| The Mississippi Council of Cooperatives, organized in 1945, is the principal organization charged with promoting cooperatives in the state. Made up of local, state and regional cooperatives, the Council’s membership represents nearly every type of co-op operating in Mississippi, including agricultural, electric, marketing and food. The nonprofit Council embodies the spirit of cooperation, bringing together the leaders of cooperatives and the leaders of other agencies and associations to better serve the interests of their co-op members. Over the years the Council has developed numerous programs, all with the goal of encouraging a closer working relationship between cooperatives and a better understanding of the problems and potentials they face. Much of the Council’s activity evolves from committees, which were established to deal with internal affairs, to conduct educational and training programs, and to promote the theories behind cooperation and the cooperative form of business. In addition, a Legislative Committee was created to monitor proposed state and federal laws and regulations that can help or hurt members and their cooperatives. Owned and operated by their members, cooperatives do many things for their collective memberships that they are unable to do individually. As a result, the Council serves as an educational tool for its member cooperatives. The Education and Management Training Committee conducts training seminars for cooperative personnel at various locations across the state. The Council also has sponsored the cooperative business programs of the Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service and the state Department of Agriculture since 1955. These programs teach the value of cooperatives to students involved in 4-H and Future Farmers of America. Over the years, hundreds of young men and women have entered contests sponsored by the Council and 4-H or FFA programs with the winners earning scholarship awards and educational trips. Each year, the Council sponsors a Young Couples Conference to bring together co-op consumers with cooperative executives and directors to exchange ideas, discuss problems and learn how cooperatives can better serve their needs. With a greater understanding and appreciation of the cooperative role in their businesses and daily lives, many conference participants return home and take an active role in their community co-ops. The Council also awards an annual scholarship to a freshman or community college transfer student attending Mississippi State University. The scholarship winner must meet certain qualifications and his or her mother or father must be employed by a Council cooperative member. The Mississippi Council of Cooperatives proudly supports programs such as these, recognizing their importance to the future growth and progress of all of the state’s co-ops. The Mississippi Council of Cooperatives is a member of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, a Washington, D.C.-based organization aimed at helping to shape the agenda and debate issues affecting cooperatives nationwide. |
Mississippi Council
of Cooperatives
P.O. Box 3300
Ridgeland, MS 39158