Have you ever looked up the definition of “Cooperative”? It is defined as “a farm, business, or other organization which is owned and run jointly by its members, who share the profits or benefits.” That’s exactly the reason the Wisconsin Grass-fed Beef Cooperative was formed over fifteen years ago. A group of regenerative livestock producers pooled their resources together to market to consumers with their nutritious and healthy beef and pork products.
By joining together, producers of our cooperative benefit from shared resources, risk reduction, and improved market presence, and can access markets that are either difficult or impossible to access as an individual farm. Plus, producers own and operate the cooperative which means profits go directly back to the farmers who produce the food we eat every time you choose to buy Wisconsin Meadows branded products.
Our cooperative – like all member-owned cooperatives – operates according to the seven core “Cooperative Principles” benefitting our members/owners in many ways:
- Our member-owners pool their resources, such as advertising budgets, sales efforts, and distribution networks, to promote and sell their products or services more efficiently and effectively.
- By working together, our members can often achieve economies of scale, which can lead to cost savings in production, marketing, and distribution.
- When negotiating with suppliers or buyers, our cooperative’s larger membership base can have greater bargaining power, potentially securing better terms and prices.
- Our cooperative can help spread risks among members, by diversifying their markets.
- Our cooperative distributes the profits we generate among our members based on their level of participation, which encourages collaboration and shared success.
- As a democratically-controlled organization, our members have a say in the cooperative’s decision-making processes and share ownership in the organization.
- By joining our cooperative, our members can focus on taking care of their pastures and animals, rather than spending their time on marketing and sales.
Which is where you – our customer – come in. When you purchase Wisconsin Meadows products, you directly contribute to the health and viability of the member-owners of the Wisconsin Grass-fed Beef Cooperative. Your purchases support their efforts to raise 100% grass-fed beef and pastured-pork on regeneratively-managed pastures here in Wisconsin!
By: Josh Miner, Wisconsin Grass-fed Beef Cooperative