15-12-2012, 06:48 PM
From Eggs to Electricity: Types of Cooperatives in Wisconsin
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Introduction to Wisconsin Cooperatives
What is a cooperative business?
Historically, communities have worked together to meet their needs for resources, products, and services.
While a variety of types businesses today work towards meeting our needs, co-ops follow unique principles
Rochdale Principles of Cooperation
Voluntary and Open Membership
Democratic Member Control
Member Economic Participation
Autonomy and Independence
Education, Training, and Information
Cooperation Among Cooperatives
Concern for Community
A Brief History
Ann Pickett of Lake Mills started the first WI co-op in 1841
She pooled milk from neighbors’ farms to make cheese.
Proceeds were returned to her neighbors in proportion to the amount of milk they provided
Initially, the government ignored or was hostile to cooperatives.
But in 1887 Wisconsin became one of the first states to legalize cooperative business.
It was soon updated with the Rochdale cooperative principles, and in 1922 was adapted to the federal Capper - Volstead Act -- the “Magna Carta” of cooperative marketing.
Local, state, regional, national
The cooperative structure can be used for co-ops that have business units at the local, state, regional or national level
Some larger regional co-ops have a federated structure which means that their membership includes both individual producers (i.e. farmers) and local co-ops