Recipient Organization
THE CENTER FOR AN AGRICULTURAL ECONOMY LTD
140 JUNCTION RD
HARDWICK,VT 05843
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The efficacy, resilience, and power of cooperative businesses are time-proven facts, yet their prevalence in New England economies remains relatively limited. Cooperatives have proven to foster innovation, retain economic impacts within local communities, and withstand economic upheavals throughout American history, yet available studies estimate that only 0.002% of New England businesses are cooperatives. The Center for an Agricultural Economy (CAE) works throughout Vermont and western New Hampshire to provide technical assistance, practical job training, and low-barrier access to capital to all but one of the existing food co-ops in Vermont and to three in New Hampshire. With NIFA funding, CAE will conduct concerted outreach to identified food hubs in additional New England states to establish collaborative technical assistance programs to additional rural cooperatives in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. The project will include the development of specialized technological tools to improve service delivery to CAE's existing co-op clients and to foster the creation of new cooperatives. Through these methods, CAE anticipates increasing the number of cooperative businesses served by at least 18% during the one-year project period. Supporting cooperatives in this way will support America's economic resurgence by reinforcing a reliable, industry-driven workforce pipeline from educational institutions to real-world business training programs and cooperative business support services. By addressing service gaps identified by cooperative businesses themselves, this project will strengthen the economic viability of this critical and impactful business model- the American cooperative business.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Goal 1: Direct assistance and development to cooperative businesses: CAE staff will consult with cooperative businesses on business planning, enterprise analysis, marketing, and product procurement.Objective 1: CAE staff will physically execute the delivery of at least $1 million in local food at wholesale valuation to our 17 existing co-op clients.Objective 2: We will assist in the development of two new retail cooperatives, one in St. Johnsbury, VT and one in Newport, VT.Objective 3: We will initiate new relationships with at least two additional co-ops, for a total of 21 cooperative businesses served, 15 of which are either located in rural or economically distressed locations.Goal 2: Development of Technological Systems to improve inventorying, sales, user experience for co-ops: CAE will research and then implement new, specialized technological systems that will improve product handling, sales, sales analytics, and ease of use for our cooperative business clients. This may include a customized online inventorying and sales platform through which cooperative businesses can manage inventory, sales, purchase orders, bills of landing, invoicing, traceability, and sales analytics.Objective 1: IT Systems Discovery Process: Working with qualified consultants and advisors, CAE will assess, analyze, and plan for the technological needs of our organization and all cooperative business clients with which we work, developing a clear needs assessment to begin working with software companies to develop new systems.Objective 2: New IT System(s) Development: Once needs have been identified, CAE will work with software engineers to design appropriate systems.Objective 3: Implementation: Once the systems are functional, CAE staff and our clients will be trained on its use.Goal 3: Technical Assistance and Hands-on career training for rural value-added processors to strengthen the American workforce and create a skilled labor pipeline for cooperative businesses.Objective 1: Provide physical infrastructure, equipment, training, and advanced technical assistance to at least 17 rural value-added micro and small businesses in CAE's shared-use incubator food business facilities.Objective 2: Conduct at least five new client intake interviews with new rural value-added micro and small businesses to determine their suitability for CAE's incubator program. CAE will provide any businesses found to be unsuitable for our programming with alternative resources to assist them in achieving their goals.Objective 3: Provide rural value-added producers with technical training and education about existing cooperatives they could join and with tools to form their own new cooperative businesses.Goal 4: Networking with other cooperative business technical service provider businesses: CAE will expand our relationships with food hubs throughout New England in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island to:Objective 1: Strengthen existing cooperatives in VT, NH, MA, CT, and RI by connecting them with additional procurement and distribution opportunities and technical assistance provided by the network of food hubs.Objective 2: Strengthen, expand, and improve technical assistance offerings to cooperatives through coordination of resources and experience among the network of food hubs.Objective 3: Promote the formation of new cooperatives by developing new educational and technical assistance resources in collaboration with food hubs throughout New England.
