Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004 

i

ABSTRACT 

A survey of 2,983 U.S. farmer-owned cooperatives 

ending their business year during calendar year 2004 

showed a net business volume of $107.9 billion with a 

net income of $2.3 billion. These cooperatives had 

assets totaling $47 billion, about $27 billion of 

liabilities, and $20 billion in equity. Cooperatives were a 

major employer in rural areas, with 150,000 full-time 

workers, but this was about 15,000 fewer employees 

than in 2003 due to the bankruptcy of two large 

cooperatives. Business volume by commodity is 

reported for all cooperatives. Number of cooperatives, 

cooperative memberships, and number of employees are 

classified according to whether the business is a 

marketing, farm supply, or service cooperative. Trends 

in cooperative numbers, memberships, employees, 

business size, sales volume, net income, assets, 

liabilities, and net worth are reported. 

 

Keywords: cooperatives, statistics, business volume, 

employees, memberships, balance sheet, net income, 

financial ratios. 

 

 

FARMER COOPERATIVE STATISTICS, 2004 

Katherine C. DeVille, 

 Jacqueline E. Penn, and 

E. Eldon Eversull 

Rural Development 

U.S. Department of Agriculture 

STOP 3256, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W. 

Washington, DC 20250-3256 

Service Report 66 

June 2007. 

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the 

basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, religion, sexual 

orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from

any public assistance program. (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, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., 

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity 

provider and employer. 
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004 

ii

PREFACE 

Farmer cooperative statistics are collected annually 

to provide information on the progress and trends 

among the nation’s farmer-owned cooperatives. These 

statistics are used for research, technical assistance, 

education, planning, and public policy. The collection, 

analysis, and dissemination of farmer cooperative 

statistics by USDA are authorized by the Cooperative 

Marketing Act of 1926. 

This report provides aggregate information on the 

number, membership, business volume, net income, 

basic balance sheet items, and full-time and part-time 

and seasonal employees of farmer cooperatives for 

business years ending in calendar year 2004. 

Cooperatives are classified by principal product 

marketed and major function. Fishery and ethanol 

cooperatives are included as “other product marketing” 

cooperatives. Both gross (includes inter-cooperative 

business) and net (excludes inter-cooperative business) 

dollar volumes are reported. 

Statistics for 2004 were compiled on a national 

basis, state information is available on the odd years 

(2003, 2005, etc.). The information was collected from 

individual farmer and fishery cooperatives by a mail 

survey of all organizations identified by USDA Rural 

Development’s Cooperatives Program as farmer or 

aquacultural cooperatives. Information was requested 

for the cooperatives’ 2004 business year. Information 

for 2004 was delayed due to a conversion of the 

database. This report will contain summary tables and 

figures and no other analysis due to this delay. 

Rural Development conducts an annual census to 

gain accurate information for assistance purposes. 

Information obtained from individual cooperatives is 

combined with data from other cooperatives to maintain 

confidentiality. 

Statistics for all cooperatives were derived by 

estimating data for non-respondents and combining this 

information with respondent data. Data from 

respondents and other sources accounted for 85.2 

percent of the total gross sales of farmer cooperatives in 

2004. 

Rural Development depends on the cooperative 

community's response to its annual survey to develop a 

detailed and comprehensive set of statistics on farmer 

cooperatives. The time and effort taken to provide 

information and the timeliness with which it is furnished 

are greatly appreciated. 
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004 

iii

CONTENTS 

 Page 

ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................................................. i 

PREFACE................................................................................................................................................................... ii 

HIGHLIGHTS........................................................................................................................................................... iv 

FARMER COOPERATIVE STATISTICS, 2004.................................................................................................... 1 

I–DEFINITION OF A FARMER COOPERATIVE............................................................................................... 1 

Classification of Cooperatives...................................................................................................................................... 1 

Organizational Membership Structures ........................................................................................................................ 1 

II–2004 STATISTICS................................................................................................................................................. 3 

APPENDIX TABLES............................................................................................................................................... 21 

APPENDIX FIGURES............................................................................................................................................. 27 

 
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004 

iv

HIGHLIGHTS 

There are 2,983 U.S. farmer-owned cooperatives, 

according to the 2004 survey of marketing, farm supply, 

and related-service cooperatives by USDA Rural 

Development’s Cooperatives Program. 

 Total gross business volume (includes intercooperative business) handled by cooperatives was 

$123.4 billion; net business (excludes intercooperative business) was $107.9 billion. 

 Total net income was $2.3 billion, which includes 

inter-cooperative dividends and refunds of $335 

million. 

 Cooperative memberships were 2.7 million, down 

about 3 percent from 2003. 

 Cooperatives employed 150,000 full-time and 

57,000 part-time and seasonal employees. Full time 

employee numbers were down 10 percent due to the 

bankruptcy of two large cooperatives. 

 Gross value of farm products marketed by 

cooperatives was $83 billion, with a net value (after 

eliminating duplication from inter-cooperative 

business) of $77 billion. 

 Gross value of farm supplies handled by farmer 

cooperatives was $37 billion, with a net value of 

$27 billion. 

 Receipts for services related to marketing farm 

products and handling farm supplies, plus other 

income, totaled almost $4 billion. 

 Farmer cooperatives had $47 billion in combined 

assets. Net assets, after eliminating intercooperative investments, was $42 billion. Intercooperative investments included those in CoBank. 

