Cooperative Services Branch

Housing Co-ops To Be Addressed June 30th in 2023 Interagency Meeting Series

Food Systems, Real Estate, Child Care and Equitable Co-op Ecosystem Meetings to Follow

June 9, 2023

Housing cooperatives are first in a lineup of Interagency Working Group on Cooperative Development meetings to take place this summer and fall. Meetings will also focus on food systems, real estate, and child care, and conclude with a session envisioning an equitable cooperative ecosystem. The housing meeting is scheduled for Friday, June 30 from 2 to 3:30 pm Eastern Time (ET). Please see meeting dates, times, and links below.

Meetings will be kicked off by USDA Rural Development leadership. A panel of private sector representatives will describe the needs of the particular cooperative sector. A second panel of Federal government representatives will discuss how current programs can meet the needs of cooperatives and brainstorm ideas for additional solutions. Each meeting will provide an opportunity for robust discussion.

During the meetings Co-op Services will demonstrate a new Interagency Working Group on Cooperative Development Website. The website is intended to connect government and private sector partners with each other and share their information and financial resources with cooperatives and individuals seeking to form or strengthen cooperatives. A blue feedback tab on the right allows website users to tell USDA Cooperative Services how well the website is working.

The cooperative form of business allows people to meet a common need for essential goods and services that oftentimes has been overlooked by the market. Cooperatives exist in almost every industry including housing, childcare, health care, financial services, housing, electricity, broadband, and grocery. Cooperatives operate in the supply chain, agriculture, and education, and preserve local jobs when a retiring owner converts a business to a cooperative.

The Interagency Working Group meetings occur as a result of the 2014 Farm Bill mandate that the Agriculture Secretary “chair an interagency working group to foster cooperative development and ensure coordination with federal agencies and … cooperative organizations….” 7 U.S.C. section 1932(e)(12).

Forthcoming Interagency Working Group on Cooperative Development Meetings:

•  Housing Cooperatives Friday, June 30; 2-3:30 pm ET
  • Join Microsoft Teams Meeting

• Cooperatives in the Food Chain Friday, July 14; 2-3:30 pm ET
  • Join Microsoft Teams Meeting
•  Child Care Cooperatives Friday, August 11; 2-3:30 pm ET
  • Join Microsoft Teams Meeting

• Real Estate Cooperatives Friday, September 15; 2-3:30 pm ET
  • Join Microsoft Teams Meeting

• Envisioning an Equitable Cooperative Ecosystem Friday, October 13; 2-3:30 pm ET
  • Join Microsoft Teams Meeting

Agenda:

1. Welcome by USDA Leadership
2. Purpose of the Interagency Working Group
3. Introduction to Interagency Website
4. Cooperatives as a Development Tool
5. Federal Programs to Assist Cooperatives
6. Discussion 

For more information, please contact: coopinfo@usda.gov

Interagency Working Group on Cooperative Development 

Bulletin Link: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDARD/bulletins/35f23ab