Iowa Alliance for Cooperative Business Development

The Iowa Alliance for Cooperative Business Development was initiated through a USDA Rural Business Development grant. The Alliance combines outreach and research programs that provide rural Iowans with viable alternatives for economic development.

The goal of the Alliance is to initiate and strengthen producer cooperatives in Iowa through assessment of new business opportunities , identification and evaluation of new producer-owned cooperative and business structures, business development assistance, and cooperative director training in strategic and financial management.

The Alliance objectives are:

• Create economic models that will enhance the ability of producer businesses to understand and evaluate the potential risks and rewards of opportunities.
• Determine the effectiveness of existing cooperative farming arrangements in the Midwestern United States as a model for improving farm profitability, efficiency, and farmers’ quality of life.
• Assist rural Iowans with development of producer groups, feasibility studies, marketing studies, and business plans for starting value-added agricultural businesses.
• Develop and deliver strategic and financial management training to new and existing agricultural business board members that will enhance their ability to use sound practices in management of their businesses and evaluation of new business opportunities.

Achievement of these objectives will provide infrastructure and training rural Iowans need to successfully initiate and operate value-added agricultural businesses. It will also bring jobs to rural communities, provide an improved market for agricultural commodities, and create business earnings that remain in the community.