Dear Friends of the Cooperative Community,

I am writing this message with some sadness to inform you that the Rural Cooperatives Center within UC Davis’ Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics is closing at the end of this month when my contract with the University expires.  The good news is that I have been appointed Director of the University of California’s Small Farm Program, effective July 1, 2007.  In this capacity, I will continue to work on cooperatives with smaller agricultural producers.  I am also retaining a half-time appointment as a Cooperative Extension Specialist within the Department.  Since this appointment is on “soft money”, I will be seeking out cooperative-related funding sources to continue working on issues related to cooperatives.

The Center’s multi-talented Program Assistant, Jonathan Barker, will also remain on the administrative staff half-time in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, and will also continue working half-time on campus at the University’s Agricultural Issues Center.

Jonathan and I both look forward to hearing from you in the future.  We can be reached at:

shermain@primal.ucdavis.edu                                    jbarker@ucdavis.edu

In cooperation,

Shermain D. Hardesty, Director
Rural Cooperatives Center
Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics
University of California, Davis

• Beating the Odds: Reducing Market Risk for Specialty Crops
  The University of California's Rural Cooperatives Center, working with a group of California specialty crop Bargaining Associations and USDA’s Risk Management Agency, offered an opportunity for growers to learn more about improved risk management strategies for production and marketing of their crops to increase profitability. The May, 2007, event in Yuba City focused primarily on crops relevant to the region. Proceedings of the workshop are availailable on the Center's website.
  
  
• USDA Rural Cooperatives magazine highlights Visalia Cooperative Gin closure. Cotton production in California has waned for the last 25 years, currently being about one third of what it was at the peak in 1981. Reflecting this, the California cotton ginning industry has declined from 299 to 61 cotton gins currently in operation. Nineteen of these are cooperatives. More gin closures are predicted in the near future.
  

• Suisun Valley Wine Cooperative tasting room showcases local wines from several wineries
  
  
• Challenges for university co-op residences, but UC Berkeley bucks the trend
• New bicycle co-op planned for Redding. Plans to recycle used bike parts
  
  
• CALAMCO Hires New President/CEO, Robert Brown named
  
  
• Food safety. Industry and marketing groups fund The Center for Produce Safety at UC Davis
  
  

• Schwarzenegger to Congress: don't forget specialty crops in the new Farm Bill
  
• Farm Bill. Salinas Valley producer and industry organizations hopes for the Farm Bill
• USDA and the Farm Bill. Statement by Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns