Duration: 10/01/2023 to 09/30/2028

Administrative Advisor(s):

NIFA Reps:

Non-Technical Summary

Statement of Issues and Justification

As the boundaries of agricultural firms have evolved beyond the traditional definitions, so have the boundaries of agricultural cooperatives evolved with changes in the global business marketplace. As a result, academic research on topics relevant to cooperatives is essential to remaining relevant in this new marketplace. While some of the conditions that both necessitated and promoted the development and adoption of the cooperative business model have changed or become obsolete, others have adapted or emerged to replace them. In other words, while cooperatives face significant change and evolution, their primary reason for existence has remained both present and vital to consumers, producers and other stakeholders.

Cooperatives have traditionally been associated with farmers and rural communities, and they have, through the collective action of their members, helped both rural communities and other traditionally underrepresented groups gain market power against, provide services otherwise unavailable from, and remain competitive with larger organizations. Cooperatively organized businesses contribute significantly to the economic base of rural communities and improve the economic welfare of those communities as well as those of traditionally underrepresented groups, providing credit, food, utilities, housing and other services important to the community economic infrastructure.

Together with the decline in farm numbers and rural population, the volume of business in rural communities has also decreased. This was identified as a major obstacle to rural development when this committee was organized in 1998, and it remains an important issue today. It also motivates much of the research conducted by the committee.

While still remaining active in these communities, more cooperatives are being located in urban settings. Many of these cooperatives address the fundamental needs of housing and food. Other recent developments such as cooperatively organized ambulance services and road maintenance services demonstrate creativity in applying the cooperative business model to the apparently unsolvable challenges facing both urban and rural communities.

NCERA-210 meets every year (virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic), and between 15 – 30 individuals have attended recent annual meetings, declining sharply during the pandemic. Attendees include land grant university specialists, industry representatives--from companies such as CHS, Inc., Land O’Lakes, CoBank, and other national cooperatives, local cooperative managers and directors, cooperative industry associations and government officials. Increasingly, non-land-grant colleges and universities are represented on the committee and in its leadership structure.

Many of the members of NCERA 210 work actively with the cooperatives in their states or regions and include the cooperative centers at, for example, the Universities of Wisconsin, North Dakota State, Kansas State, Texas A&M, and Missouri. Many of the universities that do not have a cooperative organization on campus have a faculty member that focuses on cooperatives at the university, who serve as members of NCERA 210.

The members of NCERA 210 have undertaken the task of compiling and writing a new textbook on the topic of cooperatives for use in classrooms, to be adopted by university libraries and other practitioners. This has been a significant task, and it included many of the active and less active members of the group. Since the last major textbook on cooperatives was written in the 1980s, this effort has given the group the opportunity to update the materials taught in US college classrooms and to expand the topic areas included in the discussion of cooperatives. Furthermore, Michael Boland published a more focused book on cooperatives in the last five years.

The committee has also published a wide range of educational materials for cooperative boards, management, employees, and members across the nation. Members of NCERA 210 also publish and actively contribute to The Journal of Cooperatives, one of the major peer-reviewed research publications focusing on the cooperative business model. The current editor of the Journal of Cooperatives is a NCERA-210 member, and the committee members are well represented in submitted and published articles.

NCERA-210 annual meetings coincide with National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC)  annual meetings to facilitate interaction among researchers and industry. These meetings average more than 150 cooperative managers, directors, and service providers each year and represent a valuable forum for faculty to interact with industry. NCERA 210 members serve on the planning activity for this program.

We believe that over the next few years, we have the opportunity to deepen the relationship with NCFC and are working toward that objective. We are also developing techniques such as representative financial models to assist policy makers and advocates in understanding the impact of certain decisions.

In addition to these recent efforts, NCERA-210 members have a long history of creating and publishing applied research that is accessible to cooperative managers and board members. A review of publications on the NCERA-210 website includes papers on:

• equity management


• farm supply inventory management


• structural arrangements for machinery cooperatives


• feasibility of cooperative wineries


• cooperative structures for multifamily rural housing


• optimal structures for fertilizer warehousing


• feasibility of forestry cooperatives


• structures for rural water cooperatives


• impact of grain alliances on wheat basis


• skill gap analysis in farmer cooperative directors


• stochastic analysis of the impact of equity allocation decisions


• financial simulation models


• cooperative governance practices

These research publications are frequently accessed by industry participants and complement the more theoretical and basic research efforts which are also an important outcome of the committee’s efforts.

