Iowa Leads USDA’s List of Top 100 Ag Co-ops

From http://www.usda.gov/

DES MOINES, Iowa, Oct. 16, 2014 – Iowa is home to more top 100 agricultural cooperatives than any other state, according to recently released USDA data. The number of top 100 co-ops in Iowa, 16, is up from 11 a decade ago.

“These statistics underscore what most Iowans already know – the state is extremely important to the nation’s agricultural economy,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. Farmer-owned co-ops play a major role in making it an agricultural powerhouse.”

USDA’s annual list of the nation’s top 100 agricultural cooperatives, by business volume, indicates Minnesota ranks second among the states, with 13. It is followed by Nebraska with nine, Illinois and Wisconsin with five each, then California, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri and Ohio, which are all tied with four.

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