4.5%) 97.1 2.9

North Dakota (n = 53, 7%) 77.4 22.6

Oklahoma (n = 18, 2.4%) 88.9 11.1

South Dakota (n = 28, 3.7%) 93.1 6.9

Texas (n = 54, 7.2%) 85.2 14.8

Southeast (n = 58, 7.7%) 79.3 20.7

Tennessee (n = 24, 3.2%) 95.8 4.2

North Central (n = 303, 40.3%) 86.5 13.5

Iowa (n = 50, 6.6%) 92.0 8.0

Michigan (n = 18, 2.4%) 66.7 33.3

Minnesota (n = 84, 11.2%) 85.7 14.3

Missouri (n = 22, 2.9%) 59.1 40.9

Ohio (n = 19, 2.5%) 94.7 5.3

Wisconsin (n = 48, 6.4%) 93.8 6.2

Northeast (n = 34, 4.5%) 61.8 38.2

Pennsylvania (n=18, 2.4%) 72.2 27.8

Total (n = 751, 100%) 84.7 15.3

States included in each region: Pacific—CA, OR, WA, AK, and HI; Intermountain—AZ, NM, CO, UT, ID, WY, and MT; Great Plains—ND, SD,

NE, KS, OK, and TX; Southeast—AR, LA, MS, AL, GA, FL, SC, NC, TN, KY, VA, and WV; North Central—MN, IA, MO, IL, WI, IN, OH, and MI;

Northeast—MD, DC, DE, PA, NY, NJ, CT, RI, MA, VT, NH, and ME.

States included are those that had more than 15 responses (78.7% of respondents).

n = number that provided information (in this case, total number of respondents).
11

Table 7—Audiences that cooperatives educate, by size

General

Cooperative asset size Members Directors Employees Management Public

percent

Less than $1 million (n = 44) 59.1 47.7 38.6 29.5 11.4

$1 million to $2.49 million (n = 58) 32.8 70.7 70.7 55.2 19.0

$2.5 million to $4.99 million (n = 108) 25.9 69.4 69.4 61.1 17.6

$5 million to $9.99 million (n = 118) 25.4 83.9 72.0 66.9 10.2

$10 million to $19.99 million (n = 128) 34.4 90.6 70.3 70.3 18.0

$20 million to $49.99 million (n = 103) 33.0 93.2 76.7 77.7 12.6

$50 million or more (n = 77) 53.2 97.4 75.3 80.5 14.3

Total (n = 636) 34.9 82.2 70.0 66.3 14.8

n = number that provided information.

Table 5—Audiences of cooperative training or provision of educational materials concerning cooperative

practices or issues

Members 34.9%

Directors 82.2%

Employees 70.0%

Management 66.3%

General public 14.8%

N = 636 (number that provided information)

Table 6—Audiences that cooperatives educate, by type

General

Cooperative type Members Directors Employees Management Public

percent

Farm supply (n = 292) 37.0 82.5 80.1 68.8 20.9

Grain and oilseed (n = 206) 27.7 87.9 73.3 68.0 10.7

Dairy (n = 37) 64.9 67.6 43.2 50.0 10.8

Fruits, veg. & nuts (n = 29) 48.3 86.2 31.0 75.9 6.9

Cotton & cotton gins (n = 29) 24.1 72.4 62.1 55.2 3.4

Livestock, poultry, & wool (n = 10) 70.0 60.0 10.0 30.0 10.0

Other marketing (n = 11) 9.1 90.9 36.3 81.8

Service (n = 22) 18.2 63.6 54.5 63.6 13.6

Total (n = 636) 34.9 82.2 70.0 66.3 14.8

n = number that provided information.
12

Table 8—Audiences that cooperatives educate, by location

General

Cooperative location Members Directors Employees Management Public

percent

Pacific (n=60) 38.3 88.3 46.7 66.7 18.3

California (n = 28) 25.0 82.1 32.1 75.0 7.1

Washington (n = 20) 50.0 90.0 45.0 55.0 10.0

Intermountain (n=38) 44.7 81.6 65.8 68.4 13.2

Montana (n = 12) 50.0 75.0 58.3 50.0 8.3

Great Plains (n = 209) 31.6 78.9 73.2 66.5 16.3

Kansas (n = 47) 34.0 87.2 74.5 68.1 8.5

Nebraska (n = 33) 27.3 87.9 75.8 72.7 18.2

North Dakota (n = 41) 46.3 80.5 78.0 73.2 29.3

Oklahoma (n = 16) 25.0 81.3 62.5 68.8 6.3

South Dakota (n = 27) 40.7 66.7 74.1 48.1 29.6

Texas (n = 46) 17.4 67.4 67.4 63.0 8.7

Southeast (n = 46) 37.0 71.7 73.9 50.0 19.6

Tennessee (n = 23) 30.4 82.6 82.6 60.9 21.7

North Central (n = 262) 31.7 88.5 76.0 71.0 12.2

Iowa (n = 46) 32.6 91.3 76.1 76.1 23.9

Michigan (n = 12) 41.7 91.7 58.3 83.3

Minnesota (n = 72) 26.4 90.3 72.2 72.2 12.5

Missouri (n = 13) 30.8 61.5 76.9 84.6

Ohio (n = 18) 16.7 100.0 66.7 50.0 5.6

Wisconsin (n = 45) 42.2 91.1 91.1 80.0 11.1

Northeast (n = 21) 76.2 42.9 28.6 38.1 14.3

Pennsylvania (n=13) 84.6 38.5 38.5 23.1 15.4

Total (n = 636) 34.9 82.2 70.0 66.3 14.8

States included in each region: Pacific—CA, OR, WA, AK, and HI; Intermountain—AZ, NM, CO, UT, ID, WY, and MT; Great Plains—ND, SD,