Committee members are actively communicating the results of their research beyond the committee. NCERA 210 members presented cooperative-related research results at over 40 professional meetings and over 100 extension presentations every year during the project duration. The committee also works closely with the Cooperative Community of Practice in eXtension which was launched in 2010. The leadership team of the eXtension Cooperative COP are all NCERA-210 members. NCERA-210 members have been active in developing content for the Cooperative COP.

Objectives

Procedures and Activities

(1) The development and participation in multi-state, multi-region research projects including multi-state grant projects, publication of journal articles, professional papers and other publications, the development and participation in organized symposium at professional meetings, the development and participating in webinars, and other multi-state research efforts.

(2) The organization and implementation of an annual forum at which participants from academics, upper and middle management personnel from cooperatives, directors from cooperatives, and cooperative researchers in government focus on ongoing research on cooperatives, identify research issues, and organize research teams among the participants.

(3) Continued involvement of agricultural economists and researchers from other related, complementary disciplines in cooperative issues, development, and problems as evidenced by their participation in annual forums, communication posted on the NCERA-210 web page and listserv, and participation in cooperative research projects.

(4) Maintain the NCERA 210 web page https://sites.google.com/site/nceracooperatives/home that serves as an important vehicle for communication among the members and to industry. Continue to disseminate NCERA-210 information through the web site including selected papers presented at NCERA-210 annual forums, other committee publications, a calendar of committee events, and educational programs.

(5) Continue to support and facilitate the publication of the Journal of Cooperatives, an on-line, peer reviewed journal that provides a forum for original scholarly work on research, extension and teaching issues related to cooperatively owned business organizations and the cooperative business model.

(6) Disseminate research results through coordination and support of the Cooperatives Community of Practice on eXtension, webinars, industry conferences, organized symposium at professional meetings, sharing information through web-pages and list servers, and the development of educational conferences co-sponsored by NCERA-210 members and industry partners.

Expected Outcomes and Impacts

Projected Participation

View Appendix E: Participation

Educational Plan

One of the primary objectives of the committee is to disseminate new and existing information to academic professionals and industry managers who work with cooperatively owned businesses. Information generated by the committee, including research papers or presentations presented at the annual meeting is available on the NCERA-210 web site. All of the grant proposals, and collaborative research projects supported by the committee to-date, have contained a strong educational component. The NCERA-210 annual meetings are deliberately planned to coincide with annual National Council on Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC) conference, to facilitate interaction among researchers and individuals from industry. NCERA 210 members present cooperative-related research results at professional meetings and extension presentations.

Organization/Governance

Governance: In accordance with the recommended standard governance for multistate coordinating committees for education/extension and research activities a Chair, a Chair-elect, and a Secretary are elected at the annual meeting. All officers are elected for one year terms but the assumed progression is Secretary, Chair-Elect and Chair, which provides continuity. Administrative guidance will be provided by an assigned Administrative Adviser and a NIFA Representative.

Literature Cited

Below is a representative list of scholarly activity primarily covering the year 2022. 

Past successes are articulated and include:

• The members of NCERA 210 have undertaken the task of compiling and writing a new textbook on the topic of cooperatives for use in classrooms, to be adopted by university libraries and other practitioners. Since the last major textbook on cooperatives was written in the 1980s, this effort has given the group the opportunity to update the materials taught in US college classrooms and to expand the topic areas included in the discussion of cooperatives. (Elliott, Matthew S and Michael A Boland, eds. Handbook of Research on Cooperatives and Mutuals, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2023. [https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/usd/handbook-of-research-on-cooperatives-and-mutuals-9781802202601.html] [ISBN: 9781 80220 2601])


• Michael Boland published a more focused book on cooperatives in the last five years. (Boland, Michael A. An Introduction to Cooperation and Mutualism, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, 2017 [ISBN: 9781 94613 5391])


• Members of the committee have published a series of training materials for cooperative directors and conducted training education meetings for over 100 cooperative directors.


• Members of NCERA 210 also publish and actively contribute to The Journal of Cooperatives, one of the major peer-reviewed research publications focusing on the cooperative business model. The current editor of the Journal of Cooperatives is a NCERA-210 member.


• NCERA-210 annual meetings coincide with National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC)  annual meetings to facilitate interaction among researchers and industry. These meetings average more than 150 cooperative managers, directors, and service providers each year and represent a valuable forum for faculty to interact with industry. NCERA 210 members serve on the planning activity for this program.

