2015 Annual Report Click - Federation of Southern Cooperatives

August 6, 2015
Dear Colleagues:
On behalf of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), I would like to extend my warm
greetings and congratulations to each of you as you gather for the 48th Anniversary
Celebration of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/ Land Assistance Fund, and Annual
Meeting.
As you reflect on this anniversary, you can be very proud of the Federation’s many
accomplishments over the years in helping rural Americans enhance their quality of life.
We at USDA continue to support your efforts and affirm our shared values as we work to
revitalize rural economies, and assist beginning and underserved farmers and ranchers in
achieving their goals. In April, approval was given to establish the Subcommittee on Land
Tenure within the Advisory Committee on Beginning Farmers and Ranchers. Also, in
fiscal year 20l4, USDA provided grants to recipients across the United States via its Outreach
and Assistance to Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers and Veteran Farmers and
Ranchers Competitive Grants Program, also known as the “2501 Program.” Grants made
available through this program enhance USDA’s efforts to help organizations conduct training
and outreach, and provide technical assistance for our underserved farmers and ranchers.
In looking to the future, we at USDA will continue to value our partnership with the
Federation as we work together to further the well-being of rural communities across
America.
Again, congratulations and best wishes for an exciting 48th Anniversary Celebration and
Annual Meeting.
Sincerely,
FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENT
Greetings to Farmers, Members, Cooperatives,
Landowners and Friends:
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Shirley Williams-Blakley
President
MISSISSIPPI
Daniel Bustamante
Vice-President
TEXAS
Welcome to the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land assistance Fund’s forty
eighth anniversary and annual meeting. Over the past year we witnessed the passing
of the baton as Cornelius Blanding assumed the position of Executive Director of the
Federation. I want to take this opportunity to again thank Mr. Ralph Paige for his almost
thirty years of faithful service and leadership of the Federation. I have high expectations
that Cornelius will continue to build on the legacy as well as the foundation that Mr.
Paige and others have built over the past forty eight years. I also want to thank Mrs.
Helen Fields who recently retired from our
board. She was a dedicated board member
who represented both South Carolina as
well as the rural south in a way that makes
us all proud; I look forward to her continued involvement .
As leadership changes the problems remain
the same. Those problems can be summed
up in one sentence- African-American
farmers and landowners continue to be neglected or marginalized. But I also see some
hope as well as opportunities. The USDA
is targeting more resources to the poorest
areas of rural America, however we have to
be vigilant and make sure those resources
are distributed equitably. That holds true
for all areas of the public and private sector
that are interested in creating a prosperous
and sustainable rural America-especially the
Black Belt Region.
Satina James
Secretary
GEORGIA
Carrie Fulghum
Treasurer
ALABAMA
Raymond Olds
FLORIDA
Mattie Mack
KENTUCKY
Johnnie Culbreath
SOUTH CAROLINA
Cornelius Blanding
Executive Director
We can do this by making sure that the Federation remains strong and in the forefront
of the struggle for justice and equity in rural America. Our members, friends and
partners are the source of that strength. We depend on you to push us, pull us and lead
us toward a vision of rural America that is racially, culturally and economically diverse,
prosperous and welcoming- a place where our young people want to live , raise families
and build sustainable communities.
I hope you arrive at this event full of optimism, suggestions and, yes, constructive criticism. We need you to be fully engaged in this chapter of our development; not just over
these three days but every day. So please enjoy and let’s leave here re-energized, dedicated and eager to continue the struggle.
Yours in struggle,
Shirley Blakley
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Dear Members, Board of Directors, Staff and Partners:
This has been a year of transition for the organization and thus a year of many challenges, changes and opportunities. I was
recently appointed as the Executive Director to succeed Ralph Paige, who served the Federation for over 45 years and 30 as
the Executive Director. So let me start by saying “Thank You!”
Thank you to those who persevered through the many challenges before and during the 1960s and began organizing to help
themselves; to those visionaries who came together in 1966 in Mt. Beulah, Mississippi to discuss their common challenges,
what could be, and the idea of an organization like the
Federation; to those 22 cooperatives, their representatives
and radical partners who nurtured that idea and traveled
to Atlanta, Georgia to both birth and charter what they
called the Federation of Southern Cooperatives; to those
many cooperatives, farmers, landowners, staff and partners (past & current) who struggled over the past 48 years
to build this organization to what it is today.
