MANAGEMENT TIP
How is your co-op doing?
Tables give local co-ops a chance to compare their performance to national
averages
Beverly L. Rotan, Economist
USDA Rural Development/RBS
e-mail: beverly.rotan@usda.gov
he past year saw cooperatives struggle with economic
downturns for many commodities and
bad weather in some regions, among other challenges.
Financially, has your cooperative fared
better, about the same or worse compared to
cooperatives with similar functions? Comparisons with other
cooperatives may help to determine whether your cooperative
is doing well or poorly. These include trend and industry
norm comparisons.
The two tables on these pages contain average financial
data compiled from a survey of 263 cooperatives for 2001
and 2002. Fill in the blanks and compare these benchmarks
with your cooperative’s financial data. How’s your cooperative
doing?