 Total liabilities totaled $27 billion. 

 Net worth, or member and patron equity, was $20 

billion. Member and patron equity financed 43 

percent of total assets. 

2004 HIGHLIGHTS 

 2005 2003 Change 

 

 Number 

Number of cooperatives 2,983.0 3,086.0 -103.00 

Memberships (millions) 2.7 2.8 -0.08 

Gross business volume (billion $) 123.4 116.9 6.53 

Net business volume (billion $) 107.9 100.6 7.31 

Net income (billion $) 2.3 1.1 1.22 

Total assets (billion $) 47.2 46.9 0.23 

Net worth (billion $) 20.4 20.4 -0.04 

Full-time employees (thousand) 149.5 165.1 -15.68 

Part-time and seasonal employees (thousand) 56.7 61.6 -4.87 

 
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004 

1

Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004 

Katherine C. DeVille, Jacqueline E. Penn, and E. Eldon Eversull, Rural Development 

I. DEFINITION OF A FARMER 

COOPERATIVE 

USDA Rural Development’s Cooperatives Program 

considers four major criteria in identifying an 

organization as a farmer-owned cooperative: 

(1) Membership is limited to persons producing 

agricultural and aquacultural products and to 

associations of such producers; 

(2) Cooperative members are limited to one vote 

regardless of the amount of stock or membership 

capital owned; or the cooperative does not pay 

dividends on stock or membership capital in excess 

of 8 percent a year or the legal rate in the State, 

whichever is higher; 

(3) Business conducted with nonmembers may not 

exceed the value of business conducted with 

members; 

(4) The cooperative operates for the mutual interest of 

members by providing member benefits on the basis 

of patronage. 

These criteria may result in larger or smaller 

numbers of farmer cooperatives than found in lists or 

directories of state agencies or cooperative councils. 

Year-to-year comparisons with specific commodity 

groups reflect any differences in lists and classifications 

in state and federal data. 

Classification of Cooperatives 

Rural Development classifies each cooperative 

under one of the following major functions: marketing, 

farm supply, or related-service. Fishery and ethanol 

cooperatives are classified as other product marketing 

cooperatives; wool pools as marketing cooperatives; 

livestock shipping associations and rice drying 

cooperatives as service cooperatives. 

Marketing cooperatives derive most of their total 

dollar volume from the sale of members' farm products. 

These cooperatives are further classified into one of 13 

commodities or commodity groups, depending upon 

which accounts for most of its business volume. Rural 

Development may reclassify a cooperative into a 

different commodity category if its primary business 

volume changes significantly. 

Farm supply cooperatives derive most of their 

business volume from the sale of farm production 

supplies, farm machinery and equipment, and building 

materials. Many also handle farm and home items, such 

as heating oil, lawn and garden supplies and equipment, 

and food. 

Service cooperatives provide specialized services 

related to the agricultural business operations of 

farmers, ranchers, or cooperatives, such as cotton 

ginning, trucking, storing, drying, and artificial 

insemination. Livestock shipping associations and rice 

drying cooperatives are also classified as service. 

Many cooperatives handle multiple commodities 

and provide both marketing and farm supply services, as 

well as the facilities and equipment used to perform 

these services. These associations are classified 

according to the predominant commodity or function, as 

indicated by their business volume. 

Organizational Membership Structures 

 Rural Development further classifies marketing, 

farm supply and service cooperatives into three 

organizational structures according to membership. The 

membership structures used are centralized, federated 

and mixed. 

Centralized 

Of the 2,983 farmer cooperatives in 2004, 2,908 

were centralized organizations, mostly locals with 

individual farmer-members. Centralized cooperatives 

usually serve a local area or community, county, or 

several counties. Most usually perform a limited number 

of initial marketing functions. Most farm supply sales 

are at the retail level. A few centralized cooperatives, 

principally regionals, operate over multi-state areas and 

provide more vertically integrated services, such as 

processing farm products or manufacturing feed and 

fertilizer. 

Bargaining associations also have centralized 

organizational structures. They derive all or most of 

their business volume from negotiating with distributors, 

processors, and other buyers and sellers over price, 

quantity, grade, terms of sale, and other factors involved 

in marketing farm products. Only a few bargain to 

purchase farm supplies. While the primary function of 

such an association is to bring buyers and sellers 

together to contract for the sale of members' products, 

many bargaining associations now perform additional 
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004 

2

functions. 

For example, dairy bargaining associations at one 

time only negotiated price. Now, many perform 

additional functions, such as physically handling part of 

the milk for spot sales. They, like other dairy marketing 

cooperatives, represent their members at federal or state 

milk marketing order hearings. 

Federated 

The 52 federated cooperatives—two or more 

member associations organized to market farm products, 

purchase production supplies, or perform bargaining 

functions—often operate at points quite distant from 

their headquarters. Members are usually local 

cooperatives, although some are interregional 

associations with regional cooperative members. 

Mixed 

The 23 mixed cooperatives have individual 

farmer-members and autonomous cooperative members, 

a combination of centralized and federated structures. 