Thank you to the Board of Directors who are elected
by the members and have entrusted me with the sacred
responsibility and opportunity to serve this organization;
to Charles Prejean who accepted the first responsibility to
serve as the Executive Director in 1967; to Ralph Paige,
my mentor and friend, who served as the Executive Director for the past 30 years and led this organization through
some of its most challenging times; to my wife and children for their tolerance and constant support; and to our
many partners who continue to support and celebrate this
organization. Thank you!
As your servant, I embrace the many challenges and look forward to the many opportunities ahead. I also ask that you –
the membership, staff and partners – embrace this challenge with me as we continue to build this institution to what it was
envisioned to be in 1966, what it was chartered to do in 1967 and what it has evolved to after strategically merging with the
Emergency Land Fund in 1985……The Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund.
Our vision, mission and focus have always been and continue to be centered around three critical areas: COOPERATIVE
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, LAND RETENTION and ADVOCACY.
Our covenant with each other also included building an endowment and a regional marketing system to sustain the organization as well as developing an effective Rural Training Center as a training ground, demonstration farm, base of operations
and place of celebration.
We must recommit ourselves to the vision, mission and our covenant as a Federation.
Our theme this year is “Growing Sustainable Partnerships”, so let’s recommit to our partnerships with each other as a “federation of cooperatives” and continue to work with our many partners as we proceed to build the infrastructure and this
organization in order to become sustainable and to build sustainable rural communities in the South.
Cooperatively,
Cornelius Blanding
Introduction
The Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund
is proudly celebrating its forty-eighth anniversary. Our success
over the past five decades is due in large part to a strong and supportive membership, as well as mutually beneficial collaborative
relationships with both the public and private sectors. We have
also remained steadfast in our belief that cooperatives are vital to
the economic survival and prosperity
of not just our membership but rural
America in general. Although our work
is primarily with African-American
farmers and landowners, we work and
partner with all people who are seeking
economic and social justice in rural
communities around the world.
Our theme for this year’s Annual Meeting - “Growing Sustainable
Partnerships” - embraces much of our
work during the past year. The meeting
and this report highlights the work of
our members and partners. That work
focuses on cooperative development
as an alternative more democratic
economic system, land retention as a
strategy for creating intergenerational
wealth as well as political independence
and advocacy as a way to influence policy. To be effective this work requires
cooperation and partnerships that cross
racial, cultural and geographical lines.
That approach has and will continue to
guide our efforts.
In the past year there have been
challenges; especially the decrease in
funding from USDA as well as other
sources. Budget cuts and slow economic growth have often been used as
excuses to continue to marginalize the
rural south, especially those areas that
are populated predominately by people of color. However, our
history of building strong allies and partners that have a shared
vision of rural America has and will continue to serve us well.
That is evident by the work described in this report -work accomplished with limited financial resources but a wealth of dedicated
staff, volunteers and partners.
With most challenges come opportunities. We must take this
opportunity to strengthen and expand our internal and external
partnerships so that we can 1) secure a more equitable farm bill;
2) build diverse local food economies utilizing cooperative principles; 3) reverse the trend of African-American land loss; and 4)
hold policy makers accountable.
The baton has been passed to new leadership within the organization. The work over the past year attests to the effectiveness
and dedication of that leadership which also has been embraced
by our network of partners. We ask you to take the opportunity
to review our work over the past year, talk with our members,
visit our cooperatives and, if you are already a partner, help us
strengthen that partnership and if you are not - consider joining
the network and help us build a new south!
Rural Training and
Research Center
The collective membership of the Federation owns a unique Rural Training
and Research Center (RTRC) between
the towns of Epes and Gainesville in
Sumter County, Alabama. The Federation and the local Panola Land Buying
Association together own more than
1,300 acres of farm and forested
land, which form the land base of the
Center.
The Center was built between 1971
and 1974, as a central facility to provide meeting and training space for
the Federation’s membership across
the rural South. For over forty years,
the RTRC has served the membership
and other community-based organizations as a gathering place to inspire
organizing and action for a peoples’
movement for economic and social
justice.
The Federation has title to 850 acres
on three separate tracts of land
including the 375-acre tract where
the Center itself is located. The RTRC
tract is bordered on the east by 2,000
feet along the Tombigbee River, the
pathway of the Tennessee-Tombigbee
Waterway. At the Center, we have offices, a dormitory that can house up to seventy people overnight,
a multi-purpose building, offices, demonstration farming sites,
forestry and agroforestry demonstration projects, a silvopasture
goat herds, nature trail, two fishing lakes and other features.
