Pay Attention to Your Co-Op

WORDS : ERIC FRUITS , PH.D.
Eric Fruits, Ph.D. is chief economist and president at Economics International Corp. and an adjunct professor at Portland State University.

Farmland Industries was once the largest farmer-owned co-op in the United States. In 2001, it opened a new headquarters in Kansas City. The glass-wrapped building and deluxe executive suites told the world that Farmland had become an agribusiness giant. At the time, the co-op was racking up debt—building a big expensive fertilizer plant, upgrading older fertilizer plants, and spending nearly $100 million on new computer software. In 2002, Farmland filed for bankruptcy. By 2004, its last big asset had been sold off. Continue reading

Series: Pay Attention to your Co-Op

Words: Mitch Lies

Photos: lynnphoto.com

The mood was upbeat and confident at the Malin Potato Cooperative in February of 2015. The Merrill, Oregon, agricultural co-op was preparing to open a brand-new, $7 million state-of-the-art potato packing plant. The co-op’s members had been convinced the investment would provide a much-needed lift with the promise of high efficiency and new organic markets. Continue reading