They serve large geographic areas, with members in 

many states, and provide a variety of integrated services. 
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004 

3

II–2004 STATISTICS TABLES AND FIGURES 

 

Table 1–Number of cooperatives and memberships, by major business activity, 2004 

 

 

Major business activity Cooperatives Memberships

 

 

 Number Thousands

Bean and pea, dry edible 6 1.7 

Cotton 13 43.4 

Dairy 195 71.6 

Fruit and vegetable 196 30.6 

Grain and oilseed 1

 711 496.1 

Livestock 63 96.0 

Nuts 18 14.6 

Poultry 2

 17 3.6 

Rice 15 12.1 

Sugar 3

 44 13.5 

Tobacco 19 161.1 

Wool and mohair 74 11.2 

Other products 89 22.6 

 

Total marketing 1,460 978.0 

Farm supply 1,161 1,599.7 

Service 362 99.6 

Total 2,983 2,677.3 

 

 

1

 Cooperatives primarily handling grains and oilseeds, excluding cottonseed. 

2

 Cooperatives primarily handling eggs, turkeys, ratite, squab, and related products. 

3

 Cooperatives primarily handling sugar beets, sugarcane, honey, and related products. 
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004 

4

Table 2–Number of cooperatives, by major function and state, 2004 

 

 

 Farm supply 

State/function Marketing and service Total 

 

 

 Number 

Alabama 8 51 59 

Arizona 5 4 9 

Arkansas 10 41 51 

California 91 63 154 

Colorado 21 19 40 

Florida 28 7 35 

Georgia 9 8 17 

Hawaii 13 7 20 

Idaho 25 12 37 

Illinois 102 55 157 

Indiana 11 31 42 

Iowa 90 53 143 

Kansas 94 34 128 

Kentucky 15 27 42 

Louisiana 16 30 46 

Maryland 3 12 15 

Massachusetts 8 4 12 

Michigan 31 28 59 

Minnesota 135 141 276 

Mississippi 12 57 69 

Missouri 18 45 63 

Montana 31 29 60 

Nebraska 43 35 78 

New Jersey 12 2 14 

New Mexico 3 6 9 

New York 70 12 82 

North Carolina 13 5 18 

North Dakota 120 98 218 

Ohio 47 20 67 

Oklahoma 32 40 72 

Oregon 19 12 31 

Pennsylvania 37 13 50 

South Dakota 58 56 114 

Tennessee 7 70 77 

Texas 57 164 221 

Utah 8 6 14 

Virginia 18 39 57 

Washington 40 31 71 

West Virginia 13 13 26 

Wisconsin 38 128 166 

Wyoming 7 5 12 

Other States3 42 10 52 

 

United States 1,460 1,523 2,983 

 

 

1

 Includes states with fewer than three cooperatives for any function. States with at least three cooperatives 

 were: Alaska, 7; Connecticut, 4; Delaware, 3; Maine, 26; South Carolina, 5; and Vermont, 3. 
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004 

5

Table 3–Cooperatives’ number of full-time employees, 2004-1999 

 

Commodity 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 

 1999 

 Thousands 

Cotton 1.7 1.9 2.0 1.8 1.8 1.8 

Dairy 24.0 23.4 23.7 20.7 23.4 24.6 

Fruits and vegetables 14.3 18.4 18.7 19.9 25.1 23.3 

Grains and oilseeds 17.5 20.4 18.9 19.6 20.3 21.0 

Livestock and poultry 20.6 34.4 34.4 35.8 34.6 32.7 

Rice 2.5 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.6 2.6 

Sugar 7.1 4.9 4.5 4.4 4.5 4.5 

Other marketing 7.8 5.8 6.8 6.3 8.8 8.5

Total marketing 95.3 111.9 111.3 111.0 121.1 119.0 

 

Total farm supply 49.7 48.2 50.7 50.6 51.3 49.5 

Service 4.4 5.0 4.0 4.0 4.2 4.5

Total 149.5 165.1 166.1 165.7 176.7 173.0 

 
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004 

6

Table 4–Full-time and part-time and seasonal employees of farmer cooperatives, by cooperative 

type, 2004-20031

 

 

Principal product(s) Total Full-time Part-time and 

marketed or employees employees seasonal employees 

major function 2004 2003 2004 2003 2004 2003 

 

 

Products marketed Thousands 

Cotton 2.0 2.1 1.7 1.9 0.3 0.2 

Dairy 25.3 24.7 24.0 23.4 1.4 1.3 

Fruit and vegetable 33.1 42.3 14.3 18.4 18.8 23.9 

Grain and oilseed 2

 23.0 25.8 17.5 20.4 5.6 5.4 

Livestock and poultry 22.4 37.3 20.6 34.4 1.8 3.0 

Rice 3.1 3.3 2.5 2.6 0.6 0.7 

Sugar 10.7 6.4 7.1 4.9 3.7 1.5 

Other marketing 3

 10.9 8.8 7.8 5.8 3.1 3.0

 

Marketing 130.6 150.8 95.3 111.9 35.3 38.9 

Farm supply 64.9 65.7 49.7 48.2 15.2 17.4 

Service 10.7 10.3 4.4 5.0 6.3 5.3

Total 206.2 226.7 149.5 165.1 56.7 61.6 

 

1

 Totals may not add due to rounding. 

2

 Excludes oilseed meal and oil. Oilseed meal is included in feed sales while oil sales are included in other 

marketing sales. 