The RTRC is the base of operations for our Alabama State Association of Cooperatives outreach and technical assistance staff. A
dozen or more full time staff, VISTA volunteers, student interns
and others work from the Center providing training, technical
assistance and advocacy services to our membership in Alabama
and surrounding states.
The Center has a variety of farm, forest and agroforestry demonstration sites including an irrigated garden, plasticulture, an
organic youth garden, raised beds, a hoop house and other
demonstration plots.
The painting above is from the Federation’s Rural Training & Research Center that depicts working together to make a better world for us all!
In the last few years, the Federation has been managing and developing its timber resources to demonstrate various agroforestry
practices including non-timber forest products like medicinal
plants, mushrooms, pine straw and other products. During the
past two years, the Federation selectively cut timber on two of its
tracts to make way for replanting long leaf pine, the natural pine
in coastal sandy loam soils. In the past year, with assistance from
the NRCS EQIP conservation program, the Federation contracted
with a local African-American forestry services firm to do land
preparation and planting of 50 acres of Long Leaf pine and 70
acres of Loblolly pine on the eastern part of the RTRC land. This
area, as it grows and develops, will provide a demonstration of
different management practices, wildlife habitat, growth and sales
potential of different types of timber and non-timber products.
More alley cropping and silvopasture demonstrations will also be
established.
dings and other activities. Among the groups hosted at the RTRC
facilities this past year were: Middle Tennessee State University for
a retreat, Alabama A&M University forestry activities, Mississippi
Coalition for Better Education for a meeting, Southern Partners
Fund for a grant-making workshop and many other groups. We
are looking forward to expand, modernize and improve the facilities of the RTRC over the next few years to accommodate more
groups for meetings and retreats.
Alabama State Association
of Cooperatives
The Alabama State Association of Cooperatives (ASAC) works
with a dozen cooperatives and community development credit
unions involving 5,000 farm and rural families in the state. ASAC
is based at the Federation’s Rural
Training and Research Center
in Epes and shares staff and
A small ten-acre silvopasture
program initiatives with the
research station is maintained on
Federation.
the training center land and uti
lized for research by the Alabama
The ASAC has received Federal
Agricultural Land Grant Alliance
funding from the USDA 2501
(AALGA) consisting of the three
Outreach and Technical Assisstate land grant universities:
tance Program and the Small
Alabama A&M, Tuskegee and
Socially Disadvantaged ProducAuburn. Tuskegee and Alabama
ers Program. State support was
A&M have been conducting
provided by the NRCS Strikeresearch for the past three years
force Initiative for outreach, and
on optimal stocking rates for
Alabama Department of Agrigoats in silvopasture areas. The
culture, under the block grant
Federation’s role is to bring in
Specialty Crop Program to assist
local farmers to view the research
the Sankofa Youth Agriculture
and demonstration plots as well as
Program. Tuskegee University
Mississippi Hoophouse
holding workshops to explain and
partners with ASAC in providing
communicate the findings to farmers in the area.
demonstration programs for pasture improvements for goats and
vegetable production. Some private funding was provided by the
The RTRC also serves as a meeting place for Federation activities
Daniels Foundation and the Porch Creek Band of Indians.
and member groups in the area. The Alabama State Association
of Cooperatives, Southeast Goat Producers Co-op (SoGoCo), an
During the past year, the ASAC reached more than 600 farm
annual youth forestry camp in June and other co-op membership
and rural families through community outreach meetings, farm
events are held at the Center each year. Forty young people attend- demonstration days and one-on-one technical assistance.
ed this year’s one week forestry youth camp.
• 46 Alabama farm families were assisted to access NRCS ProLast year, the Southern Grassroots Economic Project (SGEP), a
grams including – EQIP for forestry, hoop houses, fencing and
coalition of cooperative development and community based orga- other needed conservation assistance.
nizations, which includes the Federation, held its CoopEcon 2014
• 6 farmers were assisted in securing FSA micro-loans for a total
conference at the Center in October. This conference brought
of $185,000, including purchase of farm equipment, solar irrigatogether 125 cooperative members and developers, from across
tion systems, beef cattle and other agricultural enterprises. Eight
the South, to focus on worker cooperatives as a means to orga(8) additional micro-loan applications are pending.
