A non-profit, member owned electric utility serving south central Pennsylvania.  Headquarters Office is located at 1338 Biglerville Rd., PO Box 1055 Gettysburg, PA 17325-1055.  Telephone:  717-334-2171 or 1-888-232-6732. 

An agricultural lender in the eastern United States and Puerto Rico, providing more than $10 billion in loans to more than 85,000 farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses through affiliated financial cooperatives.  For more information about Farm Credit, call 1-800-845-1745, ext. 506, or write P.O. Box 1499, Columbia, SC  29202.

Also known as Value Added Agricultural Program/AgMRC

Provides independent producers and processors with critical information needed to build successful value-added agriculture enterprises.  Address:  1111 NSRIC Building, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011.  Contact Mary Holz-Clause at mclause (at) iastate (dot) edu.  Telephone:  866-277-5567. 

The Official business link to the U.S. Government

The Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) is a national umbrella organization representing co-operatives and credit unions.  Address: Co-operative House, 400 - 275 Bank Street, Ottawa, Ontario K2P 2L6, CANADA. Telephone: 613-238-6711. Website: http://www.coopscanada.coop/.   Check on-line publications.

The Center for Rural Pennsylvania is a bipartisan, bicameral legislative agency that serves as a resource for rural policy with the Pennsylvania General Assembly.  The center also serves PA residents with research grants, disseminating information and sponsoring forums on rural issues and publishing research.  Addresss:  200 North Third St., Suite 600, Harrisburg, PA 17101.  Telephone:  717-787-9555.  Fax:  717-772-3587.  Email:  infor (at) ruralpa (dot) org. 

A bank with approximately $25 billion in assets who specializes in cooperative, agribusiness, rural utility, farm credit, and agricultural export financing. Address:  5500 S. Quebec Street, Greenwood Village, CO 80111.  Phone: 303-740-4000 or 800-542-8072.  Fax: 303-740-4002.  In the Northeast; 67 Hunt Street, Suite 3, Agawam, MA 01001.  Telephone: 1-800-876-3227.   

Also: www.cdsfood.coop 

CDS is a Non-Profit organization that is committed to providing a range of innovative, results-oriented, and cost effective services to cooperatives and related organziations.  Address:  CDS Minnesota Office, 400 Selby Ave., Suite Y, St. Paul, MN 55102.  Telephone:  651-265-3678.  CDS Wisconsin Office, 131 W. Wilson St., Suite 400, Madison, WI 53703.  Telephone:  608-258-4396.

Cornell University Cooperative Enterprise Program seeks to enhance the performance of existing cooperative businesses and facilitate the development of emerging cooperative enterprise through teaching, research, and outreach. Program initiatives are aimed primarily at senior management and boards of directors of cooperatives with an emphasis on finance, management, strategic planning, and marketing.  Contact Brian Henehan, 203 Warren Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-7801 Telephone: 607-255-8800 Fax: 607-255-9984

Katie Lima.  The Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO).  The program guide highlights current activities and trends among entrepreneur projects including but not limited to; farmers' markets, shared use commercial kitchens, kitchen incubators and other food related micro-enterprises.  The guide can be downloaded at www.microenterpriseworks.org/index.asp?bid=93 or contact AEO.  Address:  1601 North Kent St., Suite 1101, Arlington, VA 22209.  Telephone:  703-841-7760. 

Food Service Rentals/Fayette County Community Action Agency.  FCCAA offers a variety of educational and training programs including Food Service Rentals, which offers a fully licensed commercial kitchen for rent to the community, producers and processors for value added food production.  Address:   FCCAA, 108 North Beeson Ave., Uniontown, PA 15401.  Telephone:  724-437-6050 or 1-800-427-4636.  Fax:  724-437-4418.  For Food Service Rentals Contact Richard Stull at 724-344-6587. 

Check the website for a variety of programs through the foundation.

A California based organization that provides a National database of farmers markets, farmers, CSA’s, and food co-ops to promote buying locally.  Address 220 21^st. Ave., Santa Cruz, CA 95062.  Telephone: 831-475-8150.  Website: 

Address:  411 W. Roseville Road, Lancaster, PA 17601 or P.O. Box 7327, Lancaster, PA 17604.  Telephone:  1-800-477-9947. 

National Association of Housing Cooperatives is a nonprofit federation of housing cooperatives, regional cooperative housing associations, and others. Address:  1444 I Street, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20005.  Telephone: 202-737-0797 Fax 202-783-7869.

A private, nonprofit membership and research organization that serves as a source for accurate, unbiased information on employee stock ownership plans (ESOPS) and others.  Address: NCEO, 1736 Franklin St., 8th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612. Telephone: 510-208-1300. Their extensive website contains on-line publications and references to other resources. 

A leading provider of financial services to cooperatively structured, democratically owned and controlled enterprises throughout the United States, its territories and possessions, and in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.  NCB Development Corporation (NCBDC), is the development arm and nonprofit affiliate of NCB that promotes the start-up, operation and expansion of cooperatives and other types of community-based enterprises. Address: 601 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, North Bldg., Suite, 750, Washington, DC 20004.  Telephone: 800-955-9622 or 202-349-7444.  Fax: 202-349-7443. 

Pennsylvania Department  of Community and Economic Development

Penn State Cooperative Extension Services provide non-formal outreach educational opportunities to the communities throughout the commonwealth.  Please call or check the website for your county office.

PASA is a nonprofit organization working to improve the economic and social prosperity of Pennsylvania food and agriculture. They work with the farmers who grow our food, the consumers that eat the food, and those concerned with the ecological well-being of our environment and natural resources.  Address: 114 West Main Street, P.O. Box 419, Milheim, PA 16854.  Telephone: 814-349-9856. Fax:  814-349-9840.

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture administers programs that help producers promote and market agricultural and forest products domestically and internationally.  Address: 2301 North Cameron Street, Harrisburg, PA 17110.  Telephone: 717-787-4737.  Email:  aginfo (at) state.pa (dot) us.

Businesses must also file with the Department of Revenue.  Address:  PA Dept. of Revenue, Strawberry Square, Fourth & Walnut Streets, Lobby, Harrisburg, PA 17128-0101.  Telephone:  717-787-1064.  Check the website for district office locations. 

Farm bureau is an independent, non-governmental, voluntary organization governed by and representing farm and ranch families.  Their mission is to implement policies that are developed by members and provide programs that will improve the financial well-being and quality of life for farmers and ranchers.  Address:  510 South 31^st. Street, PO Box 8736 Camp Hill, PA 17001-8736.  Telephone:  717-761-2740.

This cooperative association serves as the unified voice for electric cooperatives in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.  They provide an excellent on-line and dial-up resource and link for information on electric issues and cooperatives in Pennsylvania.  Address: P.O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108.  Telephone: 717-233-5704.  Fax:  717-234-1309.  Email:  info (at) prea (dot) com.

Several resource publications available on line

An organization of more than 13,000 volunteers with 389 chapters nationwide who offer small businesses advice on management various aspects of business management.  The volunteers have extensive business experience and special skills.  The counseling is confidential and free of charge.  The national chapter has an excellent web site with a locator at www.score.org or call the toll free number: 800-634-0245

University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives studies and promotes cooperative action as a means of meeting people’s economic and social needs.  It develops, promotes, and coordinates educational programs, technical assistance and research on the cooperative form of business.  Their superb website has an entire section of links to agricultural cooperatives.  Address: UWCC, 230 Taylor Hall, 427 Lorch Street, Madison, WI 53706.  Telephone: 608-262-3981.