3

 Includes dry edible bean and pea, nut, tobacco, wool, fishery, and other product marketing cooperatives. 
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004

7

Table 5–Farmer cooperatives and memberships, by gross business volume, 20041

 

 Cooperatives Dollar volume Memberships2

 

Sales volume Percent Gross3 Percent Number Percent 

group(million $) Number of total (million $) of total (1,000) of total 

 

Less than 5.0 1,293 43.3 2,001 1.7 381 14.2 

 5 - 9.9 492 16.5 3,278 2.7 302 11.3 

 10 - 14.9 269 9.0 3,099 2.6 168 6.3 

 15 - 24.9 271 9.1 5,015 4.2 217 8.1 

 25 - 49.9 285 9.6 8,918 7.4 311 11.6 

 50 - 99.9 168 5.6 11,054 9.2 332 12.4 

 100 - 199.9 124 4.2 10,295 8.6 345 12.9 

 200 - 499.9 45 1.5 13,603 11.4 140 5.2 

 500 - 999.9 19 0.6 13,120 10.9 69 2.6 

1,000 and more 17 0.6 49,447 41.3 412 15.4

Total4

 2,983 100.0 119,830 100.0 2,677 100.0 

 

1

 Business volume includes revenues from marketing plus the value of products bargained for or 

handled on a commission basis, supply sales, service receipts, and other income. 

2

 Includes number of farmers, ranchers, and fishermen eligible to vote for directors. Does not include 

memberships held by other cooperatives, such as local cooperative memberships in regional 

cooperatives.

3

 Includes inter-cooperative business volume. 

4

 Total may not add due to rounding. 
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004 

8

Table 6–Cooperatives' gross and net business volumes by commodity, 20041

 

Commodity Gross volume Net volume 

 

 Billion $ 

Products marketed:

Beans and peas (dry edible) .096 .132 .092 .129 

Cotton 3.325 2.617 3.234 2.536 

Dairy 30.722 25.984 29.144 23.454 

Fruits and vegetables 7.693 7.453 6.233 6.900 

Grains and oilseeds 2

 24.879 23.552 23.979 20.612 

Livestock 3.043 6.795 2.323 6.795 

Nuts 1.035 .851 1.025 .851 

Poultry 3

 3.467 2.667 3.364 2.653 

Rice 1.027 .969 .852 .968 

Sugar 3.616 3.513 3.463 3.513 

Tobacco .140 .085 .140 .085 

Wool and mohair .006 .011 .006 .011 

Other products 4

 3.604 2.614 3.353 2.496

 Total farm products 82.654 77.242 77.207 71.002 

 

Supplies purchased: 

Crop protectants 3.231 3.165 2.901 2.776 

Feed 7.247 7.220 5.093 5.873 

Fertilizer 6.130 6.482 5.129 4.640 

Petroleum 14.585 12.827 8.929 7.512 

Seed 1.882 1.828 1.509 1.234 

Other supplies 5

 3.922 3.976 3.432 3.463

 Total farm supplies 36.997 35.498 26.992 25.499 

 

Services and other income 6

 3.733 4.118 3.733 4.118

Total business 123.384 116.858 107.932 100.619 

 

 

1

 Gross includes and net excludes inter-cooperative business. Totals may not add due to rounding. 

2

 Excludes cottonseed. Cottonseed oil is included in other marketings while cottonseed meal is included 
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004

9

in feed. 

3

 Includes eggs, turkeys, ratite, squab, and related products. 

4

 Includes coffee, fish, forest products, hay, hops, seed marketed for growers, nursery stock, ethanol, 

other farm products not separately classified, and sales of farm products not received directly from 

member-patrons. Also includes manufactured food products and resale items marketed by cooperatives. 

5 Includes building materials, containers and packaging supplies, farm machinery and equipment, meats 

and groceries, automotive supplies, hardware, chicks, and other supplies not separately classified. 

6 Includes trucking, cotton ginning, storage, grinding, application, locker plants, and other related items. 

Services include charges related to marketing or purchasing, but not included in the volume reported for 

those activities, plus other income and extraordinary items. 
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004 

10

Table 7–Combined assets for farmer cooperatives, 20041

Principal product(s) Assets Investments in 

marketed and of own Investments in Total other co-ops as 

major function Cooperatives2

 operations other cooperatives3 assets percent of total 

 Number Billion dollars 

Percent

Products marketed:

Cotton 13 .824 .028 .853 3.3 

Dairy 195 7.977 1.676 9.653 17.4 

Fruits and vegetables 196 3.753 .114 3.867 2.9 

Grains and oilseeds4

 711 7.363 .864 8.227 10.5 

Livestock and poultry 80 1.618 .031 1.649 1.9 

Rice 15 .511 .003 .514 0.5 

Sugar 44 2.575 .101 2.676 3.8 

Other marketing5

 206 2.541 .092 2.633 3.5

Total marketing 1,460 27.163 2.908 30.071 9.7 

 

Total farm supply 1,161 14.310 1.823 16.133 11.3 

Service 362 .883 .066 .949 6.9

Total 2,983 42.356 4.797 47.153 10.2 

1

 Totals may not add due to rounding. 

2

 Many cooperatives have multi-product and multi-functional operations. Most are classified 

according to predominant commodity or function as indicated by business volume. 

3

 Also includes investments in CoBank. 

4

 Excludes cottonseed and other oilseed oils and meals. Oilseed oil is included in other 

marketings while meal is included in farm supplies (feed). 