nize working people to find alternative and more democratic and
equitable ways to control their lives, livelihoods and communities. • 18 farm and rural families submitted applications to USDA
The meeting was held with simultaneous translation of all speakRural Development for assistance with loans for new housing
ers from English to Spanish and Spanish to English. This was the
construction (Section 502) and for housing rehabilitation (Section
fourth networking and training meeting sponsored by SGEP. The
504); of these, 6 were approved for a total of $320,000 and the
first was held at the Highlander Center in Tennessee, and the last
rest are pending; an additional group of 12 families is working on
three have been held at the Federation’s RTRC in Epes. In 2015,
credit remediation steps to improve their credit standing to qualiSGEP plans smaller local and regional cooperative learning and
fy for housing loans in future application periods.
networking gatherings with the next full CoopEcon session to be
ASAC also provided marketing and promotion assistance and
held in 2016.
support to several of our cooperative members including the
Many other local and more distant groups rent the Center faciliSoutheastern Goat Cooperative (SoGoCo) and Greene-Sumter
ties for meetings, training, family reunions, rural retreats, wedFarmers Market . The cooperatives involved with the Black Belt
Fruit and Vegetable Marketing and Innovation Center in Selma
were assisted with planning, production and marketing assistance.
The Alabama Fisheries Cooperative in south Mobile was assisted
with membership training, market development and business
planning.
The Federation of Greene County Employees Federal Credit
Union in Eutaw, Alabama was
assisted with membership development, planning, fundraising for
their new location on the Courthouse Square in Eutaw and other
operating assistance.
• 16 micro-loans were approved for a total of $891,000;
• 6 operating loans were approved for a total of $657,438;
• 1 restructured loan was approved for a total of $194,200;
• 1 youth loan was approved for a total of $5,000;
• 10 operating loans denied for a total of
$1,097,462;
• 32 farmers signed up or EQIP and CSP
• 17 farmers were assisted with applying
for Georgia Agriculture Tax Exempt cards
which identifies the holder as a qualified
agricultural producer and is exempt from
paying taxes on farm related products;
Georgia
In the past year the Federation’s
Georgia Field Office provided
• 15 WIC farmers’ market workshops were
outreach and education to approxiheld -63 farmers participated;
mately 450 farmers/members. This
• 10 WIC and 7 senior farmers markets
service was provided through 15
were organized and held throughout the
informational workshops, along
season. Georgia allocated $790,340 For
with meetings and newsletters.
WIC and $215,090 for the markets.
Topics covered included USDA
programs, marketing, estate planWe held our 32nd annual farmers conferning, land retention and cooperaence in February. More than 375 farmers
tive development.
and supporters attended. The theme was
Krysta Harden - Deputy Secretary of USDA
“Cooperatives:
Leading, Serving and
The staff also works closely with
2015 Georgia’s Farmers Conference
Growing
Rural
Communities”. The keynote
USDA personnel as evidenced with
speaker
and
a
Southwest
Georgia
native,
was Deputy Secretary of
more than 211 phone calls. USDA personnel also participated in
USDA,
Krysta
Harden.
the Federation sponsored workshops and meetings with farmers.
The objective was to make sure that as service providers, the FedMississippi Association of
eration and USDA were, as much as possible, on the same page
when delivering information and assistance. The goal is to build
Cooperatives
trust among all parties so that the farmers can have confidence in
The Mississippi Association of Cooperathe process.
tives (MAC) held its annual meeting in
Direct one-on-one assistance was provided
March 2015. MAC’s guest speaker was the
to 267 farmers. This assistance was providnewly appointed Executive Director of the
ed through farm visits by our agricultural
Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land
specialist. The specialists and farmers
Assistance Fund, Mr. Cornelius Blanding.
develop individualized service plans and
Mr. Blanding stated that this was a special
assistance is provided in accordance with
moment for him because Mississippi was
needs identified in the plan. The farm visits
one of his first assignments when he joined
are supplemented by telephone visits and
the Federation/LAF. Now, as Executive
counseling-over 578 telephone sessions
Director, Mississippi is where he gives his
were conducted. By the numbers:
first speech. A total of fifty-five delegates
were in attendance.
• 1473 incoming calls to the Georgia Field
for assistance;
MAC’s Small Farmers conference was held
at the end of March in Hattiesburg, Missis• Assisted 7 veteran farmers in accessing
sippi. A total of 375 farmers, ranchers, and
USDA programs;
landowners were in attendance.