NE, KS, OK, and TX; Southeast—AR, LA, MS, AL, GA, FL, SC, NC, TN, KY, VA, and WV; North Central—MN, IA, MO, IL, WI, IN, OH, and

MI; Northeast—MD, DC, DE, PA, NY, NJ, CT, RI, MA, VT, NH, and ME.

States included are those that had more than 15 responses.

n = number that provided information.
13

Table 10—Education delivery methods, by type

Internally with Externally with

Co-op Consul- Pubs & Online Co-op Online Joint Attend

Cooperative type staff tant materials course council course meet conf

percent

Farm supply (n = 292) 71.2 29.8 43.8 8.2 55.8 4.8 18.5 37.3

Grain and oilseed (n = 206) 60.7 35.4 34.0 8.2 72.3 7.3 11.6 32.5

Dairy (n = 37) 67.6 16.2 40.5 29.7 5.4 5.4 32.4

Fruits, veg. & nuts (n = 29) 37.9 24.1 37.9 10.3 65.5 13.8 6.9 31.0

Cotton & cotton gins

(n = 29) 48.3 24.1 20.7 3.4 72.4 6.9 17.2 34.5

Livestock, poultry, & wool

(n = 10) 60.0 20.0 40.0 10.0 20.0 20.0 20.0 30.0

Other marketing (n = 11) 63.6 54.5 54.5 9.1 54.5 18.2 27.3

Service (n = 22) 59.1 18.2 22.7 4.5 40.9 4.5 31.8 27.3

Total (n = 636) 64.3 30.2 38.5 7.6 59.8 6.3 15.4 34.4

n = number that provided information.

Actual wording of delivery methods on survey:

Internally with cooperative staff, Internally using a consultant, Internally through use of educational publications and materials, Internally

through an online course, Externally through a cooperative council or organization putting on a workshop, externally through an online course,

Joint educational meeting with another cooperative, Attendance of state or national conference where education is provided.

Table 9—Education delivery methods

Delivery percent

Internally with cooperative staff 64.3

Internally using a consultant 30.2

Internally through use of educational publications and materials 38.5

Internally through an online course 7.6

Externally through a cooperative council or organization putting on a workshop 59.8

Externally through an online course 6.3

Joint educational meeting with another cooperative 15.4

Attendance at a state or national conference where education is provided 34.4

Other ways* 3.0

*Newsletters, mailings, local meetings, seminars, etc.

N = 636
14

Table 11—Education delivery methods, by size

Internally with* Externally with

Co-op Consul- Pubs & Online Co-op Online Joint Attend

Cooperative asset size staff tant materials course council course meet conf

percent

Farm supply (n = 292) 71.2 29.8 43.8 8.2 55.8 4.8 18.5 37.3

Less than $1 million

(n = 44) 47.7 6.8 36.4 2.3 15.9 4.5 18.2 20.4

$1 million to $2.49 million

(n = 58) 51.7 12.1 40.0 6.9 37.9 3.4 8.6 24.1

$2.5 million to $4.99 million

(n = 108) 53.7 24.1 30.5 2.8 49.1 3.7 13.0 27.8

$5 million to $9.99 million

(n = 118) 69.5 32.2 34.7 2.5 61.9 2.5 17.8 35.6

$10 million to $19.99 million

(n = 128) 73.4 38.3 38.3 10.2 67.2 7.0 16.4 32.0

$20 million to $49.99 million

(n = 103) 62.1 34.9 37.9 9.7 79.6 5.8 16.5 42.7

$50 million or more (n = 77) 77.9 42.9 57.1 18.2 74.0 18.2 15.6 50.6

Total (n = 636) 64.3 30.2 38.5 7.6 59.8 6.3 15.4 34.4

n = number that provided information.

