A grain elevator in Colorado owned
by the agriculture co-op Agfinity.
Dairy Farmers of America is a dairy
marketing co-op owned by 14,000 dairy
farmers in Colorado and across the U.S.
My Nanny Solution is a social co-op
in Colorado that provides child care.
Cooperatives by Sectors
Businesses including cooperatives can be grouped into sectors. A sector
is a category of businesses that have similar customers and operations.
Agriculture: Some of the first cooperatives
were started by farmers who grew cotton. Each farmer
gave money to pay for a storage shed for the cotton. By
cooperating, the farmers found a way to lower their costs
of storing and selling cotton. The lower cost is another
way the farmers were able to make more money from
farming. These cotton farmers created marketing co-ops.
Housing: New York City is one of the biggest cities in
America, even the world. There are lots of housing co-ops
in New York City. Housing co-ops own property and the
members control the affordability and availability of their
homes. Many housing cooperatives own space in skyscrapers
because there is no room in New York City for individual
homes. There are housing cooperatives in Colorado, too.
Insurance: Benjamin Franklin helped form the
first cooperative in America. It is still operating today.
Franklin knew a fire was difficult to stop and would ruin
a business. Fire departments back then had very limited
equipment. By paying premiums to this cooperative,
4 - Colorado Agriculture in the Classroom
business owners created an insurance company that
could pay them back if they had a loss from fire. Business
owners worked together to find ways to reduce the chance
of a fire through educational programs. They pledged to
work together to help put out a fire if one started. They
learned cooperation was the answer to doing something
that each one could not do alone. Insurance cooperatives
are sometimes known as mutual insurance companies.
Social: A social cooperative meets a need of a group
of people. For many reasons, this need may not be met by
other companies. Two types of social co-ops are daycare and
retirement homes. Daycares are more common. Families who
need daycare work together to find space and staff. These
parents may work during the day. Some parents will share
their time, each one volunteering to be at the daycare for a
few hours. By sharing, parents can create a service they need
and can afford. They can make sure the daycare is operating
the way they want for their children. Retirement homes
allow people to manage their own activities and services and
living space once they stop working and sell their homes.