Governor Signs Proclamation for Cooperative Month

LINCOLN, NE–A proclamation recognizing October 2025 as Cooperative Month was signed by Governor Jim Pillen. This coincides with the annual recognition of October as National Cooperative Month by the United States Department of Agriculture. This year's national theme is "Cooperatives Build a Better World."

The proclamation signed by the Governor recognizes Nebraska's farmer-owned cooperatives and rural electric and telephone cooperatives for the important role that they play in Nebraska's economy and the necessity of cooperatives in building a better Nebraska.

Rural agricultural cooperatives serve the needs of 54,665 producer-owners. With an annual payroll of nearly $400 million, cooperatives directly employ over 5,000 Nebraskans in 372 communities across the state. They also create 12,218 jobs annually through their operations, member payments, and investments.

Last year, Nebraska's agricultural cooperatives made cash patronage and equity redemption payments totaling nearly $100 million to their members and reinvested nearly $300 million in property, plant, and equipment to serve members' needs.

Nebraska's rural electric cooperatives serve over 7,000 rural farmers and ranchers with a combined service territory of over 12,000 square miles. Rural telephone cooperatives in Nebraska serve over 9,000 telephone, television and broadband users in Nebraska.

The economic impact of cooperatives benefit all Nebraskans. Nebraska communities were supported by over $21.9 million of property tax paid by agricultural cooperatives. Nebraska's farmer-owned cooperatives, governed by their farmer owners, contributed $2.8 million to local fire departments, local school and youth organizations, local and statewide FFA and 4-H chapters, and provided numerous scholarships to help Nebraska students continue their education.                             

Rocky Weber, President and General Counsel to the Nebraska Cooperative Council, stated: “‘Cooperatives Build a Better World’ is an appropriate theme for Cooperative Month in 2025. Nebraska’s agricultural cooperatives build generational assets across the state to serve their farmer-owners. These investments, employment payrolls, charitable contributions and taxes all support the rural communities that Nebraska’s agricultural cooperatives serve. The $3.1 billion in economic impact cooperatives have on Nebraska is vital to building a strong, prosperous economy. Governor Pillen’s proclamation of October 2025 as Cooperative Month is a welcome acknowledgment of how vital cooperatives are in building a better Nebraska.”