Join the PA Small Business Development Agriculture Center of Excellence and Mat Forth of the Keystone Development Center to learn all about cooperative business models and if they are the right fit for you!

The cooperative model serves many roles in the food system. Historically, cooperatives have continued to meaningfully meet the many needs of farmers in the United States for over two centuries. In fact, agricultural cooperatives have stood the test of time with more than 23% of US farmer cooperatives being in operation for more than 100 years while 77% have operated for longer than 50 years.

This webinar explores this tried and true model along with other innovative cooperative models that have been developed to serve the needs of an ever-changing food system. We’ll explore the challenges and advantages of cooperatives in the agricultural industry to help business owners, business advisors, and supporters understand when a cooperative might be the perfect for you or your client. Example case studies help to tell the story of what membership in these types of cooperatives entail, what resources are available to those considering starting or joining a co-op, and the role of KDC in the development process. 

Mat is a cooperative business developer with Keystone Development Center, a nonprofit that provides technical assistance to cooperative businesses throughout the Mid-Atlantic. He describes himself as a helper agent that facilitates a community’s self-determination. Mat has a particular interest in supporting co-ops in farming and regional food systems and does so through a food sovereignty lens. He brings a unique skill set having worked on a variety of farms and in the food system nationally and internationally. Mat has a long history of community organizing and agricultural development experience from his work with Greenpeace and with the Peace Corps in Madagascar. He received his graduate degree in Food Studies at Chatham University and focused his thesis on the governance structure of multi-stakeholder cooperatives in agriculture through a case study analysis of two food hubs. He is a 2023 graduate of Cooperative Development Foundation and NCBA CLUSA’s Cooperative Leaders & Scholars program. Mat gets excited about broad based community ownership of values-based supply chains.