Agricultural Cooperatives: Their Why and Their How

'I The "Why" of Agricultural Cooperatives.- 1 Marketing and Structure-How Related to Group Action.- Marketing and Economic Activity.- Views of Marketing.- The Marketing Umbrella.- Role of the Marketing System.- Economic Bases for Group Action.- Structure-Competition.- Competition.- Monopoly.- The Range of Competition.- Industrial Organization Model.- References.- Questions.- 2 Structure of Agricultural Input and Output Industries.- The Industry.- Market Shares-Concentration Ratios.- Suppliers of Inputs to Agriculture.- Concentration Ratios.- Buyers of Agricultural Output.- References.- Questions.- 3 The Structure of Agriculture.- The Structure of Agriculture.- Forms of Business Organization in Agriculture.- Input Substitution-Greater Specialization.- Where Is Agriculture Positioned on the Scale?.- Today's Agriculture.- Product Specification.- Structure as It Leads to Policy.- The Family Farm Concept.- Agriculture Disadvantaged Structurally.- Access to Markets.- Role of Government and the Public Interest.- References.- Questions.- 4 The Basic Foundation of U.S. Antitrust Policy.- History's Contribution to Our Understanding of Policy.- The Basic Foundation of U.S. Antitrust Posture.- The Sherman Act of 1890.- The Legal Background.- Relevance of These Events.- Implications of Events.- The Sherman Act Comes Forth.- Where Was Agriculture in This Debate?.- Authorship Incidental.- Basic Provisions of the Sherman Antitrust Act.- Underlying Tone-Toward Competition.- Labor and Agriculture.- References.- Questions.- 5 The Aftermath of the Sherman Act and on the Road to Agriculture's Magna Carta.- What Was Expected?.- What Happened?.- Impact on Cooperatives.- Dangerous to Engage in Conjecture.- Was Agriculture Exempt from the Act?.- The Federal Trade Commission (FTC, 1914).- The Clayton Act-1914.- An Improvement, But Not Adequate.- The Capper-Volstead Act.- Agriculture's Magna Carta.- The Act's Significance.- A Slow, Tedious Route, But We Finally Arrived.- Our Antitrust Basics.- References.- Questions.- II The "How" of Agricultural Cooperatives.- 6 Capper-Volstead Corporations and Other Types of Business-Cooperative Principles.- The Rochdale Principles.- Are These Bona Fide Principles-Are They Applicable Today?.- The Principles Weighed.- Open Membership.- One Person-One Vote.- Cash Trading.- Membership Education.- Political and Religious Neutrality.- No Unusual Risk Assumption.- Limited Returns on Stock.- Goods Sold at Regular Retail Prices.- Number of Shares of Stock Owned Is Limited.- Net Margins Distributed According to Patronage.- Principles or Practices?.- So-What Is a Cooperative?.- Business Forms.- Investor-Oriented Corporations.- The Cooperative Corporation.- The Two Contrasted.- References.- Questions.- 7 Economic Feasibility of a Cooperative.- Looking for Solutions.- Similar to Other Businesses.- Differences.- The Groundwork.- First Meeting of Potential Members.- Work of the Survey Committee.- Need for the Cooperative.- Members.- Management.- Facilities.- Costs.- Member Investment-Capital Plan.- Initial Capital.- Debt Capital.- Internal Financing.- Reserve Funds.- Other Items in the Report.- The Second Meeting.- Organizing Committee.- Organization Papers.- Articles of Incorporation.- Bylaws.- Marketing Agreement.- Membership Certificate.- Articles of Incorporation Filed.- First Meeting.- Board of Directors Meet.- References.- Questions.- 8 Cooperative Management Trio-Members, Directors, and Manager.- Further into the How of Agricultural Cooperatives.- The Management Trio, Team, or Triumvirate.- Member-Owner Role.- Members' Management Role.- Why Cooperatives Fail.- The Role of the Board of Directors.- Selection and Election of Board Members.- Board of Directors' Responsibilities.- Selecting and Hiring a Manager.- Policies and Programs.- Program Evaluation.- The Manager Is Involved Also.- Evaluation of Performance.- Selecting Qualifi