Cooperative Network, a trade association supporting hundreds of member co-ops, is expanding its member services portfolio to include an increased focus on export activities.
CN is one 13 entities recently awarded more than $564,000 in Export Expansion Grants by DATCP. Aimed at accelerating the growth of Wisconsin dairy, meat, and crop products, the grants are funded by the Wisconsin Initiative for Agricultural Exports through legislation approved in December 2021.
CN, which received a $50,000 grant through the program, will use the funds to develop a new ag export education portal on the CN website; incorporate export education and awareness into association seminars, webinars and conferences; and direct cooperatives to export education and training events.
“Cooperative Network is very pleased to be awarded an Export Expansion Grant,” says President and CEO Daniel Smith. “We plan to use the funds to help facilitate increased cooperative engagement in export activities as part of our association’s cooperative economic objectives.”
Smith says: “No single cooperative, business sector or community operates either domestically or
internationally on its own. For instance, although Wisconsin is known worldwide for its cheese, the
production and exporting of cheese requires contributions far beyond cheese plants: dairy marketing
cooperatives, electric cooperatives, livestock genetic cooperatives, financial cooperatives and farm
supply cooperatives and many others all contribute to producing the milk that ends up in the cheese
cases of countries around the globe.”
CN works in support of hundreds of cooperatives large and small from a dozen business sectors in Wisconsin and Minnesota, all of which play an essential role in the economic well-being of each state. These sectors produce goods and services through farm production, farm supply, grain marketing,
ethanol production, dairy marketing and processing, financial services, livestock genetics, meat
processing, mutual insurance, telecommunications, electrical power and distribution, and other services.
“While Cooperative Network is unique in its support of such diverse business sectors, agriculture is especially important to our cooperative members, as it provides an economic base for rural communities,” Smith says. “Cooperatives have historically provided the goods and services these communities depend on.”
According to DATCP, Wisconsin ag exports reached an all-time high of $3.96 billion in 2021. Through the WIAE, DATCP is working collaboratively with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. to build on that momentum.
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