Latest Cooperative Stories

ST. PAUL, Minn., May 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- CHS Inc., St. Paul, Minn.; and Zen-Noh, Tokyo, Japan, two of the world's leading farmer-owned cooperatives, today announced CHS has acquired 51 percent of CZL Ltd., a joint venture company that will supply commodities, primarily wheat and barley, to Japan. The joint venture will be managed from the CZL office in Tokyo. "CHS and Zen-Noh have been strong trading partners for more than 30 years," said Rick Browne, senior vice...

OAKLAND, Calif., April 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Fair Trade USA, the leading third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States, today published its 2011 Almanac. New data reveals that the organization had another record setting year for coffee--over 138 million pounds of Fair Trade Certified(TM) coffee were imported into the United States, a 32 percent increase over 2010. This growth in imports enabled Fair Trade coffee cooperatives to earn an unprecedented $17...

Texas Credit Union League Promotes International Year of Cooperatives FARMERS BRANCH, Texas, April 5, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- El Paso Mayor John Cook is the latest city official to sign an "International Year of Cooperatives" proclamation, signifying the critical role that the nine Texas credit unions that make up the El Paso Chapter of Credit Unions play in the community. Credit union representatives were on hand for the March 27th signing. "Credit unions are among the...

BELLE GLADE, Fla., March 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- After seven years of volatile weather conditions including hurricanes, droughts and freezes, Mother Nature gave us a break combined with excellent performance in the field and processing facility, sugar production is once again on an up-swing for 2011-12 harvest season - Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative's 50th crop. The 141 day crop commenced on Nov. 5, 2011 with liquidation completed on March 25, 2012. The 46 grower-members of the...

WASHINGTON, March 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, The National Alliance of State Health Cooperatives (NASHCO) hosted its second annual conference at the Sphinx Club Ballroom in Washington, DC, bringing together nearly 150 health care experts, HHS officials, Congressional and White House staff, and representatives from recently-funded CO-OPs across the country. At least 27 CO-OP development groups from 32 states were in attendance at the conference. Last month, seven health care...

New Leaf Market is committed to demonstrating how co-ops can make a true difference in their communities. (PRWEB) March 08, 2012 Part of what has made New Leaf Market, in Tallahassee, FL, so successful over the last 37 years is their dedication to the community they live in. As a company, they believe that their success is tied to the well-being of the community at large, and as a result, New Leaf Market organizes and participates in a wide variety of events throughout the year. One of...

AKRON, Ohio, March 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- It's very rare to find a cooperative community in the Akron area of Ohio, or really anywhere in Ohio for that matter. Perhaps that's why owners at the Enclave Cooperative, which became a 104-unit co-op in 2004, decided on a change. They have just converted their units to condominiums and have already felt the benefits. "With common charges over $1,000 per month, some shareholders struggled to make payments. Others tried unsuccessfully to...

MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2011, Land O'Lakes achieved solid financial results, including its highest-ever net sales and second-highest net earnings, in a still challenging economy, leaders of the national food and agricultural cooperative told approximately 1,000 delegates and visitors gathered at the Hilton Minneapolis (Minn.) for Land O'Lakes' 91st Annual Meeting. Financial Results Land O'Lakes President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Chris Policinski...

NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Land O'Lakes International Development has launched the International Dairy Enterprise Alliance (IDEA), a learning network designed to provide dairy cooperatives in developing countries with the information, resources and technology they need to thrive and be competitive in national and regional markets. Created as a core component of Land O'Lakes Cooperative Development Program (CDP), which is being funded by the American People through...

HELENA, Mont., Feb. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Alliance of State Health Cooperatives (NASHCO) applauded today's U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announcement that $638,677,300 is being invested by the agency in seven health cooperatives serving eight different states. This is the initial round of federal loans to support these innovative cooperatives, which were established in Section 1322 of the Affordable Care Act. Several more funding announcements...