Las cooperativas son una herramienta de desarrollo empresarial de clase mundial para crear comunidades sólidas y sostenibles. Organizada para satisfacer las necesidades económicas de sus miembros propietarios, una cooperativa es una forma de negocio particularmente resistente. Encarna el concepto de autoayuda: los miembros usan la cooperativa, la poseen y la controlan.
Las cooperativas son esenciales para la economía de los EE. UU., especialmente en las comunidades rurales donde a menudo llenan los vacíos del mercado. Las cooperativas agrícolas brindan mercadeo efectivo, suministros y servicios de bajo costo a sus miembros propietarios, y las cooperativas brindan electricidad, conectividad electrónica, vivienda asequible, capital, servicios financieros, telecomunicaciones, atención médica, alimentos, hardware, materiales de construcción y muchos otros bienes. y servicios a la América rural.
La función de Cooperative Services es fomentar y sostener esta estructura excepcionalmente resistente y flexible. Nos esforzamos por ayudar a los residentes rurales a formar nuevas cooperativas y mejorar las operaciones de las existentes al:
- Fomentar el desarrollo cooperativo a través de la difusión de los principios y prácticas cooperativas
- Adquirir, analizar y difundir información económica, estadística e histórica cooperativa
- Describir los ecosistemas legales y económicos cooperativos
- Proporcionar materiales educativos y realizar investigaciones cooperativas.
- Trabajar con socios federales y partes interesadas a través del Grupo de trabajo interinstitucional para el desarrollo cooperativo .
Fomento del desarrollo cooperativo : los servicios cooperativos brindan apoyo e información a las personas que deciden si formar una cooperativa y cómo hacerlo. Muchos de estos materiales son utilizados por profesionales del desarrollo económico, asociaciones comerciales, agentes de extensión, grupos de jóvenes y escuelas de agricultura y negocios. La biblioteca de información cooperativa y publicaciones de investigación del USDA incluye cartillas cooperativas como:
- Cómo iniciar una cooperativa | (Español)
- Guía de estudio de factibilidad
- Cooperativas 101 | (Español)
Para buscar ayuda de asistencia técnica para formar cooperativas o para nuevos problemas de desarrollo cooperativo, comuníquese con un Centro de Desarrollo de Cooperativas Rurales, muchos de los cuales están parcialmente financiados a través de la Subvención de Desarrollo de Cooperativas Rurales del USDA . Los Centros de Desarrollo Cooperativo se enumeran en este libro de trabajo de Excel: libro de trabajo xlsx.
Adquisición y análisis de información económica, estadística e histórica : Cooperative Services ha estado recopilando datos financieros, sociales y operativos de cooperativas de agricultores, ganaderos, pesqueras y de negociación anualmente durante casi un siglo. Los datos cooperativos disponibles incluyen:
- Datos estadísticos históricos de cooperativas de agricultores (1913-2018). Disponible previa solicitud por correo electrónico coopinfo@usda.gov.
- Directorio de Cooperativas Agropecuarias (Libro de Excel directorio de cooperativas, actualizado mensualmente). Disponible previa solicitud: coopinfo@usda.gov .
Describiendo Ecosistemas Cooperativos Legales y Económicos —Cooperative Services rastrea, analiza y publica descripciones de las leyes cooperativas Federales y Estatales para facilitar el desarrollo cooperativo y reducir los costos de transacciones comerciales. Las publicaciones de Co-op Services ayudan a los abogados, contadores, miembros, asociaciones comerciales y profesionales del desarrollo de cooperativas a responder preguntas sobre impuestos, gobierno, finanzas y operaciones cooperativas. La información proporcionada por Co-op Services ayuda con el cumplimiento fiscal, la incorporación y las operaciones. Las publicaciones incluyen:
- Estatutos Federales de Importancia Especial para las Cooperativas de Agricultores
- Ley Tributaria para Cooperativas
- Proyecto de Investigación del Estatuto Cooperativo Estatal (disponible a pedido)
Proporcionar materiales educativos y realizar investigaciones : Cooperative Services ofrece informes y programas educativos que promueven la comprensión de los principios y prácticas cooperativas. La investigación cooperativa aborda una variedad de temas para apoyar a las cooperativas que se enfrentan a problemas actuales y emergentes. Por ejemplo, los temas de publicación incluyen:
- Conceptos básicos y comprensión cooperativa
- Responsabilidades del director y de los miembros de la cooperativa
- Teoría y práctica cooperativa
- Diseño de membresía cooperativa (y muchos otros temas)
Las publicaciones se definen como información, investigación y servicio y se encuentran aquí Publicaciones para cooperativas .
