Heath Hogland and Laura Powers, specialists in the Kentucky Center for Cooperative Development (KCCD), teamed up for instruction to a group of 32 Extension agents and agricultural leaders on November 13 in Jackson, Tennessee as part of a full day of "update training" by UT’s CPA.

Dan Wheeler, Director of the CPA recently announced the creation of this new program emphasis in "cooperative development" at the Center. The new program emphasis combines more than $40,000 in grant resources from the USDA and the Tennessee Department of Agriculture's Ag Development Fund.

While the program will be coordinated in Tennessee by the CPA it will be lead through a unique collaboration with the KCCD. "Through KCCD's leadership and direction, we have entered into a fifteen-month pilot project," Wheeler said.

At the recent training program, the KCCD specialists related many experiences of working with farmers in the consideration, evaluation and development of coops, alliances and cooperative ventures. The Kentucky specialists used vegetable cooperatives, an aquaculture coop and a nursery coop as case-study examples during the training. Among other things, those agents participating in the training learned the importance of a strong balance between board and management leadership in a cooperative.

In addition to providing needed initial training to agricultural leaders, the November training also created the first opportunity for specialists from the CPA and KCCD to begin their work together in a fifteen-month pilot program in Tennessee.