FARMER COOPERTIVE STATISTICS, 2007

• Sponsoring Institution: Rural Business-Cooperative Service
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: USDA INHOUSE
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0216433
• Project Start Date: Jul 1, 2007
• Project End Date: Dec 31, 2008
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
RURAL BUSINESS-COOPERATIVE SERVICE
1400 INDEPENDENCE AVE., STOP 3250
WASHINGTON,DC 20250

Performing Department
COOPERATIVE PROGRAMS

Non Technical Summary
Each year, data on the number of farmer cooperatives, membership, business volume, and financial condition are collected via survey and analyzed to identify trends and changes in organizational structure, operations, finance and growth.

Animal Health Component

100%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

100%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
602	6210	3010	50%
604	6210	3010	50%

Knowledge Area
602 - Business Management, Finance, and Taxation; 604 - Marketing and Distribution Practices;

Subject Of Investigation
6210 - Farmer cooperatives;

Field Of Science
3010 - Economics;

Keywords

cooperatives

statistics

farmer cooperatives

membership

financial ratios

business volume

employees

balance sheet

net income

income statement

Goals / Objectives
Rural Development was mandated the responsibility to acquire and disseminate information pertaining to agricultural cooperatives under the Cooperative Marketing Act of 1926: 7U.S.C. 451-457, and Public Law No. 450. The primary objective of Rural Development's Statistics Program is to collect and analyze national and State statistics on agricultural cooperatives. Each year, data on the number of cooperatives, membership, business volume, and financial condition are collected via survey and analyzed to identify trends and changes in organizational structure, operations, finance and growth. The data are maintained for historical purposes and used extensively within the program in research and technical assistance, in university and business research, and in public policy and private decision-making.

Project Methods
The annual survey design and review begins 2 months before the survey year. Eleven surveys are used to collect cooperative information, but no cooperative receives more than one survey per year. Eleven surveys are used because they ask different questions based on the cooperative's size or type of products sold or marketed. All survey forms are used to gather statistics which cooperatives, educational institutions, investor owned firms, researchers, Government agencies, Congress, and other organizations use in working with or learning about farmer cooperatives. These various users utilize these statistics in different ways. For example, State cooperative organizations analyze the number of cooperatives and memberships to determine whether there have been major declines in their State. Dollar volume of sales by commodity for a given State indicates the viability and strength of cooperatives regarding particular commodities. A report, Farmer Cooperative Statistics, is published annually. It provides data on number of cooperatives by type, memberships, gross and net business volume, assets, liabilities, net worth, net income, full and part-time employees, past 10-year trends, and other related information.

Progress 07/01/07 to 12/31/08

Outputs
OUTPUTS: A research report was published for general distribution. Copies were sent to all agricultural cooperatives in the United States. Two articles summarizing the research findings were published in Rural Cooperatives magazine. PARTICIPANTS: P.I.: DeVille, Katherine C., Jacqueline E. Penn, and E. Eldon Eversull TARGET AUDIENCES: U.S. farmer, rancher, and fishery cooperatives Board and management of cooperatives Cooperative researchers PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.

Impacts
Cooperative statistics are collected annually to provide information on the progress and trends among the Nation's farmer, rancher, and fishery cooperatives. These statistics are used for research, technical assistance, education, planning, and public policy. The collection, analysis, and dissemination of cooperative statistics by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) are authorized by the Cooperative Marketing Act of 1926. This report provides aggregate information on the number, membership, business volume, net income, basic balance sheet items, and full-time and part-time and seasonal employees of cooperatives for business years ending in calendar year 2007. Cooperatives are classified by principal product marketed and major function. Fishery and ethanol cooperatives are included as "other product marketing" cooperatives. Both gross (includes inter-cooperative business) and net (excludes inter-cooperative business) dollar volumes are reported. Statistics for 2007 were compiled on a State and national basis. The information was collected from individual farmer, rancher, and fishery cooperatives by a mail survey of all organizations identified by USDA Rural Development's Cooperative Programs as farmer, rancher, or fishery cooperatives. Information was requested for the cooperatives' 2007 business year. Statistics for all cooperatives were derived by estimating data for non-respondents and combining this information with respondent data. Data from respondents and other sources accounted for 85 percent of the total gross sales of farmer, rancher, and fishery cooperatives in 2007. In addition to the publications listed below, a letter report is sent to all cooperatives comparing them to similar size and type cooperatives by the use of common size income statements and balance sheets and selected financial ratios.

Publications

• Eversull, E. Eldon, "Co-ops ring up additional $14 billion in sales via other ownership structures," Rural Cooperatives, Volume 75, Number 6, USDA Rural Development, November/December 2008
• DeVille, Katherine C., Jacqueline E. Penn, and E. Eldon Eversull, Farmer Cooperative Statistics, 2007, Service Report 68, USDA Rural Development, November 2008
• DeVille, Katherine C., Jacqueline E. Penn, and E. Eldon Eversull, "Co-ops set new records for sales, income; Business volume tops $146 billion in 2007," Rural Cooperatives, Volume 75, Number 5, USDA Rural Development, September/October 2008