Agricultural cooperative
2330138
221785431
2008-06-26T02:34:57Z
Zlerman
5449888
introduce production coop; refine typology; add ref
'''Agricultural cooperative''', also known as a '''farmers' co-op''', is a [[cooperative]] where [[farmer]]s pool their resources in certain areas of activity. A broad typology of agricultural cooperatives distinguishes between ''agricultural service cooperatives'', which provide various services to their individually farming members, and ''agricultural production cooperatives'', where production resources (land, machinery) are pooled and members farm jointly.<ref>Cobia, David, editor, ''Cooperatives in Agriculture'', Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ (1989), p. 50.</ref> Agricultural production cooperatives are relatively rare in the world, and examples include [[collective farm]]s in [[CIS|former socialist countries]] and the [[kibbutzim]] in Israel. [[Cooperatives#Worker_cooperative|Worker coperatives]] provide an example of production cooperatives outside agriculture. The default meaning of '''agricultural cooperative''' in English is usually an agricultural ''service'' cooperative, which is the numerically dominant form in the world. There are two primary types of agricultural service cooperatives, ''supply cooperative'' and ''marketing cooperative''. Farmers also widely rely on [[Credit union|credit cooperatives]].
==Supply cooperatives==
'''Agricultural supply cooperatives''' are [[cooperative]]s that supply [[farmer]]s with required inputs for agricultural production including seeds, fertilizers, fuel, and services.
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==Marketing cooperatives==
'''Agricultural marketing cooperatives''' are [[cooperative]] businesses owned by farmers, to undertake transformation, packaging, distribution, and marketing of farm products (both crop and livestock).
===Examples===
====Canada====
In Canada, the most important cooperative of this kind was the '''wheat pools'''. These farmer-owned cooperatives bought and transported grain throughout Western Canada. They replaced the earlier privately and often foreign-owned [[Grain trade|grain buyers]] and came to dominate the market in the post-war period. By the 1990s, most had [[Demutualization|demutualized]] (privatized), and several mergers occurred. Now all the former wheat pools are part of the [[Viterra]] corporation.
Former wheat pools include:
* [[Alberta Wheat Pool]]
* [[Manitoba Pool Elevators]]
* [[Saskatchewan Wheat Pool]]
* [[United Grain Growers]]
====United States====
* [[American Legend Cooperative]] ([[mink]] [[fur]]) "Blackglama" brand
* [[Blue Diamond Growers]] ([[almond]]s)
* [[Cabot Creamery]] ([[dairy]])
* [[Cotton Incorporated]] ([[cotton]])
* [[Diamond of California]] ([[nut (fruit)|nuts]]), formerly a cooperative
* [[Dairylea Cooperative Inc.]] (Dairy), formerly Dairymen's League
* [[Florida's Natural Growers]] ([[citrus]] fruit)
* [[Gay Lea Foods Co-operative Limited]] (dairy)
* [[Land O'Lakes]] ([[dairy]] and farm supply)
* [[Ocean Spray (cooperative)|Ocean Spray]] ([[cranberry|cranberries]] and citrus fruit)
* [[Riceland Foods]] ([[rice]], [[soybean]]s, and [[wheat]])
* [[Sunkist Growers, Incorporated]] (citrus fruit)
* [[Sun-Maid]] ([[raisin]]s)
* [[Sunsweet Growers Incorporated]] ([[dried fruit]], especially [[prune]]s)
* [[Tillamook County Creamery Association]] (dairy)
* Lone Star Milk Producers (dairy)
The term should be distinguished from [[collective farming]], in which farmers pool nearly all resources, including [[labour (economics)|labor]], land, or produce itself. Some economists consider collective farming to be a type of cooperative farming.
== Origins ==
The first agricultural cooperatives were created in Europe in the second half of the [[nineteenth century]]. They spread later to North America and the other continents. They have become one of the tools of agricultural development in emerging countries.
Also related are farmer's [[credit union]]s (and [[mutual insurance|mutual farm insurance societies]]). They were created in the same periods, with the initial purpose to offer farm loans. Some became universal banks such as [[Crédit Agricole]] or [[Rabobank]].
==References==
{{reflist}}
== See also ==
* [[Winemaking cooperative]]
{{Co-operatives}}
[[Category:Agricultural labor]]
[[Category:Production and manufacturing]]
[[Category:Agricultural cooperatives]]
[[Category:Rural community development]]
[[Category:Agricultural marketing organizations| ]]
[[Category:Agricultural economics]]
[[Category:Agriculture in society]]
[[fr:Coopérative agricole]]