A Financial Profile of Farmer Cooperatives in the United States

Excerpts from the report: The purpose of this study is to provide basic information on the financial structure of farmer cooperatives. The published results will help reduce misunderstanding concerning sources and use of capital by cooperatives. The study covers all marketing, farm supply, and related service cooperatives in the United States. It does not include farmers’ mutual telephone, irrigation, and fire insurance companies, artificial breeding cooperatives, dairy herd improvement organizations, rural electric cooperatives, and credit associations. The report discusses the various means farmer cooperatives use to accumulate funds to meet their capital needs. It summarizes the financial structure of farmer cooperatives. It analyzes amounts and sources of farmer cooperative borrowings, the nature and amount of equity capital, and the methods used for distributing annual margins and savings