Contact Us

Iowa Alliance for Cooperative Business Development

1041 Food Sciences Building
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011-1061

Tel: 515-294-2342
Fax: 515-294-6261

About

The Iowa Alliance for Cooperative Business Development was initiated through a USDA
Rural Business Development grant. The Alliance combines outreach and research
programs that provide rural Iowans with viable alternatives for economic development.
The goal of the Alliance is to initiate and strengthen producer cooperatives in Iowa
through assessment of new business opportunities in biodiesel, identification and
evaluation of new producer-owned cooperative and business structures, business
development assistance, and cooperative director training in strategic and financial
management.

The Alliance objectives are:

• Create an economic model for biodiesel products that will enhance the ability of
  producer businesses to understand and evaluate the potential risks and rewards
  of biodiesel opportunities.
• Determine the effectiveness of existing cooperative farming arrangements in the
  Midwestern United States as a model for improving farm profitability, efficiency, and
  farmers’ quality of life.
• Assist rural Iowans with development of producer groups, feasibility studies,
  marketing studies, and business plans for starting value-added agricultural
  businesses.
• Develop and deliver strategic and financial management training to new and existing
  agricultural business board members that will enhance their ability to use sound
  practices in management of their businesses and evaluation of new business
  opportunities.

Achievement of these objectives will provide infrastructure and training rural Iowans
need to successfully initiate and operate value-added agricultural businesses. It will
also bring jobs to rural communities, provide an improved market for agricultural commodities, and create business earnings that remain in the community.