Project Methods
Goal 1: Direct assistance and development of cooperative businesses:Efforts:One-on-one communication between CAE staff and cooperative business members including in person, phone, and email communication evaluating cooperatives' needs and matching them with resources, including written manuals, contacts and introductions with other relevant service providersPhysical delivery to co-ops of saleable products.Evaluation:Records of assistance providedVolume of saleable product moved by weight and wholesale valuationWritten surveys distributed to cooperatives requesting feedback on the quality of CAE's service.Milestones:CAE will deliver at least 5% more saleable product to our existing cooperatives from the beginning of the project period to the end of the project period.The number of cooperatives receiving services from CAE will increase by at least 18% from the beginning of the project period to the end of the project period.At least 10 surveys will be completed and returned by cooperatives regarding their experience working with CAE.?Goal 2: Development of Technological Systems to improve inventorying, sales, user experience for co-ops.Efforts:Publish a Request for Proposals to qualified software consultants.Select software consultant(s)Planning & Intake: Define scope, schedule, and deliverable formats, collect and review any existing internal documentation (org charts, tools, SOPs)Interviews with CAE staff and cooperative business members- mapping of existing workflows, systems, and decision-making processes; identification of challenges, inefficiencies, and aspirations; drafting process descriptions and diagrams for key workflows; write-up of each entity's specific software needsComparison and synthesis between entities: analysis of system-wide needs and integration opportunities; development of shared platform requirements and implementation strategies; final report.Development of new systems by software developers with consistent CAE involvement and feedback.Training in new systems by web developers and CAE leadership of relevant CAE and co-op staff.Evaluation:Multiple bids from software developersContract with selected developer(s)Written discovery process reportsNew IT systemsTraining protocols for new systemsSuccessful use of systems.Milestones:Written RFP distributed to qualified consultants.Multiple proposals from consultants.Signed contract with selected consultant.Fully defined written scope of work.Reports on each entity's specific software needs.Written final report and roadmap to software selection.CAE begins discussion of needs and opportunities with software vendors.Identification of types of new systemsDevelopment of new systemsWritten training protocolsCAE staff and co-op members begin using new systems regularly.Goal 3: Technical Assistance and Hands-on career training for rural value-added processors to strengthen the American workforce and create a skilled labor pipeline for cooperative businesses.Efforts:One-on-one in-person training on facilities, equipment, food safety, workplace safety, SOPs by CAE staff to rural value-added entrepreneurs.In-take procedures to evaluate and on-board suitable new value-added entrepreneurs into CAE's incubator program.Advertising through digital means and at conferences to attract new clients, including advertising CAE's loan program, the Vermont Farm Fund.Further development of printed resources for clients about how to join or develop a cooperative business.Evaluation:Records of technical assistance provided to clientsIn-take recordsNumber of new clients added during the project period.Number of loan inquiries from cooperative businesses.Printed resources on cooperative development.Milestones:CAE will provide technical assistance to at least 20 rural value-added entrepreneurs during the project period through our incubator program.At least five new clients will go through the evaluation process for potential new clients during the project period.At least three new clients will be enrolled in CAE's incubator program during the project period.At least one new loan inquiry from a cooperative business.Printed resources on cooperative business development will be updated and improved by CAE staff during the project period.Goal 4: Networking with other cooperative business technical service provider businesses.Efforts:Phone and email outreach to New England food hubs with which CAE does not yet have significant collaborationIn-person visits to new New England food hubsInvitations to each food hub to visit CAE.Development of co-branded cooperative assistance printed and/or digital resources.Evaluation:Records of the number of food hubs contacted during the project periodRecords of the number of food hubs visited during the project periodRecords of the number of food hubs that visit CAE during the project periodNew printed or digital cooperative business development resources.Milestones:CAE will contact at least five New England food hubs with which CAE does not yet have significant collaboration.CAE staff will visit at least three of these new food hubs during the project period.Members of at least one of these food hubs will visit CAE during the project period.CAE will co-develop at least one set of new co-branded cooperative business development resources.