What are some of the benefits to local economies and the economy at large delivered by co-ops? You can’t talk about the economy right now without talking about jobs, and farmer co-ops have a great story to tell about employing over a quarter of a million Americans directly and supporting hundreds of thousands of other jobs across rural America as well. Most important, though, is the role that farmers play in the life of the communities where they operate. Whether it’s sponsoring the local
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AMERICAN AGRICULTURE
ABOVE: Christy (left) and Lilah Talbott gather their food selection at the Fall Line Farms pick-up point at Bon Air United Methodist Church. This local food hub offers a wide variety of household food staples, specialty items, and an ever-changing inventory of fruits, vegetables, meats, eggs, cheeses, flowers, honey, pastas, sauces, syrups, baked goods, mushrooms, flour, and grains. OPPOSITE: Three of the 80 beehives of Brookview Farm in ManakinSabot, Va. The farm produces honey as well as beef for a local food cooperative in the Richmond area.
little league team, helping their neighbors rebuild after natural disasters, or supporting programs to eliminate hunger across America, farmer co-ops are active in giving back. Supporting farmer co-ops means building stronger communities and a stronger America. NCFC recently grouped with the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA), the Agricultural and Food Transporters Conference (AFTC) of the American Trucking Associations, and The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) to support legislation that would clarify critical transportation regulations that are key to the agricultural sector’s
USDA photo by Lance Cheung
balance the budget on the back of agriculture alone.