Working to unite, promote and strengthen cooperative businesses across Montana

Celebrating October Cooperative Month during a Pandemic

National Co-op Month is nearing its end and we want to hear from our Montana Cooperatives on how you celebrated. Please send to us photos of your events and activities! We will share on our social media and utilize in other publications through-out the year. You can send them to tracy@mcdc.coop. We know that this year was a bit challenging as many of our events were cancelled- including a pint night and a award night. However, we still managed to get a few moments in. Thank you to the Montana Electric Cooperatives' Association for asking Tracy to say a few words at your annual meeting. We also presented at the National Cooperative Business Association-CLUSA at the Annual Impact Conference. Slides for the presentation are here and follow our Facebook page as we will share the video of the presentation once it becomes available. We want to wish all of you a happy Co-op Month and look forward to celebrating Montana Cooperatives in person in 2021!

MCDC Receives the Rural Cooperative Business Development Grant from USDA-RD

Montana Cooperative Development Center is proud to announce that USDA-Rural Development will be awarding the Rural Cooperative Development Grant (RCDG) on Thursday Oct. 29th, 2020 at 12:00pm. Due to social distance guidelines we will not be hosting a public event but we are celebrating virtually and will upload our award presentation to our Facebook and invite you all to share within your network. MCDC is receiving this award to continue to provide State-wide economic development work to address community and economic needs by utilizing the cooperative business model. MCDC is the only cooperative based organization in Montana supported by the State of Montana and is proudly serving all 56 Counties and the 7 Native American Reservations. We also through our relationship with the Montana Council of Cooperatives will continue to provide services for existing cooperatives. To learn more about everything MCDC is providing, visit our website at https://www.mcdc.coop/services-2/.

President Ryan Hall accepts 2019 RCDG award from USDA-RD Director Charles Robinson

Webinar: Opportunities for Cooperatives at USDA to Support Rural Prosperity Date: Thursday, October 29, 2020 | Time: 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time  As USDA recognizes October as National Cooperative Month, the department invites you to join this webinar to learn more about the resources available to support cooperative development in rural America. USDA Rural Development (RD) staff will provide updates on cooperative development resources, an overview of RD funding opportunities, and information on ownership conversions, all which continue to support America's rural prosperity.  To register, visit https://globalmeetwebinar.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1391588&tp_key=0a9f9596ee.

MCOC Board Vacancies

Montana Council of Cooperatives has two District Opening on the Board of Directors. District 4 and 7 remain open and we are recruiting! MCOC Directors will serve a 2 year term starting January 2021 with approval at the Annual MCOC Membership Meeting. The MCOC Board meets 4 times a year (quarterly) with 3 of the 4 done virtually with an option to attend. The Annual meeting is always in January with the odd years in Helena tied to the Legislative Session with the even years being rotating around the State. If interested, please be an active member (staff or board member) from a Montana cooperative and located within one of the following District's counties. To learn more or discuss the role of the MCOC Board please call or email our Administrator Tracy McIntyre at tracy@mcdc.coop or cell at 406-868-0757. District 4: Garfield, Custer, Carter, Fallon, Wibaux, Prairie, Dawson, McCone, and Richland District 7: Glacier, Toole, Pondera, Teton, Cascade, and Lewis & Clark The term of office for a district director shall be two years

FARMER COOPERATIVES CONFERENCE IS GOING VIRTUAL! NOVEMBER 5-6, 2020 The Farmer Cooperatives Conference is a national event highlighting the latest strategic thinking on current cooperative issues and trends. It provides a forum for cooperative directors, managers, and those doing business with agricultural cooperatives to learn and exchange ideas with policy, research, and legal experts about issues currently affecting the agricultural cooperative community. See the full agenda and registration here. 

Cooperative Development Specialist Network has Montana Covered! Montana Cooperative Development Center is excited to announce that we have all corners of Montana covered by our Cooperative Development Specialist (CDS) Network. In partnership with our friends at local economic development organization, MCDC has a full team ready to bring the power of cooperatives to your community. To find your CDS visit our website: https://www.mcdc.coop/coop-dev-specialists/

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Did you miss our webinar on the Opportunity Development Cooperatives: Local Solutions by Local People- Building Resiliency through Opportunity Development Cooperatives (also known as Investing Cooperatives)? Don't worry we have it recorded with all of the webinar materials included. Visit our MCDC Website today and please share within your network. Still want to learn more about our Opportunity Development Cooperatives? Take a moment to review our factsheet with a great overview. Our Program Director Davey Madison is available to answer your questions and to begin the journey for your community to find local solutions by local people through these cooperative models. Call Davey at 406-868-0875 or email davey@mcdc.coop.

If you would like us to post your upcoming co-op events or information in the Montana Cooperative Update send event information to: tracy@mcdc.coop