Sixteen Iowa agricultural cooperatives are among the nation’s 100 largest. According to the U.S.D.A., farmer-owned cooperatives set records in 2012 for sales, income and assets. Sales at farmer-owned co-ops in the U.S. were up more than eight percent and income was up nearly 13 percent. There are more than 22-hundred co-ops in the United States. Iowa’s highest ranking ag co-op is United Suppliers of Eldora. It ranked as the country’s eighth largest co-op in 2012.

The West Central Cooperative in Ralston made the largest jump on the “Top 100” list, going from 69th in 2011 to 41st in 2012.

(Radio Iowa)