Illinois Value-Added Rural Development Center's Case Studies

21st Century Alliance: Building Value-Added Agribusiness (pdf) 2001 - A Kansas-based alliance finds success in forming new generation cooperatives for diverse value-added agribusinesses.

Going Against the Grain: The Story of the Mountain View Harvest Cooperative (pdf) 2001 - Colorado wheat growers generate $5 million in equity to purchase an ongoing, successfully operating bakery.

Golden Oval (pdf) 2001 - A Minnesota-based egg cooperative shares its profit with farmer-members, adds value to local grain and enhances community development through salaries and tax base.

Golden Triangle Energy Cooperative, Inc. Ethanol Plant (pdf) 2001 - Producers in northwest Missouri develop a dry mill ethanol plant.

Hard Choices: The Birth and Death of Ranchers’ Choice Cooperative (pdf) 2001 - A kosher beef co-op in Colorado failed in less than one year of operation due to inadequate equity, aged equipment and slow development in kosher sales.

Home Grown Wisconsin: The Story of a New Producer Cooperative (pdf) 2001 - Grant money and perseverance enabled this organic vegetable produce cooperative to pursue restaurant chefs in Madison and Chicago.

Iowa Turkey Growers Cooperative and West Liberty Foods (pdf) 2001 - Turkey growers purchase an Iowa processing plant and survive a market downturn during the first year of operation.

Northern Vineyards Winery (pdf) 2001 - In the 1980s, members of the Minnesota Winegrowers Cooperative rented a warehouse to process, store and sell wine as the Northern Vineyards Winery.

The Role of Value-Added Cooperatives in Rural Economic Development: The Case of Heartland Organic Marketing Cooperative (pdf) 2001 - This cooperative, with members in Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska and southwestern Wisconsin, sells organic soybeans, corn and oats to markets in Iowa and Japan.

South Dakota Soybean Processors (pdf) 2001 - With more than 2,100 producer members in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, this cooperative built a soybean crushing facility and increased the basis for beans by $0.25 per bushel.

Southwest Iowa Soy Cooperative (pdf) 2001 - A soybean extruding plant to produce meal for hog feed proved to be a tough market for the undercapitalized venture.

Sunrise Energy Cooperative (pdf) 2001 - A six million gallon ethanol plant built next to a separately owned beef feedlot in east-central Iowa has a dispute with the general contractor and experiences cash flow difficulties.

U.S. Premium Beef (pdf) 2001 - This Kansas-based marketing cooperative partnered with Farmland National Beef for a processing facility and market access to established branded beef labels.

North Central Initiative for Small Farm Profitability Case Studies

At Home with the Claytons: An On-Farm Bed and Breakfast Experience (pdf), Center for Applied Rural Innovation, University of Nebraska. 2002 - Clayton Farms Bed & Breakfast is located northeast of Grinnell, Iowa, in the middle of prime farming country. The Claytons started their licensed and state-inspected bed and breakfast operation in 1990. By the end of 1999, the business had a $20,000 gross profit.

Annie's Jams and Jellies(pdf), Food Processing Center, University of Nebraska. 2001 - Annie Kime, founder of Annie's Jellies and Jams, makes wild fruit jams and jellies from had picked berries native to the Sandhills of central Nebraska. The company uses the Internet to reach customers from its isolated rural locale.

Buttering Up Your Customers: Direct-Market Dairy Products Keep Profits on the Farm(pdf), Center for Rural Affairs. 2002 - A group of grass-based dairy farmers in Southeast Minnesota decide to set their price by marketing and distributing premium quality specialty dairy products themselves.

Dakota Lamb Growers Cooperative(pdf), Center for Cooperatives, University of Wisconsin. 2002 - Lamb growers from North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota and Montana formed a marketing cooperative that resulted in a labeled product and Web site.

The Dane County Farms and Neighborhoods Initiative: Saving the Country, Saving the City (pdf), Center for Cooperatives, University of Wisconsin. 2002 - Dane County is one of the most productive agricultural counties in Wisconsin. Yet, rapid development, market forces and federal policies make it hard for many farmers to profit. This case study focuses on proposals to help Dane County farmers develop alternative markets, preserve farmland and encourage more efficient development.

GROWN Locally Cooperative(pdf), Practical Farmers of Iowa. 2002 - GROWN Locally is an 11-member cooperative located in Northeast Iowa. They supply institutional markets with local, naturally grown food. This case study details their successful model for selling to institution and other markets in a rural area.

Less Land, More Profits: Organic Crop Production Makes a Stand(pdf), Center for Rural Affairs. 2002 - A Nebraska family farm converts to organic production, increasing profits while maintaining their farm's manageable size and their quality of life.

Libby Creek Farm: An Organic Alternative to Traditional Farming(pdf), Center for Applied Rural Innovation, University of Nebraska. 2002 - John and Suzie Ellie raise a variety of organic vegetables and other products on their 69-acre Nebraska farm. A willingness to try new approached has made this venture successful.

North Star Neighbors: Neighbors and Friends Working Together(pdf), Center for Rural Affairs. 2002 - A Nebraska meat-marketing cooperative has a successful, informal equipment sharing strategy. This seven-family partnership benefits all its members.

Papa Geno's Herb Farm(pdf), Food Processing Center, University of Nebraska. 2001 - Papa Geno's Herb Farm in Nebraska has used the Internet to turn a small mom-and-pop operation into a leading e-business of herb plants, scented geranium, vegetable seedlings and herb-derived craft goods.

Puget Sound Fresh(pdf), Center for Cooperatives, University of Wisconsin. 2002 - The Puget Sound Fresh marketing campaign encourages restaurants, retailers and consumers in Washington's Puget Sound area to buy locally grown farm products. Initiated by King County, the project involved 200 farms, 11 farmers' markets and 165 stores in 2002.

Select! Sonoma County: A Long-Lived Marketing Program Faces Hard Times(pdf), Center for Cooperatives, University of Wisconsin. 2002 - Founded in 1989 as a public-private agricultural marketing organization to promote locally grown and made products, Select! Sonoma County was a model for many other regional programs in the country. This case study explores what went wrong and why.

Small Farm Cooperative: Quality and Innovation(pdf), Center for Rural Affairs. 2002 - Small Farms Cooperative is a marketing organization made up of 30 small- and medium-sized farms and ranches. The group came together in 1999 and has since formed a marketing cooperative that markets their products with the Nebraska Natural Products label.

Straight Arrow Bison Ranch: Nutritional Meat Raised on a Family Farm(pdf), Center for Applied Rural Innovation, University of Nebraska. 2002 - A Nebraska couple raises 60 bison for fun and profit. This case study explores the challenges they've faced as they began their business venture.

Tarbox Hollow: A Home on the Range(pdf), Center for Rural Affairs. 2002 - An alternative product - buffalo, alternative marketing and clear goals helped these Nebraska farmers come back to the home farm to take care of their parents, restore the prairie and build a profitable and growing agricultural enterprise.