Handbook of Research on Cooperatives and Mutuals Table of Contents:

• Introduction to the Handbook of Research on Cooperatives and Mutuals, Matthew S. Elliott and Michael A. Boland

PART I THEORY

• 1 The economic theory of agricultural and consumer cooperatives, Jeffrey S. Royer


• 2 The new institutional economic theory of cooperatives: taking stock, looking ahead Matthew S. Elliott and Frayne Olson

PART II ORGANIZATION

• 3 Organizational costs in agricultural cooperatives: comparison of European and US approaches, Constantine Iliopoulos and Michael L. Cook


• 4 New generation cooperatives: what we know and need to learn, Jason Franken


• 5 Cooperative business structures: access to capital via equity and credit, Christopher J. Kopka

PART III GOVERNANCE

• 6 Social capital and governance of agricultural cooperatives, Jerker Nilsson


• 7 Leadership in agricultural cooperatives, John L. Park, Diane B. Friend, Matthew T. Manley and Barry L. Boyd


• 8 Measuring cooperative performance using organizational effectiveness and member participation, Sanjib Bhuyan and Kostas Karantininis


• 9 A framework for understanding the role of producers in governance of supply chains, Michael A. Boland, Noreen Byrne, Bridget Carroll, Olive McCarthy, Stephen Pitts, and Will Secor


• 10 The role of the farmer and their cooperative in supply chain governance: a Latin American small producer perspective 172, Stephen Pitts


• 11 The role of the farmer and their cooperative in supply chain, governance: a US perspective, Michael A. Boland and William Secor


• 12 The role of the farmer and their cooperative in supply chain governance: an Irish perspective, Bridget Carroll, Olive McCarthy, Noreen Byrne, Michael A. Boland and
  Michael Ward

PART IV CROSS-SECTOR APPLICATIONS

• 13 Risk and uncertainty in cooperative business, Frayne Olson and Matthew S. Elliott


• 14 The role of the marketing year and its implications for business strategy and finance, Michael A. Boland


• 15 Towards a framework for formulating cooperative strategy, Matthew S. Elliott, Frayne Olson, and Jasper Grashuis


• 16 Profit distribution and financial performance in cooperative firms, Phil Kenkel, Brian Briggeman, and Keri Jacobs


• 17 The implications of taxation and tax policies for cooperatives and members, Phil Kenkel, Keri Jacobs, and Brian Briggeman


• 18 Capitalization, equity, and growth in cooperative firms, Keri Jacobs, Phil Kenkel, and Brian Briggeman

PART V SOCIAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS

• 19 Differential economic impacts for cooperative business structures: an application to farmer-owned cooperatives in New York State, Todd M. Schmit, Frederick C. Tamarkin, and Roberta M. Severson


• 20 Agricultural cooperatives and the transition to environmentally sustainable food systems, Jos Bijman and Julia Höhler


• 21 The development of cooperative-designed indicators for the SDGs, Fiona Duguid and Daphne Rixon

PART VI REGIONAL AND CULTURAL FEATURES

• 22 African American cooperatives: from economic survival to economic justice, Jessica Gordon Nembhard


• 23 Recent developments among dairy cooperatives in the European Union, Julia Höhler and Jos Bijman


• 24 Social relations and cooperative development in rural China, Qian Wan, Eric Micheels, and Murray Fulton


• 25 Farmer cooperatives in China: frontiers in development and research, Qiao Liang and Ziming Han


• 26 Agricultural cooperatives in Latin America: the case of dairy, Alejandro Galetto and Gustavo Rossini


• 27 Unique features of agricultural cooperatives in sub-Saharan Africa, Nicola Francesconi, Fleur Wouterse, Michael L. Cook and Gashaw Abate Tadesse

PART VII SPECIAL SECTORS AND TOPICS

• 28 Consumer cooperatives: purpose and possibilities, Zoë T. Plakias and Jason S. Entsminger


• 29 Product innovation and promotion of value-added products via marketing cooperatives, Kristin Kiesel, Sean Kiely, and Rachael E. Goodhue


• 30 Mutuals, James M. White


• 31 Worker cooperatives: solidarity at work, Sonja Novkovic and Jessica Gordon Nembhard


• 32 Multi-stakeholder cooperatives, Sonja Novkovic and Margaret Lund

 

• Epilogue: future directions on research and education on cooperatives and mutualism, Matthew S. Elliott and Michael A. Boland

 

Peer Reviewed Journal Articles:

Boland, M., C. Kopka, C. Berner, B.C. Briggeman, M. Elliot, D. Friend, K.L. Jacobs, P. Kenkel, G. McKee, F. Olson, J.L. Park, W. Secor, K. Schweiss, H. Scott, and T. Worley. “Extension Programming during a Pandemic: Cooperative Director Foundations Program.” Applied Economics Teaching Resources 4(2022): 14-28.

