National Council of Farmer Cooperatives

10/16/2026

Over the last 10 years, Tennessee farmer Alex Forsbach has seen organic matter in his soil rise significantly, and he credits no-till and cover crops.

That work earned him the American Soybean Association's 2026 National Conservation Legacy Award, presented at Commodity Classic in San Antonio. Forsbach farms in Hardin County and is a member of First Farmers Co-op. "Conservation has a significant role in creating and carrying out my farming legacy," he said.

Cooperatives are made up of individual farmers like Alex. Tennessee Farmers Cooperatives featured his work for fellow members in its magazine, The Cooperator, and this National Co-op Month, we are proud to do the same!

Read more:

Tennessee soybean grower  says that land stewardship and conservation practices are making a positive difference in his operation. He’s witnessed firsthand a significant increase in organic matter alone over the last 10 years and attributes that directly to his use of no-till and cover crops.

10/14/2026

Shipping from the Southern Plains to mills overseas once meant trucking it to Fort Worth before it ever reached a train.

Plains Cotton Cooperative Association changed that with a grower-owned rail loading facility at its warehouse in Altus, Oklahoma. Trains now load at Altus and run straight to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Each train carries nearly 20,000 bales and removes more than 88,000 truck miles.

No single cotton farmer could build a rail facility. Together, PCCA's grower-owners did, and the savings in time and cost add value to the cotton they market. That is the cooperative advantage we are celebrating this National Co-op Month!

Read more here:

After three seasons of PCCA’s Innovative Rail Project, PCCA recognized the need to enhance the efficiencies surrounding train operations.

10/13/2026

How do we keep American agriculture competitive, resilient, and secure for decades to come?

From technological change and global competition to workforce pressures and supply-chain vulnerabilities, agriculture is changing faster than ever.

Tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET, our President and CEO, Duane Simpson, and fellow panelists will discuss the capabilities producers need to stay competitive and keep our food system strong as part of The Future of American Agriculture leadership dialogue series hosted by the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST).

Register here: https://streamyard.com/watch/7G2Ht3Nctqa7

10/12/2026

Today is .

Every meal on every table starts with a farmer. National Farmers Day is a chance to recognize the men and women who plant, tend, and harvest the crops and livestock that feed the country, often across generations of the same family and the same land.

It is also a chance to recognize the farmer cooperatives that stand beside them, providing the credit, the supplies, the storage, and the market access that let a farm stay a farm. Farmer-owners built these organizations because they understood a simple truth: farmers are stronger together than alone.

To every farmer and rancher reading this: thank you. America's ability to feed itself starts with you.

10/07/2026

Risk management for farmer cooperatives goes well beyond an insurance policy.

In the latest episode of Cooperative Voice, Fritz Waldorf, Senior Vice President and Producer at Lockton, joins Duane to talk through how cooperatives can navigate a shifting risk landscape. They cover understanding your cooperative's risk profile, using technology to manage exposure, and addressing growing litigation concerns, all with an eye toward protecting members and building long-term resilience.

If you lead a cooperative, this is one you will want to hear.

Listen now:

How can farmer cooperatives navigate the shifting landscape of risk management in agriculture? Join Duane Simpson and Fritz Waldorf as they explore strategies that go beyond traditional insurance, examining the unique challenges faced by cooperatives in a dynamic market. From understanding risk...

10/05/2026

Congratulations to GROWMARK, Inc. on breaking ground on a new agricultural biologicals manufacturing plant in St. Louis! Producing biostimulants, biopesticides, and biofertilizers here in the United States gives growers more tools to build healthier soils and stronger crops.

GROWMARK is owned by the local cooperatives it serves, so an investment like this puts new solutions in the hands of the farmers who own the system. That is farmer-owned innovation at work, and a great way to celebrate .

10/01/2026

Happy National Co-op Month to our members and the farmer-owners who make cooperatives work!

All October long, we are celebrating the farmer-owned cooperatives that handle, process, and market America's agricultural commodities, and the farmer-owners who lead them. Throughout the month, we will highlight major wins from the farmer cooperative community over the past year.

Farmer cooperatives exist because farmers came together to build the infrastructure, market access, and financial tools no single operation could build alone. That cooperative spirit still powers today, and we cannot wait to share how.

Swipe to meet the farmer cooperatives we are proud to represent. 👉

09/25/2026

This week, NCFC staff traveled to California to host our fall Executive Council meeting.

Our Executive Council brings together leaders from farmer cooperatives across the country to guide our work in Washington. At this week's meeting, members reviewed our policy priorities for the months ahead and discussed how we can continue delivering results for America's farmer-owners.

We are grateful to our council members for their time and leadership.

09/22/2026

America's farmer-owned cooperatives handle, process, and market virtually every type of agricultural commodity grown in the United States, from grain and dairy to cotton, livestock, and specialty crops.

That reach did not happen by accident. Farmer-owners built these organizations, elevator by elevator and plant by plant, because no single farm could build the infrastructure or negotiate the market access needed to compete alone.

Today, that same infrastructure connects family farms to national and global markets, turning what one farmer grows into what the world eats, wears, and uses. It is a model built by farmers, for farmers, and nearly a century after NCFC first organized to represent it, that model is still delivering.

09/14/2026

CHS Inc. is making major investments in American agriculture, and we could not be more proud!

This week, CHS announced plans to build a $700 million soybean processing facility in southern Wisconsin, its second significant domestic manufacturing investment in less than a month. The facility will process 80 million bushels of soybeans annually into fuels and animal feed ingredients, creating 80 permanent jobs and expanding market access for Wisconsin and northern Illinois farmers at a moment when crop prices remain a serious concern for producers.

Read the full announcement: https://www.chsinc.com/news/chs-to-build-soybean-processing-facility-in-wisconsin/