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THE BEGINNINGS
In 1844 the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers, a group of
weavers, launched the first cooperative. They incorporated their
business on October 24, 1844 and opened for business December 21 of
that year in a small, first-floor store at 31 Toad Lane in Rochdale,
England.
The idea of cooperatives crossed the ocean with the first pioneers
and became a part of American culture. Cooperatives are a unique
form of business where members help themselves. In the early years
of this country, people worked together to raise barns, husk corn,
make quilts, and more. It was natural to work together to accomplish
things they could not easily do alone.
FARMING CHANGES, AND SO DO
COOPERATIVES
In the 1920s and 1930s farming underwent an incredible change as
tractors replaced horses in the field. With that change arose the
need for a dependable supply of petroleum products at a fair price.
Farm Bureau members, with the help of the Cooperative Extension
Service, established cooperatives to help meet their own needs and
to supply the needs of other farmers. Those early cooperatives
became the Member Cooperatives we know today across Illinois, Iowa
and Wisconsin. Today, cooperatives serve more than 600 million
people in every country around the world.
The Rochdale Pioneers are memorable
because they based their cooperative business on certain principles.
Although cooperatives continue to
change over the years, the principles with which they operate have
remained essentially the same:
Open Membership –
anyone who wants to become a member can
Democratic Control – members control the cooperative
through their election of its board of directors
Limited Returns on Investment – returns are limited
to keep control in the hands of the users
Patronage Refunds – margins or earnings are returned
to members in proportion to the amount of business done with
the cooperative
Continuing Cooperative Education – a duty to educate
members and the general public about our cooperative form of
business as a unique and valuable part of our private
enterprise system
Cooperation Among Cooperatives – working together is
one of the strengths of cooperatives
Concern For Community – while focusing on members’
needs, cooperatives work for the sustainable development of
their communities through policies approved by their members |
Cooperatives Produce Quality
Products
Many cooperatives have familiar names:
- Prairie Farms
- Lindsay Olives
- Sunkist
- Blue Diamond Almonds
- Ocean Spray
- Riceland Rice
- Sun-Maid Raisins
- Thank You Brand Pie
Filling
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- Sunsweet Prunes
- C & H Sugar
- Land O’Lakes
- Welch’s
- Libby’s
- Sue Bee Honey
- Seald-Sweet processes
citrus
- Diamond Walnuts and
Pecans
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