5

 Includes dry edible beans and peas, fish, nuts, tobacco, wool, and other product marketing. 
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004

11

Table 8–Combined balance sheet data for farmer cooperatives, 20041

 

Principal product(s) marketed Total Total Net 

and major function Cooperatives assets liabilities worth 

 

 Number Billion dollars

Products marketed:

Cotton 13 .85 .49 .36 

Dairy 195 9.65 6.08 3.57 

Fruits and vegetables 196 3.87 2.43 1.44 

Grains and oilseeds2

 711 8.23 4.91 3.32 

Livestock and poultry 80 1.65 1.11 .54 

Rice 15 .51 .24 .27 

Sugar 44 2.68 1.64 1.04 

Other marketing3

 206 2.63 1.11 1.52

Total marketing 1,460 30.07 18.01 12.06 

 

Total farm supply 1,161 16.13 8.31 7.82 

Service 362 .95 .45 .50

Total 2,983 47.15 26.77 20.39 

 

1

 Totals may not add due to rounding. 

2

 Excludes cottonseed and other oilseed oils and meals. Oilseed oil is included in other marketing while 

meal is included in farm supplies (feed). 

3

 Includes dry edible beans and peas, fish, nuts, tobacco, wool, cottonseed, and other product 

 marketing. 
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004 

12

Table 9–Farmer cooperatives' net income before taxes, 20041

 

Principal product(s) Income Income 

marketed and before from own Patronage 

major function Cooperatives2

 taxes operations income3 

 Number Million dollars

Products marketed:

Cotton 13 106.9 105.8 1.0 

Dairy 195 338.3 197.7 140.6 

Fruits and vegetables 196 224.2 215.9 8.3 

Grains and oilseeds 4

 711 266.0 198.4 67.6 

Livestock and poultry 80 183.2 236.8 -53.6 

Rice 15 13.7 13.3 .3 

Sugar 44 43.7 42.9 .9 

Other marketing 5

 206 198.0 194.2 3.8

Total marketing 1,460 1,374.0 1,205.1 168.9 

 

Total farm supply 1,161 807.5 662.2 145.3 

Service 362 146.8 126.0 20.8

Total 2,983 2,328.3 1,993.4 334.9 

 

1

 Adjusted for losses and before taxes. Before tax income used in this table because historically, 

 after tax net income was not collected. Totals may not add due to rounding. 

2

 Includes a number of cooperatives operating on a strictly pooling basis, but not their pool 

proceeds. 

3

 Includes patronage refunds from CoBank. 

4

 Excludes cottonseed and other oilseed oils and meals. Oilseed oil is included in other 

marketings while meal is included in farm supplies (feed). 

5

 Includes dry edible beans and peas, fish, nuts, tobacco, wool, and other product marketing. 
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004

13

Figure 1—Farmer Cooperatives in the United States, 1995-2004

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Marketing

Farm Supply

Service

Number

Figure 2—Distribution of Memberships, by Type of Cooperative, 2004

Percentages are based on 2.7 million total memberships.

1 Includes dry bean and pea, wool and mohair, rice, sugar, fishery, and other product marketing cooperatives. 

Nut

0.5%

Other Marketing1/

2.3%

Service

3.7%

Fruit & Vegetable

1.1%

Dairy

2.7%

Livestock & Poultry

3.7%

Tobacco

6.0%

Grain & Oilseed

18.5%

Cotton

1.6%

Farm Supply

59.8%
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004 

14

Figure 3—Cooperative Memberships by Function, 1995-2004

0

1

2

3

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Million

Service

Farm Supply

Marketing

Figure 4—Full-Time and Part-Time and Seasonal Employees, 

by Cooperative Type, 2004

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Farm Supply

Fruits and Vegetables

Dairy

Grain and Oilseeds

Livestock and Poultry

Other Products

Sugar

Service

Cotton Ginning

Rice

Cotton

1,000 Employees

1/ Includes dry bean and pea, nut, tobacco, wool and mohair, fishery, and other product marketing cooperatives.

Full-Time

Part-Time and Seasonal
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004

15

Figure 5—Average Full-Time and Part-Time and Seasonal Employees, 2004

0 50 100 150 200 250 300

 Livestock and Poultry 

 Sugar 

 Rice 

 Fruits and Vegetables 

 Cotton 

 Dairy 

 Farm Supplies 

 Other Products 

 Service 

Cotton Ginning

Number

1/ Includes dry bean and pea, nut, tobacco, wool and mohair, fishery, and other product marketing cooperatives.

Full-Time Part-Time and Seasonal

Figure 6—Distribution of Farmer Cooperatives and Volume, by Size, 2004

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Less than 5.0 5 - 9.9 10 - 14.9 15 - 99.9 100 - 499.9 500 and more

Gross Business Volume (Million dollars )

Percent

Cooperatives Dollar Volume
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004 

16

Figure 7—Cooperatives’ Net Business Volume, Actual and Adjusted, 1995-2004

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

1 Actual sales were adjusted for price change based on 1991 = 100.

Billion dollars

Actual

Real1

Figure 8—Relative Importance of Farm Products Marketed by Cooperatives, 2004

Poultry

4.4%

Milk & Milk 

Products

37.8%

Rice

1.1%

Grain & Oilseed

31.1%

Tobacco

0.2%

Cotton

4.2%

Other Marketing 1/

4.5%

Sugar

4.5%

Nut

1.3%

Fruit & Vegetable

8.1%

Livestock

3.0%

Percentages are based on a total net marketing business volume of $77.0 billion.