*For actual wording of delivery methods on survey, see Table 10 footnote.
15

Table 12—Education delivery methods, by location

Internally with* Externally with

Co-op Consul- Pubs & Online Co-op Online Joint Attend

Cooperative type staff tant materials course council course meet conf

percent

Pacific (n=60) 58.3 23.3 40.0 8.3 58.3 8.3 16.7 35.0

California (n = 28) 35.7 25.0 32.1 7.1 67.9 10.7 17.9 25.0

Washington (n = 20) 90.0 25.0 45.0 15.0 50.0 10.0 20.0 30.0

Intermountain (n=38) 65.8 36.8 26.3 52.6 10.5 18.4 31.6

Montana (n = 12) 50.0 41.7 41.7 8.3 16.7 8.3

Great Plains (n = 209) 57.9 27.3 36.8 8.6 70.8 6.7 12.0 32.1

Kansas (n = 47) 61.7 29.8 38.3 14.9 85.1 12.8 14.9 29.8

Nebraska (n = 33) 60.6 39.4 45.5 6.1 78.8 6.1 6.1 27.3

North Dakota (n = 41) 65.9 34.1 53.7 17.1 65.9 4.9 14.6 41.5

Oklahoma (n = 16) 68.8 25.0 25.0 87.5 25.0

South Dakota (n = 27) 48.1 3.7 22.2 3.7 37.0 7.4 18.5 29.6

Texas (n = 46) 45.7 23.9 28.3 2.2 67.4 4.3 10.9 34.8

Southeast (n = 46) 69.6 26.1 47.8 8.7 39.1 6.5 26.1 39.1

Tennessee (n = 23) 78.3 21.7 47.8 8.7 52.2 4.3 39.1 34.8

North Central (n = 262) 69.5 35.9 39.7 7.3 58.8 4.6 16.0 36.6

Iowa (n = 46) 71.7 43.5 43.5 13.0 82.6 10.9 23.9 45.7

Michigan (n = 12) 66.7 25.0 41.7 58.3 8.3 16.7

Minnesota (n = 72) 70.8 33.3 38.9 5.6 45.8 4.2 6.9 36.1

Missouri (n = 13) 76.9 53.8 30.8 7.7 38.5 15.4 23.1

Ohio (n = 18) 55.6 50.0 38.9 61.1 11.1 22.2

Wisconsin (n = 45) 68.9 44.4 48.9 6.7 73.3 2.2 24.4 46.7

Northeast (n = 21) 66.7 4.8 38.1 9.5 23.8 9.5 9.5 23.8

Pennsylvania (n=13) 76.9 7.7 46.2 15.4 30.8 15.4 15.4 30.8

Total (n = 636) 64.3 30.2 38.5 7.6 59.8 6.3 15.4 34.4

n = number that provided information.

*For actual wording of delivery methods on survey, see Table 10 footnote.

Table 13—Cooperatives' perceived level of need of education for audiences (rated on scale of 1-5 with 1

needing education the least, 5 needing it the most)

Audience Average rating

Members 3.3

Directors 2.9

Employees 3.0

Management 2.6

General public 3.4

N = 710
16

Table 14—Cooperatives' perceived level of need of education for audiences (rated on scale of 1-5 with 1

needing education the least, 5 needing it the most), by type

General

Cooperative type Members Directors Employees Mgmt Public

average

Farm supply (n = 328) 3.3 2.8 3.1 2.5 3.7

Grain and oilseed (n = 220) 3.4 2.9 3.1 2.5 3.4

Dairy (n = 42) 3.2 3.1 2.8 2.7 3.0

Fruits, veg. & nuts (n = 35) 3.0 3.4 2.9 3.0 2.6

Cotton & cotton gins (n = 33) 2.8 3.1 2.9 3.2 2.9

Livestock, poultry, & wool (n = 14) 3.3 3.1 2.4 2.6 3.0

Other marketing (n = 12) 2.7 4.1 2.7 3.4 1.5

Service (n = 26) 3.0 3.3 2.4 3.0 2.7

Total (n = 710) 3.3 2.9 3.0 2.6 3.4

n = number that answered corresponding question.

Table 15—Cooperatives' perceived level of need of education for audiences (rated on scale of 1-5 with 1

needing education the least, 5 needing it the most), by size

General

Cooperative asset size Members Directors Employees Mgmt Public

average

Less than $1 million (n = 60) 3.0 3.0 2.7 2.6 3.2

$1 million to $2.49 million (n = 67) 3.4 2.9 3.0 2.6 3.3

$2.5 million to $4.99 million (n = 122) 3.1 2.8 3.0 2.7 3.3

$5 million to $9.99 million (n = 131) 3.3 3.0 3.1 2.5 3.4

$10 million to $19.99 million (n = 139) 3.3 2.9 3.0 2.7 3.4

$20 million to $49.99 million (n = 110) 3.2 3.1 3.0 2.6 3.5

$50 million or more (n = 81) 3.4 2.7 3.1 2.5 3.6

Total (n = 710) 3.3 2.9 3.0 2.6 3.4

n = number that answered corresponding question.
17

Table 16—Cooperatives' perceived level of need of education for audiences (rated on scale of 1-5 with 1

