The UW Center for Cooperatives established the Annual Farmer Cooperatives Conference in 1998 with the objective of providing co-op directors, managers, government, and academia, information on major trends and issues impacting agricultural cooperatives.
We look for presenters and topics that stimulate critical thinking and the exchange of ideas. The conference includes ample opportunities for interaction and discussion. The program theme and content is the product of a committed and diverse planning committee. Their combined efforts and experiences continue to yield a high quality program. The generous contribution of our financial sponsors must also be recognized. Without this type of support, UWCC simply could not afford to offer a program of this caliber. Farm Foundation helped initiate the very first conference and continue to provide generous funding every year as a conference sponsor.
Previous Farmer Cooperatives Conferences have addressed the following issues:
The impact of global and industrial trends in agriculture on cooperatives (1998)
Achieving excellence in cooperative governance (1999)
Building cooperatives' economic strength with new ideas regarding capitalization and equity redemption programs (2000)
Measuring a cooperative's value and choosing competitive business strategies (2001).
How cooperatives have adapted their structures to succeed in a challenging business environment (2002).
Executing vision and strategy with success (2003)
Cooperative Innovation (2004)
Cooperatives in a Global Environment (2005)
Opportunities for Cooperatives: Renewable Energy and Environmental Management (2006)
Valuing the Cooperative Business in the 21st Century (2007)