• 1020 newsletters mailed or emailed to
MAC’s farm-to-school program aided
farmers/members;
farmers in sales to schools in Louisiana
• Assisted 7 veteran farmers/members
Mississippi Cooperative
• 670 fliers mailed to farmers/members;
• 34 farm business plans for operating and micro-loans with a
total value of $2,845,100 were developed;
and Mississippi. Watermelon and collard
greens were the two items sold in several school districts between
Louisiana and Mississippi. The farmers were able to sell in excess
of $6,000 in produce to the schools.
Our Agribusiness Specialist provided technical assistance on
accessing various USDA programs to 240 socially and economically disadvantaged farmers, ranchers, and landowners. Four
farmers have pending applications for micro-loans. One farmer
has applied for a micro-loan for $10,000 and three others for a
total of $35,000. Twelve farmers have signed up for NRCS cost
share programs. One new and beginning farmer and rancher has
been identified, and that individual received one-on-one technical assistance and has registered his land for a farm number so
that he can begin the process of qualifying for USDA and other
programs.
South Carolina
Outreach Program
The Outreach Program in South Carolina for the past year
focused primarily on small and limited resource farmers in targeted USDA Strikeforce counties, namely, Beaufort, Charleston,
Hampton, Jasper, and Orangeburg. In addition, some services
were provided to residents of Clarendon, Florence, Georgetown,
Richland, and Williamsburg counties.
Most of our efforts were directed at making New and Beginning
Farmers and Ranchers in the above areas aware of the full-range
of programs/resources available to them through NRCS, FSA, and
Rural Development and helping them apply for those programs.
Specifically, the South Carolina Field Office:
• Provided direct technical assistance to small farmers in devel-
oping and documenting their farm plans. However, no farmer, as
yet, has been identified as ready for a business plan.
• Worked with local, state, and federal partners to identify and
provide technical assistance to veterans who wish to become farmers.
• Conducted workshops for small
and limited resource farmers as well
as provided one-on-one training
on the various programs available
through FSA, NRCS, and Rural
Development.
• Helped small and limited resource
farmers complete applications for
loan/grant assistance from FSA,
NRCS, and Rural Development.
Outreach Activities and
Results
County) and 3 farmers participated.
• 2 cooperatives were formed: Global Producers (15 members)
in Williamsburg County and AXIOM Farms (10 members) in
Richland County.
• 10 cooperative business meetings were held.
• 6 cooperative development trainings were held for Global Producers and 2 for AXIOM Farms.
Loans, Applications, and Other Resources
FSA: 4 farmers submitted applications for FSA loans 2 received
micro-loans-one for $15,000 and the other for $6,000). One (1)
farmer applied for a $100,000 farmer ownership loan and the
other for a $10,500 equipment loan, both of which are still under
review.
NRCS: 8 farmers submitted applications for various NRCS programs.
Rural Development: 2 landowners submitted applications for
home loans and 6 for home repair grants.
Sustainable Forestry and Land
Retention Program
Forestry is an often underutilized and unrecognized asset for
African-Americans. The Sustainable Forestry and Land Retention
Program (SFLRP), funded by the US Endowment for Forestry
and Communities, NRCS, and US Forest Service, offers the opportunity to: 1) educate landowners as well as their communities
on the role sustainable forestry can play in creating intergenerational wealth; 2) show how a successful forest management plan can
be an effective strategy for reversing the trend of African-American
land-loss; and 3) create a model for
helping solve the problems related
to heir property that is one of the
leading contributors to the loss of
African-American owned land.
A significant number of the landowners we work with are “forest”
landowners. Thus the SFLRP presents an opportunity to continue to
bring forestry to the forefront of
our overall mission.
Regarding the statistics on this
Alabama Forestry Camp
• 15 socially disadvantaged farmers
work:
were identified for participation in the New and Beginning Farm• More than 40 landowners are enrolled in the project. The total
ers and Ranchers Program; they voted to become a cooperative.
land owned is approximately 3,700 acres. With a conservative
• 50 farm visits and calls were made to farmers and landowners.
value of $800 dollars per acre, this represents nearly $3 million in
wealth. The SFLRP could significantly increase that wealth over
• 6 informational workshops were held with farmers and landtime and into future generations.
owners on different USDA programs. Sixty (60) farmers and
landowners attended.
