Lexington Herald-Leader | 07/29/2002 | Co-ops give farmers strength in numbers
Posted on Mon, Jul. 29, 2002
Some Western Kentucky farmers got together in early 2000, trying to dream up ideas for replacing the income they were losing because of sharp cuts in tobacco quotas.
What they came up with is the Owensboro-based West Kentucky Growers Cooperative.
This year, in their third season of operation, the co-op's five member farmers expect to sell about $4.5 million worth of sweet corn, squash, cucumbers, peppers and other produce. Their products will be shipped all over the country, some ending up in Canada and Europe, says Joe Cecil, who manages the cooperative.
"We've more than tripled our acreage and revenues," Cecil said. "It's grown a lot faster than any of us anticipated."
Cooperatives like West Kentucky are one of the cornerstones of the state's emerging, post-tobacco farm economy. Agricultural experts say that cooperative farm ventures are likely to be the key to success in many new crops, not just vegetables and produce. Joint efforts could be particularly important in Kentucky, where most farms are under 200 acres and have limited space available for production.
In addition to West Kentucky, three other produce cooperatives are operating across Kentucky: Central Kentucky Growers Association in Georgetown; Cumberland Farm Products Inc. in Russell Springs; and Green River Produce Cooperative in Horse Cave. They sold a total of $6.1 million worth of produce last year, according to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.
Central Kentucky Growers expects to sell about $800,000 worth this year, the most it has ever sold, says general manager Daryl Freeman. The 30-member cooperative, which was formed in 1998, hopes to reach $1 million in sales within a few years, Freeman said.
The West Kentucky co-op has grown faster for several reasons. Farms in the western end of the state generally are bigger, and the flat land there favors produce farming. In addition, Cecil noted that the West Kentucky group was able to buy a pre-existing processing center and secure state grants for equipment, including a "hydrocooler" that quickly chills fresh-picked produce to extend its shelf life. Some members of the West Kentucky co-op raise as little as 1/2 acre of produce, while others raise 60 acres or more. Almost all of them are past or current tobacco producers.
"I think the real key has been the cooperation of the members," Cecil said. "It's really impressive to see farmers, who are pretty independent by nature, coming together to work for the common good with people they didn't know before. ... They've really banded together."