needing education the least, 5 needing it the most), by location

General

Cooperative location Members Directors Employees Management Public

average

Pacific (n=65) 3.1 3.3 2.9 2.9 2.8

California (n = 31) 3.1 3.6 2.9 3.1 2.5

Washington (n = 21) 3.2 2.8 3.2 2.6 2.8

Intermountain (n=46) 3.1 2.8 2.9 2.7 3.4

Montana (n = 16) 3.1 2.6 2.5 2.4 3.7

Great Plains (n = 232) 3.3 2.9 3.1 2.6 3.5

Kansas (n = 52) 3.3 3.0 3.0 2.4 3.3

Nebraska (n = 33) 3.3 2.9 3.0 2.5 3.8

North Dakota (n = 51) 3.4 2.7 3.2 2.6 4.1

Oklahoma (n = 18) 3.1 2.3 3.3 2.7 3.5

South Dakota (n = 28) 3.3 3.0 3.1 2.6 3.6

Texas (n = 51) 3.1 3.0 3.1 3.0 3.0

Southeast (n = 51) 3.2 2.9 3.0 2.2 3.7

Tennessee (n = 23) 3.7 3.0 3.2 2.0 3.8

North Central (n = 289) 3.3 2.9 3.0 2.6 3.4

Iowa (n = 49) 3.6 2.9 3.2 2.4 3.8

Michigan (n = 18) 3.3 3.4 3.1 3.2 2.4

Minnesota (n = 79) 3.1 2.8 2.8 2.6 3.3

Missouri (n = 19) 3.2 2.9 2.7 2.7 3.2

Ohio (n = 18) 3.3 3.0 2.6 2.4 3.1

Wisconsin (n = 46) 3.4 3.1 3.2 2.6 3.7

Northeast (n = 27) 3.7 2.9 2.4 2.3 2.9

Pennsylvania (n=15) 4.3 3.5 2.1 2.3 2.7

Total (n = 710) 3.3 2.9 3.0 2.6 3.4

States included in each region: Pacific—CA, OR, WA, AK, and HI; Intermountain—AZ, NM, CO, UT, ID, WY, and MT; Great Plains—ND, SD,

NE, KS, OK, and TX; Southeast—AR, LA, MS, AL, GA, FL, SC, NC, TN, KY, VA, and WV; North Central—MN, IA, MO, IL, WI, IN, OH, and

MI; Northeast—MD, DC, DE, PA, NY, NJ, CT, RI, MA, VT, NH, and ME.

States included are those that had more than 15 responses.

n = number that provided information.
18

Table 17—Cooperatives' perception of whether there are enough education resources (materials, programs,

workshops, etc.) available to them

Number Percent

Yes 568 75.6

No 126 16.8

Didn't answer 57 7.6

N = 751

Table 18—Cooperatives' perception of whether there are enough education resources available to them, by

type

Cooperative type Yes No Didn't answer

percent

Farm supply (n = 345) 76.8 16.5 6.7

Grain and oilseed (n = 225) 81.8 15.1 3.1

Dairy (n = 47) 55.3 27.7 17.0

Fruits, vegetables, & nuts (n = 39) 82.0 10.3 7.7

Cotton & cotton gins (n = 36) 75.0 11.1 13.9

Livestock, poultry, & wool (n = 16) 43.8 31.2 25.0

Other marketing (n = 17) 47.1 23.5 29.4

Service (n = 26) 73.1 19.2 7.7

Total (n = 751) 75.6 16.8 7.6

Table 19—Cooperatives' perception of whether there are enough education resources available to them, by

size

Cooperative asset size Yes No Didn't answer

percent

Less than $1 million (n = 75) 52.0 22.7 25.3

$1 million to $2.49 million (n = 74) 73.0 16.2 10.8

$2.5 million to $4.99 million (n = 125) 77.6 16.0 6.4

$5 million to $9.99 million (n = 139) 79.9 13.7 6.5

$10 million to $19.99 million (n = 142) 80.3 16.2 3.5

$20 million to $49.99 million (n = 113) 83.2 11.5 5.3

$50 million or more (n = 83) 71.1 26.5 2.4

Total (n = 751) 75.6 16.8 7.6
19

Table 20—Cooperatives' perception of whether there are enough education resources available to them, by

location

Cooperative location Yes No Didn't answer

percent

Pacific (n=68) 76.5 17.6 5.9

California (n = 33) 81.8 15.2 3.0

Washington (n = 21) 66.7 28.6 4.8

Intermountain (n=48) 64.6 25.0 10.4

Montana (n = 16) 62.5 31.3 6.3

Great Plains (n = 240) 80.4 13.8 5.8

Kansas (n = 53) 84.9 11.3 3.8

Nebraska (n = 34) 79.4 14.7 5.9

North Dakota (n = 53) 79.2 17.0 3.8

Oklahoma (n = 18) 66.7 27.8 5.6

South Dakota (n = 28) 82.8 13.8 3.4

Texas (n = 54) 79.6 9.3 11.1

Southeast (n = 58) 60.3 24.1 15.5

Tennessee (n = 24) 83.3 8.3 8.3

North Central (n = 303) 78.9 15.5 5.6

Iowa (n = 50) 82.0 14.0 4.0

Michigan (n = 18) 88.9 5.6 5.6

Minnesota (n = 84) 72.6 20.2 7.1

Missouri (n = 22) 59.1 31.8 9.1

Ohio (n = 19) 94.7 5.3

Wisconsin (n = 48) 81.3 14.6 4.2

Northeast (n = 34) 52.9 23.5 23.5

Pennsylvania (n=18) 44.4 33.3 22.2

Total (n = 751) 75.6 16.8 7.6

States included in each region: Pacific—CA, OR, WA, AK, and HI; Intermountain—AZ, NM, CO, UT, ID, WY, and MT; Great Plains—ND, SD,

NE, KS, OK, and TX; Southeast—AR, LA, MS, AL, GA, FL, SC, NC, TN, KY, VA, and WV; North Central—MN, IA, MO, IL, WI, IN, OH, and MI;

Northeast—MD, DC, DE, PA, NY, NJ, CT, RI, MA, VT, NH, and ME.