• During the last two years, the Project Forester conducted 120
field visits and meetings. The purpose was to provide technical
• 4 marketing meetings were held with commercial and local
assistance and information to the landowners and improve combuyers.
munication and trust between landowners and USDA agencies.
• 1 farmers market was established in Kingstree (Williamsburg
Continued on page 12
Ralph Paige
Federation of Southern Cooperatives
Land Assistance Fund
Executive Director 1985-2015
Eddie J. Carthan, President
Mississippi Family Farmers
I am honored and highly appreciative to have
known and worked with one of God’s strongest men, Ralph Paige. Ralph and I came to
the Federation at the same time for training,
studying, organizing, and networking for
minority farmers, landowners, and entrepreneurs. I love Ralph Paige and pray that God
will immensely bless him, his family, and
friends.
Georgia S. Good, Executive
Director
Rural Advancement Fund
Ralph Page is a man who took on the attitude of an optimist for the majority of his
life. He lived during civil rights and made
great strides in improving the quality of life
for rural farmers. His expectation was that
things would one day truly change for rural
America and that all men would have equal
rights. He never stoped believing the impossible. Congratulations and I thank you from the
bottom of my heart for all that you have done
to enhance lives.
Gary Grant
Black Farmers & Agriculturists
Asso.
Ralph Paige remains a man to be admired,
respected, and lauded for his work for the
salvation of Black farmers and landowners.
Many people begin the journey unselfishly,
but few persevere selflessly on the voyage
and last with the same devotion and piety that
they began with. Ralph is one whose notoriety at the higher levels of government did not
impact his zeal for the work he was committed to. Thank you Ralph for all you have done
over the years, for what you have taught so
many and for your enduring stand to save
Black farmers and landowners.
Liz Bailey
Calvin R. King, Sr. President
I’ve never known or worked with anyone quite like Ralph .
I’ve collaborated with Ralph and watched him do his work -in the Deep South, in the cooperative community and in the
corridors of power in Washington, DC. His tireless advocacy and dedication to the mission of the Federation has been
impressive. There’s no question that Ralph has made an
impact. Ralph has inspired me with his passion for achieving social and economic justice.
You are by all definition a leader of mankind. This is a unique opportunity for rural communities and community base organization
representatives to reflect on the outstanding leadership and the
great order of your most sterling personality. Your wisdom, loyalty and outstanding idealism, combined with vigor and unequaled
experience has been a national tower of strength to all rural communities and community based organizations.
(formerly) Cooperative Development Fnd.
Arkansas Land &Farm Development Corp.
Liz Bailey
(formerly) Cooperative Development Fnd.
I’ve never known or worked with anyone quite like Ralph . I’ve
collaborated with Ralph and watched him do his work -- in the Deep
South, in the cooperative community and in the corridors of power
in Washington, DC. His tireless advocacy and dedication to the
mission of the Federation has been impressive. There’s no question that Ralph has made an impact. Ralph has inspired me with his
passion for achieving social and economic justice.
Eddie J. Carthan, President
Mississippi Family Farmers
I am honored and highly appreciative to have known and worked
with one of God’s strongest men, Ralph Paige. Ralph and I came to
the Federation at the same time for training, studying, organizing,
and networking for minority farmers, landowners, and entrepreneurs. I love Ralph Paige and pray that God will immensely bless
him, his family, and friends.
Georgia S. Good, Executive
Director
Rural Advancement Fund
Ralph Page is a man who took on the attitude of an optimist for
the majority of his life. He lived during civil rights and made great
strides in improving the quality of life for rural farmers. His expectation was that things would one day truly change for rural
America and that all men would have equal rights. He never stoped
believing the impossible. Congratulations and I thank you from the
bottom of my heart for all that you have done to enhance lives.
Gary Grant
Black Farmers & Agriculturists Asso.
Ralph Paige remains a man to be admired, respected, and lauded
for his work for the salvation of Black farmers and landowners.
Many people begin the journey unselfishly, but few persevere selflessly on the voyage and last with the same devotion and piety that
they began with. Ralph is one whose notoriety at the higher levels
of government did not impact his zeal for the work he was committed to. Thank you Ralph for all you have done over the years, for
what you have taught so many and for your enduring stand to save
Black farmers and landowners.
Calvin R. King, Sr. President
Arkansas Land &Farm Development Corp.
