By Romana A. Vysatova and Laurie S.Z. Greenberg.  A guide for anyone seeking the help of federal programs to foster innovative enterprises in agriculture and forestry in the United States.  For a free copy contact, Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA), P.O. Box 3657, Fayetteville, AR  72702.  Telephone: 800-346-9140.  Fax: 501-442-9842. 

AgChoice Farm Credit is an Agricultural Credit Association with over $898 million dollars in assets.  Through 10 branch offices, they provide financial services to a chartered territoy consisting of fifty-two counties in central, western, and northern Pennsylvania, as well as four coutnies in West Virginia.  Headquarters Address:  900 Bent Creek Blvd., Mechanicsburg, PA 17055-6922. call 1-800-349-3568 or 717-796-9372 for the office nearest you.

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.

This federally sponsored program allows borrowers to lower the risk profile on loans and obtain more favorable interest rates and terms.  In fiscal year 1998, the state of Pennsylvania had $200 Million targeted for cooperative related loans. 

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.   

An agricultural lender with 14 branches servicing Eastern PA, DE, VA, and Eastern and Central MD.  Address:  411 W. Roseville Road, Lancaster, PA 17601. Telephone: 800-477-9947. Call or check the website to locate your local office by state and county. 

A competitive grant program with the purpose of supporting cooperative business principles and cooperative enterprises.  Address:  Nationwide Foundation at One Nationwide Plaza,   Columbus, OH 43215-2220.  Telephone:  1-877-669-6877. 

Offers several grant and loan programs; First Industries  Fund, Small Business First, Machinery & Equipment Loan Fund, Next Generation Farmer Loan  Program, and the Capital Improvement Matching Grant. Address:  2301 North Cameron Street,  Harrisburg, PA 17102.  Telephone: 888-724-7697.  

Grants are to public bodies, nonprofit corporations, and Indian Tribal groups to finance and facilitate development of small and emerging private business enterprises. Contact Bernard Linn at 717-237-2182.  Forms are filed in any USDA Rural Development State Office or call the RBS National Office Specialty Lenders Division, at 202-720-1400.  

Grants are to public bodies, nonprofit corporations, Indian Tribal groups, or cooperative with members that are primarily rural residents. The purpose is to promote sustainable economic development in rural communities with exceptional needs, by making grants to pay costs of providing economic planning for rural communities, technical assistance for rural businesses, or training for rural entrepreneurs or economic development officials.  

This program currently funds grants and loan guarantees to agricultural producers and rural small business for assistance with purchasing renewable energy systems, energy audits, renewable energy development and energy efficiency improvements.

SARE is a program of USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service.  This program provides a variety of grants and information to improve profitability, stewardship and quality of life for rural communities.  Address:  Northeast SARE, University of Vermont, 655 Spear St., Burlington, VT 05405.  Telephone:  802-656-0554. 

The Farm Credit System Foundation/FCSF mission is to assist young, beginning and small farmers and ranchers to thrive as businesspersons in their local and the global agricultural marketplaces.  FCSF offers several grant programs and supports a variety of related organizations and programs.  Address:  50 F Street NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20001.  Telephone:  202-879-0853.  Fax:  202-626-8718.  Email:  hays (at) fccouncil (dot) com. 

Has several grant and loan programs.  See website for a complete listing of grant and loan programs.  Check staff listing by state and county for your local office.  For more information contact Rural Business Programs, Bernard Linn at Bernard.linn (at) pa.usda (dot) gov.  Telephone:  717-237-2182.

Grants are made to independent producers, farmers, rancher cooperatives, and agricultural producer groups for planning activities and working capital for marketing value-added agricultural products and for farm-based renewable energy.  

The Dickinson School of Law, Pennsylvania State University, 1170 Harrisburg Pike, Carlisle, PA 17013.  Telephone: 717-240-5217.  Email:  dsladmit (at) psu (dot) edu.  Telephone:  1-800-840-1122  x5207.  

United States Department of Commerce/Patent and  Trademark Office. September 1993.  U.S. Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents,  Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, DC  20402-9328.  Telephone:  800-786-9199. 
 

United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Business and Cooperative Development Service, Cooperative Information Report 1, Section 1.  May 1987.  Ag Box 3255, Washington, DC 20250-3253.   Telephone:  202-720-7558.

Pennsylvania Bar Institute offers programs and legal directory.  Address:  5080 Ritter Road,  Mechanicsburg, Pa 17055-6903.  Telephone:  800-247-4724.  Email: info (at) pbi (dot) org. 

Businesses must file with the PA Department of State’s Corporate Bureau.  For filing information, forms and fees call or check the website.  Address:  206 North Office Bldg., Harrisburg, PA 17120.  Telephone:  717-787-1057.  Fax:  888-659-9962.

Director Handbook. United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Business and Cooperative Development Service, Cooperative Information Report 40, May 1990.  Ag Box 3253, Washington, DC 20250-3253. 

United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Business and Cooperative Development Service, Cooperative Information Report 35.  June 1985. Ag Box 3255, Washington, DC 20250-3253.

Packers and Stockyard Act  Programs & brochures.  Address:  Mail STOP 3601, 1400 Independence Avenue, Room 2055 South Bldg., SW, Washington, DC  20250-3601.  Email:  gipsa-webmaster (at) usda (dot) gov.

United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Business and Cooperative Development Service, Cooperative Information Report 39. May 1993. Cooperative Development Division, Ag Box 3255, Washington, DC 20250-3255. Telephone: 202-720-7558

United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Business and Cooperative Development Service, Cooperative Information Report 45, Section 4, 5, 6.  October 1994. Ag Box 3255, Washington, DC 20250-3255. Telephone: 202-720-7558.