States included are those that had more than 15 responses to most questions.

n = number that provided information.
20

Table 21—Attainment of educational materials and programs

Resource percent

USDA Cooperative Programs 42.8

State or regional cooperative council 58.1

Cooperative center 14.6

Cooperative development center 4.9

University 15.2

Online through a variety of sources 25.1

Other cooperatives 37.9

Other sources* 12.4

*Other sources include National Society of Accountants for Cooperatives (NSAC), attorneys, auditors, consultants, National Farmers Union,

Farm Bureau, trade associations, etc.

N = 670

Table 22—Attainment of educational materials and programs, by type

Co-op* Co-op Dev.** Univer- Other

Cooperative type USDA council center center sity Online*** co-ops Other

percent

Farm supply (n = 300) 36.7 57.7 14.7 4.7 11.3 26.0 45.0 11.0

Grain and oilseed (n = 214) 43.0 66.8 16.4 6.5 18.2 22.4 35.0 8.9

Dairy (n = 40) 57.5 42.5 12.5 2.5 15.0 37.5 22.5 15.0

Fruits, veg. & nuts (n = 34) 52.9 38.2 5.9 5.9 11.8 41.2 32.3 26.5

Cotton & cotton gins (n = 33) 48.5 69.7 6.1 6.1 9.1 39.4 12.1

Livestock, poultry, & wool

(n = 12) 83.3 41.7 16.7 50.0 33.3 33.3

Other marketing (n = 13) 46.1 38.5 30.8 7.7 7.7 15.4 38.5 38.5

Service (n = 24) 50.0 41.7 16.7 4.2 41.7 16.7 25.0 12.5

Total (n = 670) 42.8 58.1 14.6 4.9 15.2 25.1 37.9 12.4

n = number that provided information.

*State or regional cooperative council.

**Cooperative development center.

***On-line through a variety of sources.
21

Table 23—Attainment of educational materials and programs, by size

Co-op Co-op Dev. Univer- Other

Cooperative asset size USDA council center center sity Online co-op Other

percent

Less than $1 million

(n = 50) 48.0 30.0 6.0 2.0 30.0 30.0 18.0 22.0

$1 million to $2.49 million

(n = 61) 45.9 44.3 4.9 3.3 8.2 27.9 34.3 11.5

$2.5 million to $4.99 million

(n = 111) 48.6 43.2 5.4 4.5 15.3 18.9 36.9 13.5

$5 million to $9.99 million

(n = 125) 36.0 59.2 9.6 2.4 12.0 24.0 36.8 8.0

$10 million to $19.99 million

(n = 135) 36.3 63.7 23.7 6.7 12.6 20.7 46.7 11.8

$20 million to $49.99 million

(n = 108) 47.2 74.1 21.3 8.3 18.5 25.9 33.3 16.7

$50 million or more (n = 80) 45.0 73.7 23.7 5.0 16.2 36.2 47.5 7.5

Total (n = 670) 42.8 58.1 14.6 4.9 15.2 25.1 37.9 12.4

n = number that provided information.
22

Table 24—Attainment of educational materials and programs, by location

Co-op Co-op Develop Univer- Other

Cooperative location USDA council center center sity Online co-op Other

percent

Pacific (n=64) 50.0 42.2 9.4 7.8 9.4 28.1 39.1 23.4

California (n = 32) 50.0 25.0 15.6 9.4 9.4 34.4 21.9 25.0

Washington (n = 19) 36.8 52.6 10.5 15.8 73.7 26.3

Intermountain (n=40) 45.0 57.5 7.5 5.0 12.5 32.5 37.5 15.0

Montana (n = 12) 25.0 33.3 8.3 16.7 50.0 58.3 25.0

Great Plains (n = 222) 37.4 67.6 16.7 5.4 12.2 21.2 29.3 10.8

Kansas (n = 52) 36.5 76.9 44.2 13.5 19.2 17.3 17.3 7.7

Nebraska (n = 32) 31.3 90.6 6.3 3.1 12.5 34.4 28.1 3.1

North Dakota (n = 45) 40.0 60.0 17.8 4.4 6.7 24.4 33.3 13.3

Oklahoma (n = 18) 16.7 77.8 11.1 33.3 11.1 33.3 16.7

South Dakota (n = 28) 39.3 35.7 7.1 14.3 21.4 32.1 17.9

Texas (n = 48) 47.9 62.5 4.2 2.1 16.7 37.5 12.5

Southeast (n = 46) 52.2 58.7 26.1 23.9 32.6 13.0

Tennessee (n = 23) 43.5 73.9 17.4 17.4 30.4 4.3

North Central (n = 274) 42.7 55.1 18.2 5.1 15.3 26.6 47.4 9.5

Iowa (n = 46) 54.3 82.6 15.2 10.9 15.2 21.7 45.7 8.7

Michigan (n = 16) 56.3 18.8 18.8 12.5 31.3 43.8 18.8

Minnesota (n = 73) 31.5 50.7 13.7 6.8 15.1 30.1 53.4 9.6

Missouri (n = 17) 35.3 35.3 5.9 17.6 41.2 41.2 11.8

Ohio (n = 18) 44.4 72.2 5.6 33.3 22.2 55.6

Wisconsin (n = 45) 42.2 62.2 57.8 4.4 11.1 28.9 37.8 8.9

Northeast (n = 24) 54.2 45.8 8.3 41.7 25.0 16.7 25.0

Pennsylvania (n=15) 53.3 26.7 6.7 33.3 26.7 13.3 40.0

Total (n = 670) 42.8 58.1 14.6 4.9 15.2 25.1 37.9 12.4

States included in each region: Pacific—CA, OR, WA, AK, and HI; Intermountain—AZ, NM, CO, UT, ID, WY, and MT; Great Plains—ND, SD,

NE, KS, OK, and TX; Southeast—AR, LA, MS, AL, GA, FL, SC, NC, TN, KY, VA, and WV; North Central—MN, IA, MO, IL, WI, IN, OH, and MI;

Northeast—MD, DC, DE, PA, NY, NJ, CT, RI, MA, VT, NH, and ME.

