Greg Lawless at the UW Center for Cooperatives thought this
innovative training conference might be of interest to some of you
***in Wisconsin and bordering communities*** who have an interest in
cooperative development.
Please note--the audience is specifically farmers, their advocates,
and economic development professionals
-----> from Wisconsin or from bordering communities
in Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, and Michigan. <-----
If you want to learn more or to register, call Greg (info at
bottom). Not me. And kindly note that if you aren't from these Upper
Midwest communities, you'll put Greg in the embarrassing situation of
having to say no to you, so please don't. :^> Happy mid-Feb.,
all, and hope you're hanging in thru this longest month of the year.
peace
misha
*************************
For Immediate Release
Press Contact: Greg Lawless 608-265-2903
Public Contact: 608-262-0705
Cooperatives: A Tool for Community Economic Development
At a one-day training conference on April 2nd in Eau Claire, and
repeated again April 3rd in Madison, the University of Wisconsin
Center for Cooperatives and Cooperative Development Services will
highlight some of the country's most innovative cooperative develoment
strategies.
The training is geared primarily to professionals, public officials,
and community leaders in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota who share the
goal of sustained community and economic development in the 21st
century. We also welcome prospective "founders" of proposed new
cooperatives in this region.
The conference will bring in speakers from around the country, such as
Dave Carter of the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union. Mr. Carter will
discuss his involvement with a group of 200 wheat growers in Colorado
who recently invested $5 million together to build a large-scale
bakery, which will add significant value to their raw products.
"For years, farmers have talked about moving forward in the wheat
processing business," Carter explained, "but our farmers have now
stepped up to the table to make it happen."
Their new enterprise, Mountain View Harvest, is just one of a hundred
new "value-added" businesses that farmers have started in the Upper
Midwest in the past seven years. These so-called "new generation
cooperatives" will be one of several cooperative strategies presented
at the April conferences.
The conferences will also reveal how wood product companies in rural
Arkansas teamed up to pursue joint bids for major projects. We will
also have examples of family-owned companies making bulk purchases
together to cut costs and compete better against national chains, as
well as how local governments and non-profits are using the same
strategies to achieve economies of scale and avoid duplication.
Finally, the conferences will also show how consumers and workers have
come together to secure basic needs like child care, home ownership,
foods and supplies, and even employment opportunities. Local and
national examples of these innovative, "self-help" efforts will be
presented.
Conference costs for a single day is $50 for those who register by
March 17th ($65 thereafter.) To receive registration materials, call
608-262-0705, and leave your name and address.
*************************
Greg Lawless, Outreach Specialist
University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives
224 Taylor Hall, 427 Lorch Street, Madison, WI 53706
phone: (608)265-2903 fax: (608)262-3251
UWCC Home Page: http://www.wisc.edu/uwcc/
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Michele Gale-Sinex, communications manager
Center for Integrated Ag Systems
UW-Madison College of Ag and Life Sciences
Voice: (608) 262-8018 FAX: (608) 265-3020
http://www.wisc.edu/cias/
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
PG: I am so tired, I could fall apart.
3D: Try sleep.
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