Conducting a Feasibility Study is Chapter 5 of the on-line manual Cooperatives:  A Tool for Community Economic Development available on the University of Wisconsin—Madison’s Center for Cooperatives. 

United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Business and Cooperative Development Service, RBS Service Report 58.  October 2000.  Cooperative Development Division, Ag Box stop 3250.  Washington, DC 20250-3255. Telephone: 202-720-7558.

United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Business and Cooperative Development Service, Research Report 167, October 1995. Cooperative Development Division, Ag Box 3255, Washington, DC 20250-3255. Telephone: 202-720-7558. 

Agricultural educational resources and marketing. Contact the PA Department of Agriculture Press Office 717-787-5085.

Grown Locally Cooperative/Practical Farmers of Iowa Case Study.  “Organizing local food events and the incubation of a fresh, local produce-distribution company.”  A case study about local food meals and events and the effort to support a private distribution business for a local network of farmers. PFI, a sustainable agriculture non-profit, reflects on their experience developing a network of farmers to supply fresh, local food for special events. Information contained includes very specific recommendations and reflections on over five years of local food brokering experience.  

Penn State University has a series of workbooks to support the strategic planning process.  The series is “Setting the Stage: Choosing Our Direction” and it contains Primer: “A Primer on Strategic Planning and Visioning”, Workbook 1:  “What Do We Do Now?”  Workbook 2: “What Shapes Our Future?”, Workbook 3: “What Are We Going to Do?”, and Workbook 4:  “Making it Happen.”  The publications are available from the Publications Distribution Center, The Pennsylvania State University, 112 Agricultural Administration Building, University Park, PA  16802.  Phone 814-865-6713.

United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Business and Cooperative Development Service, Cooperative Information Report 45, Section 10, March 1995 also see Research Report 112 and 184. Cooperative Development Division, Ag Box 3255, Washington, DC  20250-3255. Telephone: 202-720-8381.

United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Business and Cooperative Development Service, Cooperative Information Report 45, Section 12.  May 1995. Ag Box 3255, Washington, DC 20250-3255. Telephone: 202-720-8381.

United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Business and Cooperative Development Service, Cooperative Information Report 1, Section 9, September 1991.  Ag Box 3255, Washington, DC 20250-3255. Telephone: 202-720-8381.

United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Business and Cooperative Development Service, Cooperative Information Report 44 Part 1-5, January 1995. Education and Member Relations Program Area, Ag Box 3255, Washington, DC 20250-3255. Telephone: 202-720-8381.

Federal tax information is available online.

NSAC has several thousand member accountants across the country that can provide financial planning and management to cooperative businesses.  The website offers a regional directory of accountants.  Address:  136 South Keowee Street, Dayton, OH 45402.  Telephone:  937-222-6707.  Email:  info (at) nsacoop (dot) org. 

Pennsylvania Department of Revenue has on-line taxation information.

United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Business and Cooperative Development Service, Cooperative Information Report 23, May 1995. Education and Member Relations Program Area, Ag Box 3255, Washington, DC 20250-3255. Telephone: 202-720-8381.

Keystone Development Center helps develop cooperatives through a network of private, public, and educational entities.  KDC strives to improve rural economic conditions through cooperative development, with priority given to new and emerging groups, cooperatives, and communities. For more information contact Cathy Smith.  Telephone:  814-687-4937.  Email:  smith (at) kdc (dot) coop.  The KDC mailing address is c/o Adams Electric Cooperative, Inc., 200 Trinity Road, York, PA 17404.  Telephone:  717-792-2163. Fax:  717-792-2573

Provides cooperative education workshops and board training.  Address: 50 F Street, N.W., Suite 900, Washington, DC 20001.  Telephone 202-626-8700.  Email:  info (at) maacooperatives (dot) org

A national membership and trade association representing cooperative businesses.  The mission of the National Cooperative Business Association is to develop, advance and protect cooperative enterprise. NCBA also coordinates the internet domain .coop addresses.  Address: 1401 New York Avenue, N.W., Suite 1100, Washington, D.C. 20005-2160.  Telephone: 202-638-6222. Fax: 202-638-1374. 

A nationwide association of cooperative businesses owned and controlled by farmers.  NCFC’s mission is to protect the public policy environment in which farmer-owned cooperative businesses operate, promote their economic well-being, and provide leadership in cooperative education.  Address: 50 F Street, N.W., Suite 900, Washington, DC 20001.  Telephone: 202-626-8700.  Fax: 202-626-8722. 

This is the written result of a joint project of the Urban Cooperative Initiative School of Human Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Extension and the Rural Business Service – Cooperative Services, USDA.  There is both a facilitator guide and participant guide.  A video is also available.  Copyright 2000, available through the Urban Cooperative Initiative, 1300 Linden Drive Room 345, Madison, WI  53706; phone 608-262-7390; fax 608-265-6048.

The OEOC at Kent State University offers assistance with a succession planning program for business owners of small, closely-held and/or family owned businesses looking to transition out of their businesses.  Address:  OEOC 113 McGilvrey Hall, Kent State University, Kent OH 44242.  Contact: Chris Cooper at 330-672-0338 or ccooper1 (at) kent (dot) edu or Jim Simecek at 330-672-0998 or jsimecek (at) kent (dot) edu.

"Outline for a Business Plan" is Chapter 6 of the on-line manual Cooperatives:  A Tool for Community Economic Development available on the University of Wisconsin (Madison)--Center for Cooperatives’ website.  Website address for manual: 

United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Business and Cooperative Development Service, Cooperative Information Report 45, Section 10, March 1995 also see Research Report 112 and 184. Cooperative Development Division, Ag Box 3255, Washington, DC  20250-3255. Telephone: 202-720-8381.