Gov. Tom Wolf joined Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding to unveil the Pennsylvania Farm Bill, a historic proposal to provide support for and continued investments in the commonwealth’s agriculture industry. The proposal, which has already gained bipartisan support, was modeled after the governor’s six-point plan to cultivate future generations of Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry.
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KDC's Peggy Forgarty helped to raise awareness to this issue, and made various phone calls to gain support for the removal of the required yearly audit requirement.  All of us at KDC would like to  applaud Governor Wolf for backing the deregulation of requiring cooperatives to preform a yearly audit.  Audits are costly, and can cause a business to fail before it is even started. Living in such a rich agricultural  area, this can heavily affect local businesses surrounding our home office. 

“Pennsylvania has a long, proud history of agriculture, and this comprehensive package of funding opportunities and resources will help expand this important industry,” said Gov. Wolf. “The Pennsylvania Farm Bill allocates $24 million in additional funding to chart a real path for a dynamic and prosperous farming economy in Pennsylvania. It’s about providing more opportunities to our farmers by creating more jobs, more income and more hope.”

"I am so excited to announce that Governor Wolf and the Ag Committee Charis announced yesterday a new PA Farm Bill. I just got off a phone call with Cheryl Cook.  It is still being hammered out, but it includes removing the restrictive language on the Ag Co-op audit requirements." -an email sent from ED Peggy Fogarty to her team.


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Want to learn more about the PA Farm Bill? Visit: https://www.morningagclips.com/wolf-unveils-funding-plan-for-pa-agriculture/

Keystone Development Center and National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International/Cooperative Development Foundation co-hosted the first EVER MidAtlantic Co-operative Policy Roundtable in Harrisburg, PA at the PA Rural Electric Association on April 1st.
Attendees were some of the leading cooperators in our region, representing a diverse set of cooperative sectors from Ag to housing, and worker to urban! Equally impressive was the representation from state and federal public officials.
Cooperatively and collaboratively, they all participated in dynamic conversations around what co-ops need to thrive and become and remain sustainable, and what barriers prevent that from happening!
We would like to thank the following public officials for sending members from their office to attend:
U.S. Senator Bob Casey 
U.S. Representative Chrissy Houlahan
Thank you to KDC's first Executive Director, Cheryl Cook who is the current Deputy Secretary at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture! Your engagement was invaluable!
Thank you all for attending!
#GoCoop #MidAtlanticSTRONG
U.S. Small Business Administration
Center for Dairy Excellence
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Cooperative Development Foundation
Washington Area Community Investment Fund, Inc. (Wacif)
US Federation of Worker Cooperatives
Ujamaa Collective
Urban Institute
Mariposa Food Co-op
Ardent Credit Union
Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance
And More

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Director of Membership

Keystone Development Center is pleased to announce the addition of Stephen R. McDow II as Director of Membership. (Stay tuned to as we roll out KDC's new membership program!)
McDow brings to the position over eight years of outreach and marketing experience. He is a cooperator, has a servant’s heart and has dedicated his life to bringing together rural and urban America for the purposes of achieving an inclusive economy. Previously, McDow managed membership and stakeholder relations for National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA CLUSA). During his tenure, he turned around a 5-year decline in membership and recruited 20 times the amount of members year-over-year - The largest recruitment over a 5-year period. McDow and his senior leadership helped set a foundation for growth for years to come.  
Prior to NCBA CLUSA, he handled membership outreach and retention for the Montgomery County Medical Society (MCMS) and MedChi, The Maryland State Medical Society, with a primary focus on the development and execution of strategic and tactical engagement plans.

Before joining MCMS and MedChi, McDow worked on the Ward 4 City Council campaign of Dr. Edwin Powell in Washington, D.C., offering critical assistance to Powell in the development and execution of his community engagement strategy in order to promote his legislative agenda. Additionally, McDow was a key asset in the development and promotion of the campaign’s character development ballot initiative.
While serving as a committee board member at Open Table – Massachusetts, McDow led strategies that modernized the look and feel of the organization, and implemented a social media and outreach plan that continues to make a lasting impact.

