Should You Join an Agricultural Co-op?
- GrownBy Team
- Apr 24, 2024
- 3 min read
Learn about the benefits of GrownBy’s Co-op Membership & join a community where successful farmers support one another
Any agricultural producer who has made a sale through GrownBy is eligible to join Farm Generations Cooperative as a member-owner. Learn more about the benefits of joining and application process here.
After seeing farm after farm contend with tech companies working against their interests, our farmer co-founders, Mike Parker and Lindsey Lusher Shute, decided to take a different direction. They formed the Farm Generations Cooperative in 2018 and launched GrownBy 1.0 two years later.
Farm Generations Co-op is a multi-stakeholder cooperative. Our online sales platform, GrownBy, is owned by our farmer member-owners and employees. The platform itself offers an easier way to manage inventory and expand your customer base so that you can increase farm sales without losing profits to a middleman.
But we’re so much more than an online marketplace; we are a community of farmers forging paths and partnerships with our respective communities and fellow farmers to build more just and equitable food systems.
Continue reading to learn about the benefits and application requirements to join Farm Generations Cooperative.
What is an agricultural co-op?
Co-ops are producer- and/or user-owned businesses that are controlled by and operate for the benefit of their members, rather than outside investors.
An agricultural, or farmer co-op is a business founded by farmers, owned by farmers, and designed by farmers. All members have equal stake and say in the co-op. In other words, our farmer-owners have a voice and vote in the systems and product (GrownBy) that they use every day to ensure that it works for them.
Why is a farmer cooperative important?
Farm Generations offers a community-centered alternative that prioritizes people over profit and facilitates authentic relationships between farmers and shoppers
Farm Generations Cooperative serves successful farms across America. The primary purpose of our cooperative is to serve the farming community in which it operates and platforms.
When the co-op succeeds, the community it serves succeeds. When Farm Generations Cooperative reaches profitability, our member-owners benefit from annual cash dividend distributions.
Who is qualified to join the co-op?
If you’re an agricultural producer and you’ve made at least one sale on GrownBy, then you’re eligible to join Farm Generations Cooperative! Individuals, business entities, co-ops, and nonprofits can all join. Meet our members here.
How much is it to join the co-op?
Joining requires the purchase of a common stock share for $250. This can be paid all at once or in installments. We are adamant about making membership accessible and affordable; there are no other costs.
Interested in joining the coop?
Anyone who has made a sale on GrownBy is eligible to join Farm Generations Cooperative! Learn more about the application and requirements.
GrownBy is the seamless all-in-one solution for local farm sales.
GrownBy is the only farmer-owned marketplace to platform farm products and give consumers the opportunity to find and buy food fresh from the farm.
Build your farm shop on the GrownBy Marketplace for free and start selling your products in less than an hour. Everyone on our support team has farming experience and we will help you build your online farm shop, build custom CSAs, and get you SNAP Online Certified for free.
Available on Apple iOS and GooglePlay.
Grow with us at @farmgenerationscoop and @grownbyapp.
We are a farmer-owned cooperative built to support successful farmers feeding families across America local farmers, enjoy seasonal food.
At Farm Generations Cooperative, we’re more than just a co-op — we’re a community of passionate farmers and sustainable consumers dedicated to supporting one another and fostering sustainable agriculture practices through a more resilient (and fair!) food system.
In 2019, we set out to develop better technology that will forever serve the interests of the farming community. As a farmer-owned and farmer-built e-commerce platform, GrownBy serves as a catalyst for small farms to thrive by connecting them directly with their local communities. Our farmer-owners have a voice and vote in the very systems that they use every day.
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