1 Includes wool and mohair, dry beans and peas, fish, and other product marketing. 
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004

17

Figure 9—Relative Importance of Farm Supplies Handled by Cooperatives, 2004

Fertilizer

19.0%

Other Supplies 1/

12.7%

Seed

5.6%

Petroleum

33.1%

Crop Protectants

10.8% Feed 

18.9%

Percentages are based on a total net farm supply business volume of $27 billion.

1 Includes building materials, tires, batteries and accessories, equipment, animal health products, pet food, semen, hardware, food, clothing, and 

other.

Figure 10—Cooperatives’ Net Sales of Selected Commodities, 1995-2004

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Grains & Oilseeds

Livestock 

Billion dollars

Milk & Milk Products

Fruits & Vegetables
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004 

18

Figure 11—Cooperatives’ Net Sales of Selected Farm Supplies, 1995-2004

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Fertilizer

Seed 

Billion dollars

Petroleum

Crop Protectants

Feed

Figure 12—Cooperatives’ Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth, 1995-2004

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Billion dollars

Liabilities

Net Worth

Assets
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004

19

Figure 13—Percentage of Assets Financed by Net Worth, by Cooperative Type, 2004

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Other Marketing 1/

Service

Rice

Farm Supply

Cotton

Grain & Oilseed

Sugar

Fruit & Vegetable

Dairy

Livestock & Poultry

1/ Includes dry bean and pea, nut, tobacco, wool and mohair, fishery, and other product marketing cooperatives.

Percent

Figure 14—Cooperatives’ Net Income Before Taxes, 1995-2004

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Billion dollars

1/ Includes dividends and patronage refunds from other farmer cooperatives, CoBank, and Banks for Cooperatives.

From Own Operations

From Other Cooperatives 1

Net Income Before Taxes
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004 

20

Figure 15—Net Income or Loss, by Type of Cooperative, 2004

-100 100 300 500 700 900

Livestock and Poultry

Rice

Sugar

Cotton

Service

Other Products

Fruits and Vegetables 

Grains and Oilseeds

Dairy

Farm Supply

Million Dollars

1/ Includes dividends and patronage refunds from other farmer cooperatives and CoBank.

2/ Includes dry bean and pea, nut, tobacco, wool and mohair, fishery, and other product marketing cooperatives.

From Own Operations

From Other Cooperatives1/
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004 

21

APPENDIX TABLES 

Appendix Table 1–Number of cooperatives by major business activity, 2004-1995 Major business activity 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 199Products marketed: NumberBean and pea (dry edible) 6 8 8 9 8 8 8 8 Cotton 13 14 14 14 14 15 15 16 Dairy 195 197 198 204 208 221 228 236 Fruit and vegetable 196 207 212 220 232 231 249 259 Grain and oilseed 1 711 772 769 789 826 896 964 1,014 

Livestock 63 67 66 70 74 81 80 88 Nuts 18 17 18 18 18 18 18 18 Poultry 2 17 19 19 19 19 15 18 20 

Rice 15 15 15 15 16 17 17 18 Sugar 3 44 48 48 48 48 48 52 5

Tobacco 19 21 22 24 25 25 26 26 Wool and mohair 74 76 78 80 83 84 91 88 Other marketing 89 90 92 96 101 90 97 99 

Total farm marketing 1,460 1,551 1,559 1,606 1,672 1,749 1,863 1,94Total farm supplies 1,161 1,156 1,201 1,234 1,277 1,313 1,347 1,386 Total related services 362 379 380 389 397 404 441 464 Total business 2,983 3,086 3,140 3,229 3,346 3,466 3,651 3,79

1 Cooperatives primarily handling grains and oilseeds, excluding cottonseed. 2 Cooperatives primarily handling eggs, turkeys, ratite, squab, and related products. 3 Cooperatives primarily handling sugar beets, sugarcane, honey, and related products. 
Fa

22

Appendix Table 2–Cooperative memberships, by major business activity, 2004-1995 Major business activity 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 199Products marketed: Thousands

Bean and pea (dry edible) 1.7 2.1 2.2 2.7 2.8 2.8 2.9 2Cotton 43.4 43.4 43.5 45.9 45.4 43.8 41.3 42Dairy 71.6 80.8 81.7 91.0 96.9 90.7 92.9 104Fruit and vegetable 30.6 32.7 32.5 37.8 41.1 40.9 44.0 44Grain and oilseed1 496.1 555.3 542.5 581.5 615.3 657.9 728.7 745

Livestock 96.0 91.9 94.0 105.3 132.1 137.1 161.5 236Nuts 14.6 33.8 35.8 40.1 41.7 43.7 46.0 41Poultry2 3.6 26.3 26.1 19.1 29.2 29.2 36.3 34

Rice 12.1 12.5 12.4 13.9 12.2 11.8 12.9 14Sugar3 13.5 13.9 13.9 16.3 15.6 15.7 15.9 13

Tobacco 161.1 127.4 127.8 165.7 165.9 170.0 172.8 172Wool and mohair 11.2 10.9 11.1 12.6 13.0 15.4 17.9 16Other marketing 22.6 23.3 25.5 28.0 31.9 23.9 25.3 29