Esfuerzos de divulgación y participación de las partes interesadas : la Subdivisión de Servicios Cooperativos envía periódicamente boletines informativos a través de GovDelivery centrados en materiales y productos relacionados con las cooperativas del USDA. Aquellos interesados en recibir estos boletines deben suscribirse a las actualizaciones por correo electrónico de USDA RD . Dos áreas temáticas se relacionan directamente con la Rama de Servicios Cooperativos bajo Desarrollo Cooperativo : Prácticas Cooperativas y Anual. Estadísticas Cooperativas.
Financiamiento para cooperativas : junto con otras áreas del programa de desarrollo rural , brindamos oportunidades de asistencia financiera que están disponibles para ayudar a las empresas rurales, incluidas las cooperativas y los productores agrícolas. Las cooperativas son elegibles para programas de financiamiento de desarrollo rural, como el programa de subvenciones para productores de valor agregado y el programa de garantía de préstamos comerciales e industriales .
Cooperatives create robust, sustainable communities by meeting the economic needs of their member-owners and keeping profits local. They fill market gaps in the economy and are a particularly resilient and flexible type of business. Cooperative members own, use, and control their business democratically and can respond flexibly to the ups and downs of the business cycle.
Statistics prove the resiliency of agricultural cooperatives: more than 23 percent of U.S. farmer cooperatives have been operating for 100 years or more and 77 percent are more than 50 years old. USDA Cooperative Services provides this statistical research and more. It supports cooperatives through technical assistance, information on available USDA funding, and publications on how to start and maintain cooperative businesses. Co-op Services also researches the legal, social, and economic aspects of cooperatives.
Co-op Services partners with other Federal agencies and cooperative stakeholders through the Interagency Working Group on Cooperative Development. This initiative was authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill, which mandates that the Agriculture Secretary “chair an interagency working group to foster cooperative development and ensure coordination with federal agencies and … cooperative organizations.” If you are looking for Partners, Funding Resources, Development Tools, and/or Publications & Information, please visit the website.
Cooperatives’ Critical Role—In rural America, agricultural cooperatives provide marketing, processing, and low-cost supplies and services to their member owners. Co-ops bring electricity to more than half of the Nation’s landmass and supply e-connectivity and telecommunications to rural residents. Cooperatives meet the needs of their member-owners in all areas of the economy, not just in the agricultural and utility space. Cooperatives provide affordable solutions to market gaps in housing, grocery, childcare, home care (including care for veterans and individuals who are elderly or disabled), banking, mutual insurance, and other financial service industries. When business owners retire or when a business faces closure, the employees can buy the business and keep their jobs.
Why are cooperatives so effective for community economic development?
- Cooperatives keep funds local. Member-owners receive the business’ profits based on how much they use (“patronize”) the cooperative. These “patronage refunds” circulate in the community and support the tax base.
- Cooperatives meet community needs when investors decline to provide capital in the belief that they will not make sufficient profit (e.g., rural electric cooperatives, rural grocery cooperatives).
- Cooperatives even the playing field for large and small businesses. Members can create economies of scale by collectively purchasing goods and services, processing their inputs, and marketing their business. Cooperatives collectively purchase building supplies, hardware, health care, human resource services, and insurance, for example.
- Cooperatives are a wealth-building tool. Entry into a cooperative business requires a relatively small investment that builds over time. For example, at a time when many people cannot afford to get into the housing market or to work where they live, cooperative housing allows people to live in the community where they work and to accumulate equity rather than paying rent.
