D2-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 13, 2002 New Grants Target Ohio Cooperative Development PIKETON, Ohio Several Ohio cooperative groups are get ting a boost in promotion and marketing with the help of new Ohio Cooperative Development Center grants. The center, housed within Ohio State University’s South Centers at Piketon, has made $50,000 available to groups in terested in forming cooperatives and to assist existing coopera tives in developing new market ing opportunities. Members of the established Ohio Pro-Beef Alliance and Farm Fresh Growers Associa tion and groups interested in forming a Southern Ohio Meat Goat Task Force and an Or ganic Grain Marketing Alliance were the first to be awarded funds to assist in their organiza tional efforts. The groups were recognized recently during a luncheon in Waverly, Ohio. “The main goal of the grants is to assist in the development of agricultural-related coopera tives and help those coopera tives get through some of the hurdles in their development process,” said John Ellerman, coordinator of the Ohio Cooper ative Development Center and an Ohio State Extension agent. “Cooperative development is quite different than business de velopment.” Ellerman said such character istics as voluntary and open membership, equal representa tion among members, participa tion in education and training and an overall concern for the community distinguish coopera tives from most other forms of business. “Our focus for developing new cooperatives is mainly smaller groups of producers those that want to create a berry marketing or organic grains co operative. Cooperatives are usu ally made up of 10 to 20 people who come together to try to solve a problem or achieve a goal.” The Ohio Pro-Beef Alliance, a small group of cattle producers throughout southern Ohio who work together to produce and market high-quality beef, re ceived a grant to create an infor mational brochure to enhance community awareness. “The brochure creates a story of ourselves and identifies our goals,” said Dave Kohli, of the Ohio Pro-Beef Alliance. “We needed that help in trying to figure out how to take our group to the next level and move into marketing to appeal to other producers who may have an in terest in our cooperative.” Henry Cawley, a Bainbridge, Ohio, cattle producer and Ohio Pro-Beef Alliance member, said the development of the brochure gives the cooperative a more professional edge. “It shows that goals behind the cooperative are backed by experienced, good beef producers who have a legit imate reason for taking part,” he said. “People take you more seriously and have more of an interest when they’ve got some thing in their hands to look at. It’s the first step toward devel oping a good working relation ship.” A group of Ohio goat produc ers was also awarded funds to develop the Southern Ohio Meat Goat Task Force. The coopera tive is designed to increase op portunities for goat producers to market goat meat in Ohio, mainly to ethnic communities. With the help of the grant, coop erative members will be touring ethnic markets along the East Coast and similar cooperatives out east that market goat meat. “We’ve seen an increase in the number of people raising goats in the region. Most of these people have 10 to 30 acres of a>fc-3>j<^>:-»- v . > ~. • ;. . land and want something they can make a profit with in such a small area,” said Jeff Fisher, an Ohio State Extension agent and a member of the Southern Ohio Meat Goat Task Force. “There are 10 to 20 goat producers in Pike County alone.” In a recent Ohio Cooperative Development Center study, it was found that 80 percent of Ohio’s ethnic population lives in metro areas, including Cincin nati, Cleveland, Toledo, Colum- POURED SOLID CONCRETES 17 Years Experience In Pouring Concrete Manure Pits! ••'I. r *t . _ Far Left: 1-Million Gallon Circular Manure Storage Tank Far Right. 2 Silage Pits In-Barn Manure Receiving Pit 300' Long Manure Pit For Hog Confinement All sizes available round or rectangular BUY, SELL, TRADE OR RENT THROUGH THE CLASSIFIED ADS IN Lancaster Farming PHONE 717-626-1164 OR 717-394-3047 FAX 717-733-6058 Mon., Tues., Wed., Fri. 8 AM to 5 PM Thurs. 7 AM to 5 PM i ■' Take the questions out of your new construction. Call Balmer Bros, for quality engineered walls. Invest in Quality - Balmer Bros, CONCRETE WORK, INC. bus and Athens. Ethnic groups like Muslims and the Spanish incorporate goat meat into their diet on a daily basis. “There is an untapped market that producers in Ohio could be a part of. Already demand exceeds supply for what goat producers in Ohio can pro vide,” said Fisher. “It’s defi nitely a value-added com modity.” Another fledgling cooperative that received a grant is the Or ganic Grain Marketing Alliance, a small group of Ohio producers who are striving to increase or ganic grain production in the state. Through the grant, the group will be working with other nationwide cooperatives to de- Rj Rj Liquid Manure Tank - 400,000 Gallons 425,000 Gallons It will last a lifetime. velop a framework that fits their own objectives. Farm Fresh Growers Market ing Association, based in Win chester, Ohio, also received a grant to enhance marketing and distribution of their products through a product logo, box labels and packaging materials. For more information on the Ohio Cooperative Development Center and the grants it offers, contact the center at (740) 289- 2071 or (614) 292-4900 or log on to http://aede.osu.edu/programs/ ocdc. The Ohio Cooperative De velopment Center is partially funded by U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development and Ohio State University. CONCRETE PUMPING SERVICE AVAILABLE »'■? r 7 Mixer And Boom Trucks 243 Miller Road Akron, PA 17501 (717) 733-0353 6 30 AM - 3 30 PM (717) 859-2074 After 6.00 PM
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