States included are those that had more than 15 responses to most questions.

n = number that provided information.

Table 25—Rating of types of education topics directors most need (scale of 1 to 5 with 1 needed the least, 5

needed the most)

Education topics Average rating

Cooperative basics (what they are, principles,

roles, practices, etc.) 2.8

Cooperative finance 3.4

Cooperative governance 3.0

Cooperative leadership 3.1

Cooperative board meeting functions 2.9

Cooperative tax and legal issues 3.2

N = 691
23

Table 26—Rating of types of education topics directors most need (scale of 1 to 5 with 1 needed the least, 5

needed the most), by type

Cooperative type Basics* Finance Govern. Leadership Meeting Tax & legal

average rating

Farm supply (n = 317) 2.7 3.4 3.1 3.2 2.8 3.2

Grain and oilseed (n = 216) 2.7 3.3 3.0 3.1 3.1 3.3

Dairy (n = 40) 2.9 3.3 2.9 2.9 3.0 2.9

Fruits, veg. & nuts (n = 35) 3.3 3.1 3.0 2.7 2.8 3.0

Cotton & cotton gins (n = 32) 2.8 2.8 2.4 3.1 3.1 3.1

Livestock, poultry, & wool (n = 14) 3.4 3.2 2.7 2.9 2.6 3.3

Other marketing (n = 12 2.9 3.6 2.8 3.4 2.9 3.5

Service (n = 25) 2.9 3.2 3.2 3.1 3.2 2.9

Total (n = 691) 2.8 3.4 3.0 3.1 2.9 3.2

n = number that provided information.

*See Table 25 for longer definition of column titles.

Table 27—Rating of types of education topics directors most need (scale of 1 to 5 with 1 needed the least, 5

needed the most), by size

Cooperative asset size Basics* Finance Govern. Leadership Meeting Tax & legal

average rating

Less than $1 million (n = 58) 3.1 3.1 2.3 2.6 2.8 2.8

$1 million to $2.49 million

(n = 63) 3.1 3.2 2.7 3.1 2.9 3.3

$2.5 million to $4.99 million

(n = 117) 2.8 3.0 3.0 3.1 2.6 3.0

$5 million to $9.99 million

(n = 127) 2.8 3.5 2.9 3.2 3.1 3.1

$10 million to $19.99 million

(n = 140) 2.8 3.5 3.2 3.3 3.0 3.2

$20 million to $49.99 million

(n = 107) 2.6 3.5 3.2 3.1 2.9 3.3

$50 million or more (n = 79) 2.4 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.0 3.5

Total (n = 691) 2.8 3.4 3.0 3.1 2.9 3.2

n = number that provided information.

*See Table 25 for longer definition of column titles.
24

Table 28—Rating of types of education topics directors most need (scale of 1 to 5 with 1 needed the least, 5

needed the most), by location

Cooperative location Basics* Finance Govern. Leadership Meeting Tax & legal

average rating

Pacific (n=63) 3.2 3.0 2.9 3.1 3.3 2.9

California (n = 30) 3.2 3.0 3.2 3.1 3.2 2.8

Washington (n = 20) 3.3 3.0 2.9 3.3 3.2 2.8

Intermountain (n = 46) 2.6 3.7 3.1 3.0 3.2 3.1

Montana (n = 16) 2.4 3.5 3.0 2.8 2.1 3.9

Great Plains (n = 229) 2.7 3.3 3.0 3.2 2.9 3.3

Kansas (n = 50) 2.2 3.0 3.0 3.3 2.8 3.4

Nebraska (n = 33) 2.9 3.5 2.9 3.5 3.1 3.5

North Dakota (n = 50) 3.0 3.3 3.2 3.0 2.8 3.3

Oklahoma (n = 18) 2.2 3.1 2.6 3.2 2.9 2.8

South Dakota (n = 29) 2.5 3.6 3.3 3.1 2.9 3.4

Texas (n = 50) 2.9 3.2 2.7 3.0 3.0 3.2

Southeast (n = 48) 3.1 3.4 2.9 3.3 2.8 3.1

Tennessee (n = 23) 3.2 3.3 2.9 3.8 3.0 3.1

North Central (n = 280) 2.7 3.4 3.1 3.1 2.9 3.2

Iowa (n = 47) 2.9 3.7 3.5 3.3 3.1 3.6

Michigan (n = 18) 2.6 3.2 2.7 2.9 2.9 2.9

Minnesota (n = 77) 2.7 3.4 3.1 3.1 2.6 3.1

Missouri (n = 19) 3.2 3.0 2.8 2.7 2.2 2.9

Ohio (n = 18) 3.1 2.9 3.0 2.6 2.7 2.8

Wisconsin (n = 44) 2.6 3.7 3.3 3.7 3.3 3.3

Northeast (n = 25) 3.1 3.4 2.6 3.1 2.6 2.5

Pennsylvania (n = 14) 3.4 3.1 2.7 2.9 2.4 2.6

Total (n = 691) 2.8 3.4 3.0 3.1 2.9 3.2

States included in each region: Pacific—CA, OR, WA, AK, and HI; Intermountain—AZ, NM, CO, UT, ID, WY, and MT; Great Plains—ND, SD,