- Cooperatives save jobs. When businesses close because of owner retirement or a shutdown, the employees can buy the business together and operate as a worker cooperative.
- Cooperatives teach people skills. Members learn to operate the business and govern it democratically.
Library of Cooperative Information—Cooperative Services provides information and research publications for economic development professionals, trade associations, extension agents, youth groups, and agriculture and business schools. This library of cooperative information and research publications includes co-op primers such as:
To seek technical assistance help with forming cooperatives or for new cooperative development issues, please reach out to a Rural Cooperative Development Center, many of which are partially funded through USDA’s Rural Cooperative Development Grant. An Excel workbook listing Cooperative Development Centers is available upon request at coopinfo@usda.gov .
Acquiring and Analyzing Economic, Statistical, and Historic Information —Cooperative Services has been collecting financial, social, and operational data from farmer, rancher, aquaculture and bargaining cooperatives annually for almost a century. Available cooperative data include:
- Historical Agricultural Cooperative Statistical Data (1913-present)
- Directory of Agricultural Cooperatives (Excel workbook directory of cooperatives, updated monthly)
- Statistical summary bulletins and analysis
All these products are available upon request at coopinfo@usda.gov .
Stakeholder Outreach and Engagement Efforts—The Cooperative Services Branch periodically sends out informational bulletins through GovDelivery focused on USDA cooperative-related materials and products. Those interested in receiving these bulletins should subscribe to USDA RD email updates. Two topic areas relating directly to the Cooperative Services Branch under Cooperative Development are Cooperative Practices and Annual Cooperative Statistics.
Funding for Cooperatives—In conjunction with other Rural Development program areas, we provide financial assistance opportunities that are available to assist rural businesses, including cooperatives, and agricultural producers. Cooperatives could be eligible for Rural Development funding programs such as the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) Guaranteed Loans & Grants, Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) Program, Socially Disadvantaged Groups Grant (SDGG), and the Business and Industry (B&I) Loan Guarantee program. There are many other programs where Cooperatives could be the receiver of assistance through the Rural Cooperative Development Grant (RCDG), Rural Economic Development Loan & Grant (REDLG) Program, Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG), and the Intermediary Relending Program. These programs are only a sample of programs that could be available. Reach out to our team at CoopConnect@usda.gov with your project idea to find out more.
Cooperatives are classed by how they are owned and the function they serve:
- Producer cooperatives are owned by producer-members whose product is processed and/or marketed by the co-op (e.g., artist, farmer, platform cooperatives).
- Consumer cooperatives are owned by consumer-members who use the co-op's products or services (e.g., retail stores, housing cooperatives, mutual insurance companies, credit unions, community investment co-ops).
- Purchasing or shared services cooperatives are owned by organizations that combine their purchasing power in a cooperative to get better prices for products and services (e.g., schools, hardware stores, pharmacies).
- Worker cooperatives are owned and operated by the worker-members (e.g., restaurants, engineering firms, taxi, homecare agencies).
- Hybrid or multi-stakeholder cooperative are made up of some combination of worker-, producer-, and/or consumer-owners (e.g., food hubs, childcare, etc.).
Describing Legal and Economic Cooperative Environments—Cooperative Services tracks, analyzes, and publishes descriptions of Federal and State cooperative laws to facilitate cooperative development and reduce business transaction costs. Co-op Services publications assist cooperative attorneys, accountants, members, trade associations, and development professionals to answer questions about cooperative taxation, governance, finance, and operation. Information provided by Co-op Services helps with tax compliance, incorporation, and operations. Publications include:
- Federal Statutes of Special Importance to Farmer Cooperatives
- Tax Law for Cooperatives
- State Cooperative Statute Research Project (available upon request)
Providing educational materials and conducting research—Cooperative Services offers educational reports and programs that promote the understanding of cooperative principles and practices. Cooperative research addresses a variety of topics to support cooperatives dealing with current and emerging issues. For example, publication topics include:
- Cooperative basics and understanding
- Cooperative director and member responsibilities
- Cooperative theory and practice
- Cooperative membership design (and many other topics)
Publications are available and are found here: Publications for Cooperatives.