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CCMA 2023 Returns to Sacramento
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This year's conference theme, "Cooperative Vitality: Reconnection and Resilience," honors Sacramento's nickname, "City of Trees." Sacramento’s tree canopy is thick with elms, oaks, sycamores, and hundreds more species that together cover nearly a quarter of the urban landscape.
Forest ecosystems are regenerative, and they work in harmony. Trees reach for the sun, harnessing solar energy. Below, the ground teems with unseen fungal networks, breaking down forest floor debris.
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Deeply rooted local institutions, such as our cooperatives, are an essential element of thriving, diverse communities. CCMA 2023 will shed light on the many ways cooperatives, like forests, foster connection, regeneration, and community vitality.
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CCMA 2023 will feature:
- Engaging keynote speakers highlighting issues impacting food co-ops
- 25 breakout sessions featuring cooperative peers sharing lessons learned and strategies for the future
- Tours highlighting the host co-ops stores, community partners dedicated to food access, and organic producers of Sacramento
- Social activities to connect and network with fellow cooperators.
- Community boards for groups to gather and connect around topics of interest
- In-app peer to peer networking
- An online hub with all conference activities in one place
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Graduate Scholarships Awarded for Research, Outreach, and Training on Cooperatives
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In January 2023, the UW Center for Cooperatives, the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, and the UW School for Human Ecology awarded scholarships to graduate students to pursue research, outreach activities, or further knowledge related to cooperative businesses. The scholarships honor Dr. Ann Hoyt and Barbara and Thomas Lyon. Dr. Hoyt is internationally recognized for her innovative research and contributions to co-op education. Thomas Lyon was an agriculturalist, a cooperator, and a former University of Wisconsin Board of Regents president. Established in 2013, the Barbara and Thomas Lyon Scholarship Fund supports graduate students with an expressed interest in cooperative business. Meet our 2023 scholarship awardees:
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Pedro Magaña-Saenz, PhD student in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics
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Pedro is conducting research on dairy farmers and farmer-owned cooperatives in Uganda. The project seeks to address two inefficiencies common among agricultural markets in Sub-Saharan Africa: information frictions in digital agricultural credit markets and along the value chain. Both challenges are especially pertinent in the dairy market in Uganda, where dairy cooperatives are a key feature of the value chain. This project will add to the literature on agricultural markets in developing countries, where cooperatives are a key component of the market structure. Market failures are commonly faced in agricultural markets, incentivizing the creation of cooperatives along the value chain. The findings of this research will inform policymakers on the best way to address market failures in both agricultural markets and rural financial markets. Pedro will use the scholarship funds to travel to Uganda to conduct focus groups with farmers.
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Lucretia Fairchild, PhD student in School of Human Ecology’s Human Development & Family Studies
Lucretia is conducting research on the developmental origins of helping behaviors and cooperation in young children. Her work explores the beginnings of cooperation, and how the family unit can operate with more togetherness and cooperation to not only get things done, but also improve parent-child interactions and family development. She published a conceptual model 2021 that highlights how parents can make the most of toddlers’ strong desires to help out and belong in a group. This work suggests that cooperative behavior and organizations are beneficial and elemental to the way humans relate to each other and the world. Her scholarship has great discovery potential related to cooperatives, particularly childcare cooperatives and cohousing cooperatives with families as residents. With this scholarship, Lucretia will be able to more explicitly add these dimensions to her ongoing research.
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In Brief: Resources and Updates
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Our New Home
We are excited to announce that in January 2023, UWCC moved to the Community Development Institute within the UW-Madison Division of Extension. Extension’s mission is to connect people with the University of Wisconsin. The Community Development Institute provides educational programming to assist leaders, communities, and organizations realize their fullest potential. UWCC’s values and programs align closely with Extension’s mission and embody the Wisconsin Idea. Our research informs our education and outreach efforts; our relationships with new and established cooperatives guide our research questions and outreach programs; and our cooperative development efforts create sustainable enterprises that improve the lives of Wisconsin residents.
UWCC’s move to Extension is mutually beneficial—UWCC will have a secure home in a division that shares our values, approach, and public service orientation; and Extension will gain a center with strong stakeholder support and a track record of delivering highly valued research, outreach, and education to cooperatives across the country. We look forward to serving the cooperative community from our new home!
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UWCC Annual Report Available
In 2022, UWCC celebrated its 60th anniversary, giving us an opportunity to reflect on a rich history of research, education, and outreach supporting cooperatives. Our team values that history and honors the shoulders we stand on as we look forward to the next 60 years of service to cooperatives in Wisconsin and beyond. One year is a mere snippet of this history, but we are proud to share our 2022 contributions to the cooperative community:
- We released the first wave of findings from the Cooperative Governance Research Initiative (CGRI), the first national study on the governance practices of U.S. cooperatives across sectors and over time. Our report on the 2021 findings from the Cooperative Governance Research Initiative was well received, and findings have been shared with cooperatives across the country via webinars, in person trainings, and conference presentations.
- We provided assistance to new and emerging cooperatives from a wide range of industries, including but not limited to meat processing, custom wood and paper product manufacturing, food service, doulas, and veterinary medicine.
- Wisconsin's 2022-2023 state budget included $200,000 annually to help fund cooperative feasibility studies in Wisconsin. UWCC worked with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and Cooperative Network to create a program to disburse grants to co-ops exploring expansion and groups exploring cooperative start up in Wisconsin.
- We returned to in-person delivery of cooperative education, providing training on a wide range of topics, including governance, management, finance, and development best practices, as well as sector specific content.
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UWCC Advisory Committee Updates
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UWCC is pleased to welcome Jesse Singerhouse, General Manager/CEO of Dunn Energy Cooperative, to the UWCC Advisory Committee. Dunn Energy Cooperative delivers electricity and energy services to nearly 10,000 accounts on nearly 2,000 miles of line in Dunn, Barron, Chippewa, Pepin, Pierce, and St. Croix counties.
We also want to thank Mike Wade of Central Wisconsin Energy Cooperative for his service on the UWCC Advisory Committee.
Mike has accepted the position of CEO at Wild Rice Electric Cooperative in Minnesota. Additionally, we want to express our appreciation for Doug Reinemann, who stepped off the committee when UWCC moved to Division of Extension.
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Jesse Singerhouse, Dunn Energy Cooperative
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Governance Training Series for New Directors
Tools for Governance Success
May 11, 2023, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. | in person, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin
This day-long workshop will help directors learn strategies for developing an efficient board. Topics include facilitating successful meetings, understanding Roberts Rules of Order, using committees, developing a board calendar, etc.
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Regional Rendezvous
May 5-6, 2023 | Madison, Wisconsin
The 4th annual Midwest regional conference for worker cooperatives returns to in person after two years of virtual meetings. This year, Madison Worker Cooperatives (MadWorC) will host the meeting under the theme of "Building Participation." Highlights include sessions on co-op governance, co-op finances, leadership, the solidarity economy, and international cooperation.
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CCMA 2023
June 8-10, 2023 | Sacramento, California
Sacramento is not only the capital of California; it is America’s Farm to Fork City, a culinary destination that is sure to delight! Also known as "Tree City", Sacramento is a lush oasis of bougainvillea and palms, prolific fruit trees, and mighty oaks. We are thrilled to bring CCMA back to Sacramento for the first time since 1995! Our host cooperatives, Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op, Davis Food Co-op, BriarPatch Food Co-op, and Pachamama Coffee Cooperative are excited to share their co-ops and communities with CCMA attendees!
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