Boland, M., B. Briggeman, K. Jacobs, P.Kenkel, G. McKee and J. Park, (2021) “Research Priorities for Agricultural Cooperatives and their Farmer Members”  Applied Economics Perspectives and Policy, Volume 43, Issue 2, June 2021.

Franken, Jason R.V., Michael L. Cook and Joost M.E. Pennings. Producer Risk Aversion and Participation in Agricultural Cooperatives. Journal of Co-operative Organization and Management. 10(2) December 2022.

Gardner, Justin G., Jason R.V. Franken and Maria A. Boerngen. A Research Agenda for Cooperatives. Journal of Cooperatives. 36 2022, pp. 38-66.

Kashyap, D. & Bhuyan, S. 2022. "Accessing value-added market through cooperatives: the case of Sitajakhala Dugdha Utpadak Samabai Samiti Ltd.: A Case study," Jr. of Agribusiness in Developing & Emerging Economies, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print.

Kashyap, D. & Bhuyan, S. 2021. "Role of members' participation and satisfaction in cooperative success," International Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 17(2):167-177.

Kenkel, P. “Impact of Increasing Fertilizer Prices and Interest Rates on Farm Supply Cooperatives” Southern Ag Today, Spring 2022

Kenkel P., A. Higgins and R. Jones, “Impact of Book versus Tax Patronage in Agricultural Cooperatives” Cooperative Accountant, Summer 2021, pp. 33-38

Kenkel, P. (2020) “Comparison of Alternative Equity Management Systems” Journal of Cooperatives, Vol. 35, 2020.

Mashange, G., A.M. Featherstone, and B.C. Briggeman. “Credit Rating Transitions of Farmer Cooperatives.” Journal of Co-operative Organization and Management 10(2022): 100153.

Regmi, M., B.C. Briggeman, and A.M. Featherstone. “Effects of Crop Insurance on Farm Input Use: Evidence from Kansas Farm Data.” Agricultural and Resource Economics Review 51(2022): 361-379.

 

Book Chapters:

Kashyap, D. & Bhuyan, S. 2020. "Role of Agri-food Value Chains in Bolstering Small and Medium Farmers in India." Chapter 8 In F. N. Che, K. D. Strang & N.R. Vajjhala (eds.) Opportunities and Strategic Use of Agribusiness Information Systems, Hersey, PA: IGI Global Publishers; DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-4849-3. [role of farmer cooperatives are clearly discussed]

Meier, H. and P. Kenkel, Guidebook #1 Board Governance Best Practices-A Practical Guide for Governing an Agricultural Cooperative, Institute for Cooperative Director Training, publisher, ISBN 978-1-5323-8201-7 2018 

Meier, H. and P. Kenkel, Guidebook #2 Robert’s Rules of Order Made Easy-A Practical Guide for Keeping Meetings in Order,  Institute for Cooperative Director Training, publisher, ISBN 978-1-5323-8200-0 2018 

Meier, H. and P. Kenkel, Guidebook #3 Monitoring Financial Performance-A Practical Guide for Overseeing Financial Performance of an Agricultural Cooperative, Institute for Cooperative Director Training, publisher, ISBN 978-1-5323-8202-4 2018 

Olson, Frayne, Kristi Schweiss, Kateri Gutierrez and Brandon DeBalsi. Cooperatives: Rethinking the Epic Tale of a Radical Venture Form in Bleeding-Edge Entrepreneurship: Digitalization, Blockchains, Space, The Ocean, and Artificial Intelligence, Emerald Publishing. (Chapter 6 accepted, expected publication January, 2023).

 

Peer Reviewed Papers Under Review or Working Papers

Bina, J., G. Tonsor, and B.C. Briggeman. “Impacts of COVID-19 Federal Aid and Financial Sentiment on Food Expenditures.” Revise and Resubmit at Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics.

