Agricultural Cooperatives as Effective Marketers of Value-Added Products
Center for Cooperatives, University of California Davis, 33 pp. 1992. Discusses basic requirements for effective marketing of value-added products and potential means by which co-operatives can satisfy these requirements.

Agricultural Cooperatives in the 21st Century: United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Rural Business-Cooperative Service
Report 60,48 pp., 2002. Discusses changing food and agricultural markets and how this impacts the role and functioning of the co-operative. Also touches on the importance of board members and management understanding the unique needs of the co-operative and the complexities of participating in a federated system.

An Overview of Available Business Structures
Rural Adaptation Council Inc. and the University of Manitoba. Describes sole proprietorship, corporation, partnership, and co-operative business structure and the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Choosing a Business Structure: A Comparison
Government of Saskatchewan. Benefits of co-operatives to farmers and communities. Comparison of co-operative with other business structures.

Cooperatives in Agribusiness
USDA, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, Report 5, 79 pp., 2002. Describes different business structures, characteristics of a co-operative, co-operative organizational structure, governance, financing, and the need for producers to work co-operatively into the future. Written for young adults interested in co-operatives and potential careers with them.

Cooperatives: What They Are and the Role of Members, Directors, Managers, and Employees
USDA, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, Report 11, 121 pp., 2001. Description of the co-operative structure and principles and how co-ops differ from other business structures. Discusses the role of members, directors, and management of the co-operative.

Co-ops 101: An Introduction to Cooperatives
USDA, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, Report 55, 51 pp., 1997. Summary of how a co-operative organizes and operates as a business, including comparison of the co-operative model with other business structures. Outlines the roles of various positions within the co-operative. Discusses financing and financial records and reporting.

Definitions, Principles, Types, History, New Generation Cooperatives
Rural Cooperative Center, University of California, Davis, 2001. Brief description of co-operatives and the principles on which they operate. Describes distinguishing characteristics of New Generation Co-operatives.

New Co-operatives: Motivations and Barriers
Australian Centre for Co-operative Research and Development, 42 pp., 2003. Identifies general trends in co-operative development, including the motivations and barriers to organizing this form of business.

The Role of Cooperatives in Community Development
Center for Cooperatives, University of Wisconsin, 4 pp., 2002. Describes the strengths of the co-operative model as a community development tool and the contribution it makes to the local economy.

How Is a Co-op Different from Other Businesses?
Alberta Community and Co-operative Association, 2 pp. Brief comparison of co-operatives, investor-owned businesses, and nonprofit organizations based on ownership, voting, and sharing of surplus.

Business Model Comparison
Ontario Co-operative Association, 3 pp. Chart comparing the co-operative, corporation, partnership, and sole proprietor business models on a wide variety of attributes from values and decision making to survival rate and taxation. A second chart compares the co-operative with the investor-owned business and nonprofit organization based on principles, voting, shares, securities regulations, distribution of surplus, and dissolution.

Co-operative Glossary
Government of Canada, 2005. Explains the meaning of various terms and processes that are common in co-operative and general business practices.

Co-op Self Assessment
Ontario Co-operative Association, 4 pp. Fifteen questions for individuals to consider in assessing whether starting a co-operative is the right decision for them. Worksheet format.

Should I Join a New Processing Cooperative?
North Dakota State University Agriculture and University Extension, 1996. Five questions potential members should ask related to the returns, risk, and impact membership will have on the producer's business.