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Monthly Headlines, April 2004

Front Page: Tax Battles on the Brink
Co-ops Join Fight Against Bankers
The National Cooperative Business Association has stepped into the thick of the credit union taxation battle, calling on other cooperatives to bring their grassroots lobbying power to the aid of besieged credit unions.

Page Three: New Competition for Food Co-ops: Wal-Mart
With major retailers jumping on the natural foods bandwagon, a growing number of food cooperatives are fighting to maintain market share. "In the grocery industry, the only growth is in organic foods," said Bob Atwood, general manager of the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Food Co-op. "That's why other grocery retailers are increasingly offering organic products."

Governance: Why You Need an Audit Committee
Robert G. Hensley, a partner with the law firm of Dorsey & Whitney LLP is CBJ's guest columnist. He writes: Following the passage of Sarbanes-Oxley, most auditing firms are strongly recommending that private companies, such as cooperatives, have an audit committee. Likewise, most auditing firms are applying the same audit standards used for public companies to private cooperatives, further blurring the line of what is required by law and what is viewed to be a "best practice."

International Development: NCBA Earns Contract To Boost Farm Income in Mali
The National Cooperative Business Association's CLUSA International Program has signed a $34 million contract with the U.S. Agency for International Development for a five-year project to raise farmer incomes in the West African country of Mali. NCBA has been working in Mali since 1988 to improve group agricultural businesses and also to train villagers and newly elected officials in democratic governance and community management.

"As farmers see their incomes increase and realize other benefits from the group business approach, they will become more involved and interested in learning new techniques," said Jim Cawley, vice president, NCBA's CLUSA International Program.

Co-op Development: A Phoenix Rises—Navajos Become Employee-Owners
The rows of sewing machines stood idle for three and a half years inside the abandoned apparel factory in Montezuma Creek, Utah. The previous owner, Bula, Inc., in Durango, Colorado, employed 60 Native American seamstresses to make hats for the ski apparel company before going out of business.

Since mid-December, however, the factory is back in production. Fourteen seamstresses are working for themselves, this time as employee-owners of a co-op called Navasew. They complete 750 garments a week on a government subcontract, making dress unifrom skirts for enlisted women in the Air Force.