Celebrating National Cooperative Month
October is National Cooperative Month and as Morrison works with a number of cooperatives, we are happy to celebrate those businesses, and their record growth, as reported this week by the USDA.
Morrison has been honored to work with a number of cooperatives and organizations representing cooperatives, including the Agricultural Council of California, Sunsweet Growers, Blue Diamond Growers, Big Tree Organic Farms, California Center for Cooperative Development, Fresno Cooperative Raisin Growers, Oregon Cherry Growers, Newell Grain Growers Association, Pacific Coast Producers, and Valley Fig Growers.
This week the USDA reported that 2012 sales by agricultural and fishery cooperatives reached almost $235 billion, surpassing the 2011 record by $18 billion, an 8.3 percent gain. Record net income of $6.1 billion was up nearly 13 percent over the $5.4 billion recorded in 2011.
"Agricultural cooperatives are a driving force in the nation's thriving farm economy. Because they are farmer-owned and operated businesses, the sales dollars and income generated are much more likely to be returned and spent in rural areas and communities," Secretary Tom Vilsack said. "Ag cooperatives are also vital to the rural economy because they support 185,000 full- and part-time jobs, and are often the major employer in many rural towns."
We love working with cooperatives and are honored to be a part of their success!