NE, KS, OK, and TX; Southeast—AR, LA, MS, AL, GA, FL, SC, NC, TN, KY, VA, and WV; North Central—MN, IA, MO, IL, WI, IN, OH, and MI;

Northeast—MD, DC, DE, PA, NY, NJ, CT, RI, MA, VT, NH, and ME.

States included are those that had more than 15 responses to most questions.

n = number that provided information.

*See Table 25 for longer definition of column titles.
25

Table 29—Selected findings for respondents that source cooperative councils, USDA, and other

cooperatives for their educational resources

Co-op USDA Other co-ops

councils (n=287) (n=254)

(n=389)

Percent (#) that also use Cooperative Councils --- 61.3 (176) 54.3 (138)

Percent (#) that also use USDA resources 45.4 (176) --- 42.1 (107)

Percent (#) that also use other cooperatives 35.5 (138) 37.3 (107) ---

Percent that educate members 34.8 39.3 41.2

Percent that educate directors 90.9 83.5 88.2

Percent that educate employees 71.7 70.8 75.6

Percent that educate management 76.2 71.2 73.5

Percent that educate general public 14.7 16.9 16.8

Rating of member need of education* 3.3 3.2 3.3

Rating of director need of education 2.9 2.8 2.8

Rating of employees need of education 3.1 3.0 3.1

Rating of management need of education 2.6 2.7 2.5

Rating of general public need of education 3.4 3.3 3.5

Percent that think there are enough resources 87.4 86.8 81.9

Percent that think there are not enough resources 10.8 10.8 15.7

Percent that did not know if there are enough resources 1.8 2.4 2.4

Rating of director need of basics education 2.8 2.9 2.8

Rating of director need of finance education 3.4 3.3 3.4

Rating of director need of governance education 3.1 3.1 3.1

Rating of director need of leadership education 3.2 3.2 3.1

Rating of director need of board meeting functions education 2.9 3.0 2.9

Rating of director need of tax and legal education 3.2 3.3 3.2

Total sales ($ millions) 87.7 77.4 75.2

Net income ($ millions) 2.3 2.0 1.9

Total equity ($ millions) 13.1 11.5 11.8

Total assets ($ millions) 30.9 28.0 28.9

Full-time employees 81 75 75

Part-time employees 51 44 45

*All ratings based on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being least needed and 5 being most needed.
26

Table 30—Selected financial and other data for cooperatives, 2009

Educators Non-educators All respondents

n=636 n=115 N=751

averages

Total sales $86,673,416 $31,467,630 $78,633,738

Total expenses 9,468,183 3,291,616 8,535,092

Net income 2,229,832 962,485 2,044,618

Current assets 20,261,534 8,032,475 18,409,143

Long-term assets 7,724,666 2,968,894 7,033,994

Total assets 32,425,833 12,409,255 29,393,831

Current liabilities 15,216,569 6,119,193 13,865,596

Total liabilities 20,552,397 7,400,088 18,601,919

Member equity 8,019,718 4,207,550 7,439,158

Total equity 12,119,860 5,271,117 11,081,057

Working capital 5,253,876 2,129,890 4,779,399

Return on assets 9.1% 6.4% 8.7%

Return on equity 17.3% 14.4% 16.9%

Current ratio 2.1 2.6 2.4

Debt to assets 46.0% 40.3% 45.2%

Sales to assets 3.0 2.9 3.0

Full-time employees 76 29 69

Part-time employees 41 10 36

Voting members 950 564 891
Appendix Notes

1. Survey—Education Initiative Questions 

Farmercooperativeswereaskedtoanswersix

questionsabouthowtheypracticecooperativeeducation.Thesequestionsprovidedinformationonthe

typesandextentofeducationthattheyareproviding

orpromotingfortheirdirectors,members,managers,

andemployees.

● Doesyourcooperativeprovidetrainingoreducationalmaterialsconcerningcooperativepracticesor

issuesto(checkallthatapply)members,directors,

employees,management,orthegeneralpublic?

● Ifyes,howisthateducationdelivered(internally

withcooperativestaff,internallyusingaconsultant,

internallythroughuseofeducationalpublications

andmaterials,internallythroughanonlinecourse,

externallythroughacooperativecouncilororganizationputtingonaworkshop,externallythrough

anonlinecourse,jointeducationalmeetingwith

anothercooperative,attendanceofstateornational

conferencewhereeducationisprovided,other)?

● Ratetheaudiencesofmembers,directors,employees,management,orthegeneralpublicaccordingto

theirneedofcooperativeeducation(1needingeducationtheleast,5needingthemost).