Total farm marketings 978.0 1,054.2 1,049.1 1,160.0 1,243.0 1,282.8 1,398.4 1,497Total farm supplies 1,599.7 1,590.4 1,637.1 1,745.8 1,717.8 1,731.4 1,773.7 1,743Total related services 99.6 113.3 107.4 128.1 124.3 159.1 180.6 183Total business 2,677.3 2,758.0 2,793.6 3,033.9 3,085.1 3,173.3 3,352.6 3,4241 Cooperatives primarily handling grains and oilseeds, excluding cottonseed. 2 Cooperatives primarily handling eggs, turkeys, ratite, squab, and related products. 3 Cooperatives primarily handling sugar beets, sugarcane, honey, and related products. 
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004 

23

Appendix Table 3–Cooperatives’ gross business volume, by type of cooperative, 2004-1995 Major business activity 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 19Products marketed: Billion $

Beans and peas (dry edible) 0.1 0.1 0.1 .2 .1 .2 .2 Cotton 3.3 2.6 2.5 2.5 2.8 2.2 3.0 3Dairy 30.7 26.0 25.9 29.4 25.8 28.5 27.8 26Fruits and vegetables 7.7 7.5 8.4 9.7 10.1 10.1 9.9 9Grains and oilseeds 24.9 23.6 20.1 22.6 22.9 21.7 25.3 28Livestock 3.0 6.8 9.9 9.6 8.0 7.4 7.6 7Nuts 1.0 0.9 .9 .9 .7 .9 .9 Poultry 3.5 2.7 2.5 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.1 2Rice 1.0 1.0 .8 .8 .8 .9 .9 Sugar 3.6 3.5 2.4 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.7 2Tobacco 0.1 0.1 .2 .4 .6 .3 .3 Wool and mohair 0.0 0.0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 Other marketing 3.6 2.6 2.8 3.0 3.7 3.5 3.7 3

Total farm marketings 82.7 77.2 76.6 84.0 80.4 80.5 84.5 85Supplies purchased: Crop protectants 3.2 3.2 3.1 3.6 4.0 3.8 4.1 4Feed 7.2 7.2 6.7 5.5 6.6 6.4 7.2 8Fertilizer 6.1 6.5 5.2 7.4 7.3 7.3 7.8 8Petroleum 14.6 12.8 11.4 14.1 13.3 8.1 8.8 10Seed 1.9 1.8 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.1 1.0 Other supplies 3.9 4.0 3.6 4.0 4.1 4.3 4.1 4Total farm supplies 37.0 35.5 31.5 36.1 36.8 30.9 33.0 37Services and other income 3.7 4.1 3.4 3.5 3.5 3.9 3.5 3Total business 123.4 116.9 111.6 123.6 120.7 115.3 121.0 126
F

24

Appendix Table 4–Cooperatives’ net business volume, by type of cooperative, 2004-1995 Major business activity 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 19Products marketed: Billion $

Beans and peas (dry edible) 0.1 0.1 .1 .2 .1 .2 .2 Cotton 3.2 2.5 2.5 2.4 2.7 2.1 3.0 3Dairy 29.1 23.5 23.0 26.2 22.7 26.0 25.3 23Fruits and vegetables 6.2 6.9 7.3 8.8 9.6 9.3 9.4 9Grains and oilseeds 24.0 20.6 17.5 18.1 18.4 17.1 21.3 24Livestock 2.3 6.8 9.9 9.6 8.0 7.3 7.4 7Nuts 1.0 0.9 .9 .9 .7 .9 .9 Poultry 3.4 2.7 2.4 2.2 2.1 2.2 2.1 2Rice 0.9 1.0 .7 .8 .8 .9 .9 Sugar 3.5 3.5 2.4 2.6 2.7 2.5 2.4 2Tobacco 0.1 0.1 .2 .4 .6 .3 .3 Wool and mohair 0.0 0.0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 Other marketing 3.4 2.5 2.6 2.9 3.6 3.1 3.3 3

Total farm marketings 77.2 71.0 69.7 75.0 72.1 72.0 76.6 77Supplies sold: Crop protectants 2.9 2.8 2.7 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.2 3Feed 5.1 5.9 5.4 4.0 4.7 4.7 5.4 6Fertilizer 5.1 4.6 4.3 5.0 4.6 4.8 5.2 5Petroleum 8.9 7.5 7.2 8.4 7.5 6.3 6.6 6Seed 1.5 1.2 1.1 1.1 .9 .8 .7 Other supplies 3.4 3.5 3.0 3.3 3.4 3.7 3.5 3Total farm supplies 27.0 25.5 23.7 24.8 24.1 23.2 24.6 25Services and other income 3.7 4.1 3.4 3.5 3.5 3.9 3.5 3Total business 107.9 100.6 96.8 103.3 99.7 99.1 104.7 106
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004 

25

Appendix Table 5–Combined balance sheet data for farmer cooperatives, 1995-2004 

 

Assets Investments 

 from own in other Total Total Net 

 operations cooperatives1

 assets liabilities worth 

Year Billion dollars

1995 37.046 3.228 40.274 23.643 16.631 

1996 39.011 3.577 42.588 25.195 17.392 

1997 39.922 4.074 43.996 25.459 18.537 

1998 41.884 4.676 46.560 26.606 19.954 

1999 42.330 5.352 47.682 27.418 20.263 

2000 44.635 5.087 49.722 29.447 20.275 

2001 43.285 5.180 48.465 28.317 20.148 

2002 41.947 5.539 47.486 27.883 19.602 

2003 42.864 4.058 46.922 26.493 20.429 

2004 42.356 4.797 47.153 26.766 20.386 

 