Herchenbach, J., B.C. Briggeman, J. Bergtold, A. Shanoyan, S. Low, and B. Miller. “A Qualitative Assessment of Farmer Director Skills in Agricultural Cooperatives.” Revise and Resubmit at International Food and Agribusiness Review.

Ofori, E., E. Yeager, and B.C. Briggeman. “Estimating Potential Gains from Agricultural Cooperative mergers.” Revise and Resubmit at Agribusiness: An International Journal.

Byers, L., J. Ifft, N. Miller, R. Kuhns, B. Briggeman, and J. Yu. “Is U.S. Farm Sector Debt Underestimated? Evidence from Equipment Lending.” Being prepared for submission to Agricultural and Applied Economics Policy.

Newman, C., J. Wendt, B.C. Briggeman and J. Bergtold. “The Economic Value of Trust.” Being prepared for submission to American Journal of Agricultural Economics.

 

Outreach Publications

Briggeman, B.C., R. Reid and G. Mashange. “KSU Cooperative Financial Benchmarking Tool – An Update.” ACCC Fact Sheet Series – Special Release for CoBank, January 2022.

Briggeman, B.C. and G. Mashange. “Stress Testing Farmer Cooperatives: An Application to Fertilizer Inventories.” ACCC Fact Sheet Series, January 2022.

 

Selected Posters

Herchenbach, J., B.C. Briggeman, J. Bergtold, A. Shanoyan, S. Low, and B. Miller. “A Skills Gap Analysis of Farmer Directors of Midwest Agricultural Cooperatives.” Presented at Agricultural and Applied Economics Association Annual Meeting, Anaheim, CA, August 2022.

 

Selected Papers Presented at Professional Meetings

Bina, J., G. Tonsor, B. Briggeman. “Impacts of COVID-19 Federal Aid and Financial Sentiment on Food Expenditures.” Western Agricultural Economics Association Annual Meeting, Santa Fe, NM. 2022.

Herchenbach, J., B. Briggeman, J. Bergtold, A. Shanoyen, S. Low, and B. Miller. “A Skills Gap Analysis in Farmer Directors of Midwest Agricultural Cooperatives.” North Central Education and Research Activity (NCERA-210) Co-op Research Group Meeting in Minneapolis, MN, 2022.

Herchenbach, J. and B. Briggeman. “A Skills Gap Analysis of Farmer Directors in Midwest Agricultural Cooperatives.” International Co-operative Alliance Committee on Co-operative Research European Research Conference, Athens, Greece, 2022.

Herchenbach, J. and B. Briggeman. “A Qualitative Assessment of Farmer Director Skills in Agricultural Cooperatives.” International Food and Agribusiness Management Association World Conference, San Jose, Costa Rica, 2022.

Kashyap, D. & Bhuyan, S. 2020. "Member Participation and Satisfaction in Agricultural Cooperatives: A Pilot Study of the Largest Dairy Cooperative in Northeast India." Poster accepted for presentation at the 2020 AAEA annual meetings, Kansas City, MO, July 26-28.

Kashyap, D., Bhuyan, S. & Choudhury, J. 2020. "Member Participation and Satisfaction in Agricultural Cooperatives: A Pilot Study of the Largest Dairy Cooperative in Northeast India." paper presented at the 19th International Conference on Agriculture, Biological and Environmental Sciences (AABES-20), Jan. 15-17, 2020, Athens, Greece. (received the best oral paper presented in that section).

Kashyap, D., Bhuyan, S. & Choudhury, J. 2020. "Factors Influencing Growth, Sustainability, and Success of Member-owned Businesses: A Case Study of the Largest Dairy Cooperative in Northeast India." paper accepted for presentation at the 2020 IAABR International Academic Conference, Key West, FL, Jan 3-5, 2020.

 

Professional Presentations - Invited

Bhuyan, S. & Karantininis, K. 2022. "Looking at Cooperative Performance with a wider lens: Importance of Organizational Effectiveness (OE) in Assessing Cooperatives." International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) Committee on Cooperative Research (CCR) European Research Conference, 2022 ("Rethinking co-operatives: From local to global and from the past to the future"), 13-15 July 2022, Athens Greece.

Bhuyan, S. 2020. "Importance of organizational effectiveness (OE) in cooperative enterprises." Invited paper, the New Agriculture-New Cooperatives: Toward a new paradigm of collaborations for the New Generation, 28th Agrotica, Thessaloniki, Greece, Jan 31, 2020.

