Congress seems to want to help farmers - other proposals that have surfaced are aimed at doing just that. Apparently, however, our lawmakers are prepared to overlook one of farmers' most important tools, the member-owned cooperative. It's probably not necessary to point out that farming has been in a slump or that cooperatives are also in harm's way when their members are under siege. Low levels of operating capital, intense competition from other agricultural businesses, shrinking markets and minuscule patronage margins are all signs of the times. Cooperatives must not be prevented from adjusting to this trend on behalf of their members.
Consolidation surrounds cooperatives on every side.
The second article in this issue profiles Southern States store manager Kelly Shutt and the situation he faces in Avoyelles Parish, La. Within the past few years, two-thirds of the farmers in this parish have called it quits, and farmland has been consolidated into larger units. On the other end of the spectrum, food processors, grocery distributors, chemical and seed companies, farm equipment manufacturers, and transportation systems also have seen the benefits and efficiencies of joining forces. Tying co-ops' hands with unnecessary and burdensome regulation isn't doing anything to make the business of farming pay better. Through membership in the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, Southern States is supporting an examination of these congressional proposals and their effect on farmers.