 Percent of total assets 

1995 92.0 8.0 100.0 58.7 41.3 

1996 91.6 8.4 100.0 59.2 40.8 

1997 90.7 9.3 100.0 57.9 42.1 

1998 90.0 10.0 100.0 57.1 42.9 

1999 88.8 11.2 100.0 57.5 42.5 

2000 89.8 10.2 100.0 59.2 40.8 

2001 89.3 10.7 100.0 58.4 41.6 

2002 88.3 11.7 100.0 58.7 41.3 

2003 91.4 8.6 100.0 56.5 43.5 

2004 89.8 10.2 100.0 56.8 43.2 

 

1

 Includes investments in other farmer cooperatives, CoBank, and Banks for Cooperatives, where 

applicable.
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004 

26

Appendix Table 6–Net income of farmer cooperatives, 1996-20051

 

 

 From own From other 

Year operations cooperatives2

 Total 

 

 Million dollars

1995 1,766 597 2,363 

1996 1,475 773 2,248 

1997 1,557 757 2,314 

1998 1,169 573 1,742 

1999 945 384 1,328 

2000 1,041 235 1,276 

2001 1,039 318 1,357 

2002 847 362 1,210 

2003 1,013 92 1,105 

2004 1,993 335 2,328 

 

1

 Totals may not add due to rounding. Excludes income from cooperative pooling operations. 

2

 Dividends and patronage refunds received from other marketing, farm supply, and related- 

 service cooperatives, CoBank, and Banks for Cooperatives, where applicable. 
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004 

27

APPENDIX FIGURES

Appendix Figure 1—Distribution of Farmer Cooperatives by Type, 2004

Farm Supply

38.9%

 Dairy

6.5%

 Fruit & Vegetable 

6.6%

 Other Marketing 1/

8.9%

 Livestock & 

Poultry

2.7%

 Cotton

0.4%

 Grain & Oilseed

23.8%

Service

12.1%

Percentages are based on a total of 2,983 cooperatives.

1 Includes dry bean and pea, nut, wool and mohair, tobacco, rice, sugar, fishery, and other product marketing cooperatives. 

Appendix Figure 2—U.S. Farms and Farmer Cooperative Memberships, 1979-2004

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003

1 Memberships were higher than farm numbers because many farmers belonged to more than one cooperative.

Million

Memberships1

Farms
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004 

28

Appendix Figure 3—Distribution of Full-Time Employees by Cooperative Type, 2004

Other Marketing 1/

5.7%

Farm Supplies

33.2%

Service

3.0%

Cotton

1.1%

Fruit & Vegetable

9.6%

Livestock & 

Poultry

13.8%

Sugar

4.7%

Grain & Oilseed

11.7%

Dairy

16.0%

Rice

1.6%

Percentages are based on a total of 150,000 full-time employees.

1 Includes dry bean and pea, nut, wool and mohair, tobacco, fishery, and other product marketing cooperatives. 

Appendix Figure 4—Cooperatives’ Gross and Net Business Volumes, 1979-2004

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003

Billion dollars

Gross1

Net2

2 Excludes inter-cooperative business.

1 Includes inter-cooperative business.
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004 

29

Appendix Figure 5—Cooperatives’ Net Business Volume, 1979-2004

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003

1

 Total includes value of related services and other income.

Billion dollars

Total1

Marketing

Farm Supply

Appendix Figure 6—Cooperatives’ Investments in Other Cooperatives and 

Patronage Refunds Received From Other Cooperatives,1 1995-2004

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

1

 Includes other farmer cooperatives and CoBank.

Billion dollars

Investments

Refunds
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004 

30

Appendix Figure 7—Distribution of Net Income, by Type of Cooperative, 2004

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Farm Supply

Dairy

Grains and Oilseeds

Fruits and Vegetables 

Other Products

Livestock and Poultry

Service

Cotton

Sugar

Rice

Percent of total 

Percentage based on total net income of $2.3 billion. 

1 Includes dry bean and pea, livestock, poultry, nut, wool and mohair, tobacco, sugar, fishery, and other product marketing cooperatives.

Appendix Figure 8—Distribution of Losses, by Type of Cooperative, 2004

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

 Grain & Oilseed

Farm Supply

 Fruit & Vegetable

 Dairy

Service

Other Marketing 1/

 Livestock & Poultry

 Rice

 Sugar

 Cotton

Percent of total 

Percentage based on total losses of $75 million. 

1 Includes dry bean and pea, cotton, nut, wool and mohair, sugar, tobacco, rice, sugar, fishery, and other product marketing cooperatives.
Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2004 

31

U.S. Department of Agriculture 

Rural Development 

STOP 3250 

Washington, D.C. 20250-3250 

Web: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov 

Committed to the future of rural communities. 

USDA Rural Development provides research, management, and educational assistance to cooperatives to 

strengthen the economic position of farmers, fishermen, 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. 

Rural Development’s cooperative program (1) helps farmers, fishermen, and other rural residents develop 

cooperatives to obtain supplies and services at lower cost and 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.