Briggeman, B.C. “Approaches to Engaging with Industry for Professional Development.” Invited Panelists along with S. Downey and E. Micheels at Agricultural and Applied Economics Association Annual Meeting, Anaheim, CA, August 2022.

 

PRESENTATIONS

Briggeman Outreach Presentations

“Economic Outlook.” South Carolina Ag Outlook Conference, Columbia, SC, November 2022.

“Capitalization in Cooperatives: Debt and Equity.” Cooperative Development, Funding, and Capitalization Program, Columbia, SC, November 2022.

“Trust Building in Cooperatives.” Cooperative Development, Funding, and Capitalization Program, Columbia, SC, November 2022.

“Leading Through the Director Skill Gap.” Kansas Cooperative Council Board Chair School, Hutchinson, KS, November 2022.

“A Discussion on the U.S. Economy, Interest Rates, and Inflation.” Lender Meeting for Central National Bank, Manhattan, KS, November 2022.

“Macroeconomic Trends and Interest Rate Outlook.” Crop Insurance Workshop, Salina, KS, October 2022.

“Macroeconomic Outlook.” K-State Research and Extension Agent Training, Manhattan, KS, October 2022.

“Building Trust with Customers.” ADM Fertilizer Customer Focus Strategy, virtual presentation, October 2022.

“A Discussion on Cooperative Finance.” Farmers Cooperative Equity Company Strategic Planning Session, Hutchinson, KS, October 2022.

“Macroeconomy and Interest Rates.” Ag Lenders Conference, Manhattan, KS, September 2022.

“Macroeconomy and Interest Rates.” Ag Lenders Conference, Garden City, KS, September 2022.

“Pro-Forma Tool for Garden City Cooperative.” Cooperative Management Team, Garden City, KS, September 2022.

“DuPont Profitability Model.” Syngenta Agribusiness Accelerator Program, West Lafayette, IN, September 2022.

“Thinking Like and Connecting to the CFO.” Syngenta Agribusiness Accelerator Program, West Lafayette, IN, September 2022.

“Pro-Forma Tool for Farmers Cooperative Equity Company.” Cooperative Management Team, Isabel, KS, September 2022.

“Co-op Education and Research Update.” K-State Symposium on Cooperative Issues, Manhattan, KS, August 2022.

“A Dynamic Pro-Forma Tool for Kansas Farmer Cooperatives.” Risk and Profit Conference, Manhattan, KS, August 2022.

“Macroeconomy Update.” Risk and Profit Conference, Manhattan, KS, August 2022.

“Equity Redemption Strategies.” Emerging Leaders: Building a Cooperative Finance Foundation, Manhattan, KS, July 2022.

“Patronage Income Distribution Policy.” Emerging Leaders: Building a Cooperative Finance Foundation, Manhattan, KS, July 2022.

“The Importance of Cash Flow.” Emerging Leaders: Building a Cooperative Finance Foundation, Manhattan, KS, July 2022.

“Building and Analyzing Cooperative Financial Statements.” Emerging Leaders: Building a Cooperative Finance Foundation, Manhattan, KS, July 2022.

“Thinking Like a CFO.” Emerging Leaders: Building a Cooperative Finance Foundation, Manhattan, KS, July 2022.

“Financial Drivers Facing Cooperatives.” Emerging Leaders: Building a Cooperative Finance Foundation, Manhattan, KS, July 2022.

“Impacts of Changing Interest Rates.” MAB Webinar Series, June 2022.

“EMAW Cooperative Spraying Game.” Co-ops 101 for Cooperative Interns, Kansas Cooperative Council, Salina, KS, May 2022.

“Patronage and Equity.” Co-ops 101 for Cooperative Interns, Kansas Cooperative Council, Salina, KS, May 2022.

“Cooperative Business Model.” Co-ops 101 for Cooperative Interns, Kansas Cooperative Council, Salina, KS, May 2022.

“Understanding Equity Options.” Farmers Cooperative Elevator Company Board Meeting, Halstead, KS, April 2022

“Pro Forma Financial Model.” Garden City Cooperative, Manhattan, KS, April 2022.

“Ukraine and Russia Conflict: Understanding Macroeconomic Effects.” virtual meeting, February 2022.

“Managing Cooperative Equity.” The Farmers Cooperative Equity Co. Board Meeting, Isabel, KS, February 2022

“The Changing Cooperative Business and Director Skills Gap.” Nebraska Cooperative Council Graduate Director Seminar, Lincoln, NE, February 2022.