Stephen and his wife, Rebecca, have been married for 15 years. Rebecca is an Army veteran currently working at the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission within the Department of Justice. The couple has two brilliant, charming, rambunctious and handsome boys they are raising in a small rural Maryland community. The McDow’s enjoy spending time as a family—traveling, eating food from around the world, and wine tasting.

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Featuring over 10 different articles all related to clams in New Jersey, it is safe to say all of your questions regarding clamming should be answered with this read!

Did you know that clams are not nationally regulated? So sizes may vary slightly by municipality.

To better understand New Jersey's aquaculture explore the link posted below!

ediblejersey.ediblecommunities.com/food-thought/writing-clams-next-chapter

Rae Tyson, Delmarva Correspondent | May 18, 2018 Updated May 23, 2018
http://www.lancasterfarming.com/market_news/agribusiness/cultivating-relationships-helps-co-ops-thrive/article_3c5f0b9b-ba67-5ec3-b7cf-3d8183cbe51f.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share

We LOVE working with our clients - and we wanted to hear what they love about working with us. We asked 6 of our clients to introduce themselves and tell us what they have accomplished through their collaboration with the Keystone Development Center. Their organizations include Leadership that Works, the MontCo Union Taxi Co-op, MARC - Feeding PA, and Tuscarora Organic Growers. Click here to check out the video - we hope you love it as much as we do!

The Keystone Development Center Board of Directors has established a fund to assist in the development of Urban Cooperatives in the Mid-Atlantic Region.  The Urban Cooperative Match Grant will provide match funding to assist in the development and expansion of urban cooperative startups and established cooperatives who require education & training or intensive technical assistance. 
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KDC: Cooperative Solutions (KDC) invites proposals from cooperative businesses based in urban areas in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland for match grants to support the development of our region’s cooperative economy.  Grants of up to $2,500 will be awarded for education and technical assistance for projects that will strengthen and diversify our regional urban cooperative economy.    Eligible applicants must comply with all standards set forth in this document as well as further requirements determined by KDC as necessary.  KDC retains sole discretion with respect to the approval or disapproval of any proposal.

The Keystone Development Center has a mission to sustain communities, economies, and resources through cooperatively-owned businesses.  We are a non-profit corporation, incorporated on March 24, 1999 with a mission to provide technical and research assistance to groups who wish to organize as cooperatives.  Through these efforts we strive to meet the economic and business development needs of rural and non-rural areas in the multi-state area of Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware.
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We believe that the cooperative-business model can enable people to mitigate business risk and provide themselves with services at an economic advantage.  We give priority to new and emerging groups, especially in areas that are under-served and financially challenged.  KDC provides these groups with technical assistance, access to financial resources, and links to other supporting organizations.  The Urban Match Grant is intended to cover the cost of KDC: Cooperative Solutions consultants to provide direct technical support to groups of people striving to develop or strengthen cooperatively owned community businesses. Grants will range in size from $275 to $2,500.

Application Deadline: June 30, 2017
Awards will be announced July 31, 2017
Funds must be expended within 12 months of award notice
 
To Apply:

• Complete an application form.
• Attach a description of the technical assistance project.
• Funds must be applied for and approved prior to receiving the assistance. The Urban Match Grant will not offer reimbursement for the fees for previously received services.
• If applications are incomplete or unclear they will be returned without being processed.
• E-mail or mail the completed application and required additional information to:

 
Urban Grant Committee
Keystone Development Center
108F N. Reading Road
Ephrata, PA 17522
Tel: 717-792-2163
Email: info@kdc.coop
 
The Fund is administered and managed by Keystone Development Center.
All eligible recipients will be approved within the limits of the Fund as stated above and as long as funds are available (on an annual basis) for distribution.
Notification of the status of each request will be sent via e-mail or regular postal service when a decision is made.
Recipients must participate in a year-end survey evaluating the technical assistance services provided.

Please find the grant application form here