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Increasing Abundance with Native Communities Cooperative Development Training
Cooperatives are designed to meet the common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations of a group. Making sure the group’s values and cultural dynamics are honored is fundamental to successful cooperative development; this makes the co-op model attractive to many… [Read More]
11.30.2022

UW Center for Cooperatives Celebrates 60 Years of Serving the Co-op Community
As National Cooperative Month 2022 ends, we would like to highlight a special anniversary in the co-op world. The University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives (UWCC), the oldest university-based cooperative center in the nation, is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.… [Read More]
10.27.2022

How Rural Partnerships Helped Glasgow Community Open Its First Hospice Center
For the people of Glasgow, Kentucky, collaborations between the local electric cooperative, USDA Rural Development and other county entities have helped meet critical needs in the community. The first partnership between Farmers RECC, their power supplier, East Kentucky Power… [Read More]
10.24.2022

USDA Rural Development supports co-ops through partnership with California Center for Cooperative Development
The California Center for Cooperative Development (CCCD) plays an integral role in California. Cooperatives bring needed services to communities and are a source of empowerment for those who are often disempowered. Rural communities often lack the support services of larger… [Read More]
10.20.2022

Solar: It’s a “Big Dill” for Real Pickles Cooperative
As USDA Rural Development (RD) highlights National Cooperative Month, one worker owned co-op in Massachusetts stands out as a model for sustainability, collaboration, and local food system resiliency. The saying goes “it’s not easy being green.” But for Real Pickles in… [Read More]
10.20.2022
Strength in Members: Cooperative Home Care Resiliency in a Time of Crisis
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, home care cooperatives were a beacon of hope for overburdened health care workers and the industry that faced its breaking point. Many workers who wanted a stake in the day-to-day operations turned to the cooperative business model, which allows… [Read More]
10.19.2022

Celebrating Cooperative Month with The Local Crowd Cooperative
The Local Crowd Cooperative (TLC Cooperative) has a new ring to it. Thanks to a grant from USDA Rural Development, The Local Crowd (TLC) is transitioning its organization to a national member-owned cooperative.
For nearly 10 years, The Local Crowd has worked with rural… [Read More]
10.04.2022

Preserving Seafood Heritage by Bringing in the Next Generation
McClellanville is a small town in rural South Carolina whose economy relies heavily on commercial fishing and seafood production. Unlike other coastal towns in South Carolina, McClellanville has kept its working waterfront from developing into high-end residential property,… [Read More]
09.29.2022

Gullah Co-op: Growing Food, Preserving Culture
St. Helena Island, South Carolina, is home to the Black-owned Gullah Farmers’ Cooperative. The co-op is named after the Gullah Geechee, an African American community known for its careful preservation of African cultural heritage in South Carolina and Georgia.
“This project… [Read More]
09.27.2022

Rural Co-op Shines a Light on the Benefits of Solar Energy
Sustainability has been a fundamental tenant of the food cooperative movement since it began, and not only in terms of selling organic, sustainably-harvested food. Co-ops around the country are also turning to renewable energy. For the Astoria Co-op on the Oregon coast, that… [Read More]
06.03.2021