“Member Equity.” Hi-Plains Cooperative Board Retreat, Denver, CO, February 2022.

“Evolving Cooperative Landscape.” Kanza Cooperative, Kansas City, MO, January 2022.

“Transitioning from Age of Patron to Age of Equity Plan.” Randall Farmers Coop Union, virtual discussion, January 2022.

“Training on KSU Benchmarking Tool for Cooperatives.” CoBank, virtual presentation, January 2022.

“Proforma Financial Tool.” Garden City Cooperative, Garden City, KS, January 2022.

“Assessment of Strategic Planning.” Hi-Plains Cooperative, Colby, KS, January 2022.

“Financial KPIs.” Syngenta Agribusiness Accelerator Program, virtual presentation, January 2022.

“Cash Flow.” Syngenta Agribusiness Accelerator Program, virtual presentation, January 2022.

“Evolving Cooperative Landscape.” Skyland Strategic Planning Meeting, Amarillo, TX, January 2022.

Olson Outreach Presentations

Olson, Frayne. “Renewable Diesel, Electric Vehicles and the Energy Transition”. Minnesota Cooperative Managers Association Meeting. Jan. 4, 2022. Mankato, MN

Olson, Frayne. “Renewable Diesel, Electric Vehicles and the Energy Transition”. South Dakota Cooperative Managers Association Meeting. Jan. 6, 2022. Mitchell, SD

Olson, Frayne. “Cooperative Principles”. Wyoming Sugar Company Board Training Program. Jan. 16, 2021. Casper, WY

Olson, Frayne. “Board of Directors & Management Gray Areas”. Wyoming Sugar Company Board Training Program. Jan. 17, 2021. Casper, WY

Olson, Frayne. “Simplified Parliamentary Procedure”. Cooperative Leadership Training – Foundation Program. Feb. 16, 2022. Fargo, ND

Olson, Frayne. “Cooperative Principles”. Cooperative Leadership Training – Foundation Program. Feb. 16, 2022. Fargo, ND

Olson, Frayne. “Board of Directors Gray Areas”. Cooperative Leadership Training – Enhanced Program. Feb. 17, 2022. Fargo, ND

Olson, Frayne. “Assessing Growth Path Options for Cooperatives”. Cooperative Leadership Training – Capstone Program. July 27, 2022. Medora, ND

Olson, Frayne. “Merger Case Study”. Cooperative Leadership Training – Capstone Program. July 27, 2022. Medora, ND

Olson, Frayne. “Communicating with Members and Employees During Mergers”. Cooperative Leadership Training – Capstone Program. July 28, 2022. Medora, ND

Olson, Frayne, “Overview of the Quentin Burdick Center for Cooperatives”. North Dakota Rural Electric Managers Association Summer Meeting. Aug. 11, 2022. Hankinson, ND

 

OTHER OUTREACH ACTIVITIES

Organized Roundtables and Symposium

CEO Roundtable for Cooperative Managers: March 2022 (Kansas City, MO).

CFO Roundtable on Cooperative Finance: May 2022 (Kansas City, MO).

K-State Symposium on Cooperative Issues: August 2022 (Manhattan, KS).

 

Programs Organized and Delivered

Emerging Leaders: Building a Cooperative Finance Foundation, a 2-day program for cooperative employees, Manhattan, KS, July 2022.

Kansas Cooperative Council’s Co-ops 101 for Cooperative Interns in Topeka, KS, May 2022.

 

Radio Interviews

Chelsea Plummer, KFMA Podcast on Macro and Interest Rate Outlook, October 2022

Susan Littlefield, Rural Radio Network on Macro and Interest Rate Outlook, August 2022

Eric Atkinson, KSU Radio on Non-traditional Finance and Low Interest Rates, May 2022

Eric Atkinson, KSU Radio on Macroeconomic Update, March 2022

Eric Atkinson, KSU Radio on Farmer Co-ops Resiliency to High Fertilizer Prices, January 2022

 

Invited Lecturer

Lecturer for the Kansas Cooperative Council’s Director Development Program 2022.

Lecturer and Program Developer for the Center for Food and Agricultural Business at Purdue University, 2022.

Attachments

Land Grant Participating States/Institutions

GA, KS, MN, MO, ND, NJ, NY, OK, SC, SD, TX, WI

Non Land Grant Participating States/Institutions

Illinois State University, Middle Tennessee State University, North Dakota State University, University of Nebraska