Council Strength


Farm Leaders Meeting -A Forward Step


Teachers and agents are interested at the Elkhorn
Marketing Conference


Standing
Committees


STRENGTH THROUGH UNITY
Farmer cooperatives have long realized that by coordinating
their efforts they can accomplish goals that otherwise would be
unobtainable. The Wisconsin Council of Agriculture Co-operative
was formed with this reason in mind. Its primary concern is to
promote the intrests of agriculture by seeking to create an eco-
nomic and political climate in which farmer cooperatives can
function effectively and to provide individual farmers the means
to obtain greater economic strength in the market place.
During 1965, your State Council sponsored programs of
considerable scope-the regular publication of a newsletter and
legislative letter-an annual series of manager and director
training conferences-developing and supporting legislation
favorable to agriculture-youth education and training pro-
grams-these comprise a partial list. In addition, the Council
provided a strategic point of contact for official public and private
agencies who deal with agriculture and farmer cooperatives.
The Council's program and direction is founded on the what,
the why and the how that forms the basis of the cooperative way
of doing business. Future activities of the Council shall be tied
very closely to these relatively basic but extremely important
tenets of cooperation.
WHAT -ARE COOPERATIVES?
Cooperatives are groups of people who get together to mar-
ket their products, buy their supplies, or provide themselves other
services they need or want as economically and effectively as they
can. Cooperatives are business enterprises that are financed, con-
trolled, and operated by members who benefit from these opera-
tions.
WHY-DO PEOPLE FORM COOPERATIVES?
To obtain services for themselves that they cannot obtain as
economically or effectively as individuals. These services may be
marketing their products or obtaining goods and other services.
A cooperative helps give its members increased economic power
so they can protect their economic interests more effectively in a
world of big business.
HOW-DO COOPERATIVES OPERATE?
Cooperatives operate in most respects like other businesses.
Members elect a board of directors, which hires a manager to
operate the cooperative. The manager hires the employees. The
board of directors determines the broad policies of the coopera-
tive, and the manager carries them out. Cooperative management
must plan, organize, direct, and control operations as skillfully as
any other business firm to attain its objectives.


DAIRY SECTION COMMITTEE
The Dairy Section Committee functions to guide the Coun-
cil's activities in the complex area of dairy marketing. Objectives
are: (1) Establish a unified dairy policy for Wisconsin coopera-
tives; (2) Work with national and state organizations to develop
equitable and fair marketing programs; (3) Work with Univer-
sity of Wisconsin and State Department of Agriculture to develop
dairy projects, dairy food promotions and equitable legislation;
and (4) Coordinate the activities of Wisconsin cooperatives to
strengthen the dairy farmer's voice. Members of the Committee
are:
George Rupple, Chairman -fluid milk
Arthur Jepsen, Vice Chairman - cheese
William C. Eckles - bargaining cooperatives
John Horlamus - dairy farmer representative
Neilus R. Larson - breeding cooperatives
Elmer Leppen -manufactured products
A. L. McWiliams - Federal order markets
Truman Torgerson - Council executive committee
Robert J. Williams - butter-powder


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