Colorado Reader Oct. 2019: Cooperatives | Page 8

Start Your Own Cooperative
You have learned that a cooperative is a way of business
where the members own and operate the business.
Cooperatives are designed to fill a need - they help
us do things we can’t do by ourselves. By working
together, members of the cooperative make decisions
for the business, share opportunity costs, and analyze
risks. Anyone can start a cooperative as long as you
share the same goals and want to work together.
Rocky Mountain Farmers Union is an educational
and charitable organization made up of members in
Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming. One of their
many objectives is to help individuals start and run
cooperatives. They also offer summer camps for students
to explore ‘Cooperation’. To learn more about Colorado
cooperatives and educational programs, ask your
teacher or parents to help you visit www.RMFU.org.
Think about starting your own cooperative. Working on your own or with a partner, answer the questions below to brainstorm
ideas for starting your own cooperative.
1. Of the three types of cooperatives, supply, service, and
marketing, what type of cooperative would you start? 4. Who will join your cooperative and
how many members do you want?
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2. What sector will your cooperative serve? 5. Do you need a manager or employees?
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3. What is the purpose of your cooperative? 6. What name will you give your cooperative?
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The Colorado Reader publication is an Agriculture in the Classroom project of the
Colorado Foundation for Agriculture. The Colorado Foundation for Agriculture
(CFA) is a 501(c)3 non-profit education corporation and works with industry
partners to help meet our shared vision of advancing Colorado agricultural literacy.
We provide Agriculture in the Classroom resources and programs to Colorado
educators and students, many of which are FREE or at minimal cost. For more information or to make a donation to
support agricultural literacy education programs, visit www.GrowingYourFuture.com, or contact Jennifer Scharpe,
Colorado Foundation for Agriculture, 10343 Federal Blvd Unit J Box 224, Westminster, CO 80260, 970-818-3308, Info@
GrowingYourFuture.com. Content for this Reader was written by Maria Miller, with assistance from the Rocky Mountain
Farmers Union. © Copyright 2019 Colorado Foundation for Agriculture. Educational instructors may, for academic purposes,
reproduce, download, disseminate, and transfer that material as long as the reproduction credits CFA as its source.
8 - Colorado Agriculture in the Classroom
This Reader was funded by the Educating Next Generation
Agricultural Leaders Grant Program offered by:
and
Additional funding provided by Agfinity
and the Rocky Mountain Farmers
Union & FUSA Insurance Agency.