The Cornell Cooperative Enterprise Program (CEP) conducts applied research and delivers outreach to cooperative businesses aimed at improving their economic performance. Cooperatives play a critical role in the agricultural economy by generating billions of dollars in savings through group purchasing of farm inputs or group marketing of farm products. CEP analyzes current issues that are relevant to today`s cooperative businesses and communicates the results of applied research directly to the primary decision makers in cooperatives, directors, and managers.

Today`s global supply chains and increased concentration in the global food system are creating significant challenges for individual U.S. farmers and small farmers around the world. Individual farmers are exploring new or enhancing current strategies to improve their economic and social well-being through group action. For instance, a majority of dairy farmers in New York and around the world market their milk through cooperatives.
In New York state, the major share juice grapes, processed fruits and vegetables as well as fresh apples are marketing through cooperatives. The Northeast has seen an increase in the number of small scale produce marketing cooperatives as small farms collaborate to serve metro area consumers. Cooperative decision makers and managers need to make the most informed and knowledgeable decisions to insure successful performance of their cooperatives. Farmers who serve on cooperative boards of directors are challenged to both manage their own farms and set strategic directions for ever-larger and more complex cooperative businesses. Directors and managers need access to quality information and learning opportunities to build the decision making skills required for successful cooperative businesses. Given the unique linkages between cooperatives and their farmer members as well as the communities they farm in, any improved economic performance is directly passed through to members and ultimately their communities.

CEP has sought input from respected cooperative leaders in formulating a relevant applied research program and extension strategy to reach identified, priority audiences. CEP collaborates with other Land-Grant universities as well as a non-profit council of rural and agricultural cooperatives that operate in New York state and New England to better formulate relevant, problem-solving research and build a delivery mechanism to extend the results to key audiences. Two annual conferences are organized to create a platform for recruiting top speakers and researchers from around the world. One conference is aimed at senior managers and boards of directors to address issues of marketing, finance, management, governance and strategy. This conference continues to receive top ratings from participants. The other conference is aimed at future leaders or younger members or staff being groomed by their cooperatives to assume leadership roles. Over 200 participants attend both of these annual events. Workshops have also been created for new and emerging farmer-owned businesses that are opening up new marketing opportunities for New York farmers. For this initiative, CEP collaborates with the New York Farm Viability Institute to develop successful outreach and measure the associated impact on participating farms.

The impact of CEP activities can be measured in a variety of ways across a range of audiences. The member cooperatives of the Northeast Cooperative Council (NECC) account for a total of over $2 billion dollars in economic activity and include over 20,000 farm memberships. Any minimal improvement in cooperative performance can have both a significant economic impact at the cooperative business level as well as at the member farm business level. Participants at CEP-NECC educational events continue to give the programs high marks on their evaluations. Participants in the 2006 "Strengthening Cooperation" workshop that was aimed at new and emerging farmer-owned businesses represented nine New York-based agricultural businesses involved in the following types of enterprises: fresh fruits and vegetables, livestock, maple syrup, medicinal herbs, home canned goods, and dairy products. Participants reported the following impacts as a result of their attendance: gaining access to new markets, cutting costs on their farms, improving farm profitability, marketing new products, expanding their current business, and attracting needed capital.

• Dr. Judith Barry (AEM, Cornell)
• Dr. Todd Schmit (AEM Cornell)
• Dr. Phillip Kenkel (Oklahoma St. Univ.)
• Dr. Gregory McKee (North Dakota State Univ.)