● Arethereenoughresources(materials,programs,

workshops,etc.)forcooperativeeducation(yes,

no)?

● Wheredoesyourcooperativegetitseducational

materialsorprograms(USDA,stateorregional

cooperativecouncil,cooperativecenter,cooperative

developmentcenter,university,onlinethrougha

varietyofsources,othercooperatives,other)?

● Forcooperativedirectors,rateeducationaltopics

(cooperativebasics,finance,governance,leadership,boardmeetingfunctions,taxandlegalissues)

astotheirrelativeneed(1fortopicthatisleast

needed,5formostneeded).

2. Survey Respondents versus Total Population

of Farmer Cooperatives

Thissample(respondentsn=751)appearstobe

representativeofthetotalpopulationoffarmercooperatives(n=2,389)intheUnitedStatessoitisvery

likelythatthefindingsreflectthegreaterpopulationto

asignificantdegree.Evidenceforthisisshownin

AppendixTable1whichpresentsthenumberof

respondentcooperativesbytype,comparedtothe

numberofallfarmercooperativesbytype.Thepercentagesofcooperativetypesbetweenthesamplesize

andthetotalnumberofcooperativesarefairlysimilar.

Similartotheoverallpopulation,farmsupply

cooperativesmakeupmostoftherespondents'sample

at345(totalpopulationis970),andgrainandoilseed

cooperativesaresecondat225respondents(totalpopulationis566).

3. Cooperative type or function

Typeandfunctionclassificationsaremade

accordingtothecooperative'smajorbusinessactivity.

Marketingcooperativesderivemostoftheirdollarvolumefromthesaleofmembers'farmproducts.These

weregroupedintograinandoilseed;dairy;fruits,vegetables,andnuts;cottonandcottongins;livestock,

poultry,andwool;andothermarketing(e.g.,sugar,

drybean,rice,etc),dependinguponwhichaccounts

formostofthecooperative'sbusinessvolume.Farm

supplycooperativesderivemostoftheirbusinessvolumefromthesaleoffarmproductionsupplies.These

cooperativeshandleawidevarietyofsupplies,farmsteadequipment,andbuildingmaterials.Manyalso

handlefarmandhomeitemssuchasheatingoil,lawn

andgardensuppliesandequipment,andfood.Service

cooperativesprovidespecializedbusinessoperations

offarmers,ranchers,orcooperativessuchastrucking,

storing,drying,artificialinsemination,livestockshipping,etc.Manycooperativeshandlemultiplecommoditiesandprovidebothmarketingandfarmsupply

services,aswellasfacilitiesandequipmentusedto

performtheseservices.Theseassociationswereclassifiedaccordingtothepredominantcommodityorfunction,asindicatedbytheirbusinessvolume.

27
28

Appendix Table 1—Respondent population and total population of farmer cooperatives

Respondent Population All Farmer Cooperatives Percent of

Number Percent Number Percent Respondent to All

Farm supply 345 45.9 970 40.6 35.6

Grain and oilseed 225 30.0 566 23.7 39.8

Dairy 47 6.3 154 6.4 30.5

Fruits, vegetables, and nuts 39 5.2 187 7.8 20.9

Cotton and cotton gins 36 4.8 180 7.5 20.0

Livestock, poultry, and wool 16 2.1 126 5.3 12.7

Other marketing 17 2.3 124 5.2 13.7

Service 26 3.5 82 3.4 31.7

Total 751 100.0 2,389 100.0 31.4
References

Haskell,James.“CooperativeEducationCanHelp

RenewandRevitalizeCo-ops,”RuralCooperatives,

U.S.DepartmentofAgriculture,July/August,2003.

http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/pub/jul03/content.

html

Wadsworth,JamesJ.“SignsofLife.HaveYou

CheckedYourCo-op'sEducationPulseLately?”Rural

Cooperatives,U.S.DepartmentofAgriculture,

September/October,2004.

http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/pub/sep04/content.

htm

Wadsworth,JamesJ.“CooperativeEducatorsSee

CriticalNeedtoRevamp,ExpandEducationEfforts,”

RuralCooperatives,U.S.DepartmentofAgriculture,

March/April2009.

http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/pub/mar09/coop.htm

29
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Rural Business–Cooperative Service

Stop 3250

Washington, D.C. 20250-3250

Rural Business–Cooperative Service (RBS) provides research,

management, and educational assistance to cooperatives to

strengthen the economic position of farmers and other rural

residents. It works directly with cooperative leaders and

Federal and State agencies to improve organization,

leadership, and operation of cooperatives and to give guidance

to further development.

The cooperative segment of RBS (1) helps farmers and other

rural residents develop cooperatives to obtain supplies and

services at lower cost and to get better prices for products they

sell; (2) advises rural residents on developing existing

resources through cooperative action to enhance rural living;

(3) helps cooperatives improve services and operating

efficiency; (4) informs members, directors, employees, and the

public on how cooperatives work and benefit their members

and their communities; and (5) encourages international

cooperative programs. RBS also publishes research and

educational materials and issues Rural Cooperatives magazine.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits

discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of

race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability,

political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family

status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for

communication of program information (braille, large print,

audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at

(202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director,

Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and

Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or

call (202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal

opportunity provider and employer.