You are by all definition a leader of mankind. This is a unique opportunity for rural communities and community base organization
representatives to reflect on the outstanding leadership and the
great order of your most sterling personality. Your wisdom, loyalty
and outstanding idealism, combined with vigor and unequaled experience has been a national tower of strength to all rural communities and community based organizations.
Martin Lowery, Executive Vice President
NRECA
Ralph Paige is one of the great defenders of the level playing field
for all human beings on this earth. I have learned much from him,
particularly the determination to never give up. Through the Federation he has kept the dream alive and built a beautiful, rainbow
tent that I have been privileged to share. All the best in retirement
to Ralph and Bernice, and may they please stay involved with the
cause!
Carolyn Mugar, Executive Director
Ralph Paige
(the photo is of the Federation’s
Rural Research & Training Center in Alabama)
Cornelius Blanding, Executive Director
Federation of Southern Cooperatives/
Land Assistance Fund
It is truly an honor and privilege to call Ralph a mentor and
friend. I worked with and learned from him for 17 years. His
commitment and compassion are what I admire most about
him. Ralph has given his life to the struggles of black farmers
& landowners, cooperatives and rural communities in the
south.....for that he is a giant.
• The Project Forester assisted 33 landowners to submit EQIP applications; of that number, 30 had never participated in an NRCS
program. All thirty-three were approved for Conservation Activity Plans (CAP); 13 have been funded thus far – of that number,
nine were funded for the maximum $25,000 and one for $9,000
for site prep and planting of 17 acres. Total amount of EQIP funding approved $234,000. Eight (8) timber sales are in progress.
• Number of landowners who are receiving full estate planning
services including advice and counsel: 42
• Youth engagement in forestry is a key component of the Federation’s outreach and education strategy. The Federation held its
Annual Summer Forestry Camp on June 22-26 at the Rural Training Center in Epes, AL. The Project Forester served as Camp
Director. Forty (40) high school students from the project area
attended the camp. Camp partners included NRCS, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Tuskegee University, MidStar Timber Company,
Lee Wildlife Services, River City
Land Services/ Freddie Davis, and
Sumter County Fire and Rescue.
• Number of Family Agreements including Power of Attorney,
LLC’s, Corporation, Family Trusts completed to qualify for EQIP
eligibility: 8
Forest Land Tenure
Activities and Learning
by the Numbers
• Landowners receiving education and selected services on heir
property: 100
• Number of wills and estate plans completed: 25
• Number of wills and estate plans in progress: 15
• Family Agreements including Powers of Attorney, LLC’s, Corporation, Family Trusts in progress: 10
• Title searches/review of title documents and land records: 10
• Number of family meetings and
one-on-one consultations: 25
• Number of workshops and learning
activities: 6 International
Cooperative
Economic
Development
The Project Attorney manages the
land tenure services. These services are focused on outreach, ed
ucation and direct assistance. The
The Federation/LAF has been inProject Attorney assists in resolvvolved in international cooperative
ing heirs’ property issues in cases
Federation staff member Ben Burkett in Haiti
economic development for more
where the heirs are in agreement and
than
two
decades.
Our
work
includes
direct technical assistance in
can possibly resolve the heirs’ property issues by establishing a
The
Gambia;
cooperative
and
credit
union
development in Senegal;
power of attorney, a family trust or business entity. The Project
farmer-to-farmer
exchange
programs
in
West
Africa and the CaribAttorney has worked with 10 families to complete this process.
bean;
an
agricultural
feasibility
study
and
cooperative
development
The Federation’s attorney network is assisting with preparing legal
in
the
Virgin
Islands
as
well
as
cooperative
and
land
based
develdocuments and providing other direct legal services.
opment in South Africa. During the past year, our international
The Project Forester conducted 8 field visits to assess heir proper- cooperative economic development efforts focused on Haiti and
ty issues.
Cuba.
On May 30, 2105, the Project Attorney organized an Estate PlanIn Haiti, the Federation’s mission is to create a sister-to-sister organing Workshop in Pine Hill, Alabama. The workshop focused on
nizational relationship with a federation of small cocoa producers,
estate planning, disability planning and asset protection. Approx- developing value-added processing capacity in Haiti and coopimately, 75 landowners attended the event.
erative-to-cooperative marketing relationships between member
Currently, the Federation has two law students from Southern
University who are assisting the Project Attorney with legal research, client intake, and legal drafting.
On June 27, 2015, the Federation, in collaboration with the
Limited Resource Landowner Education and Assistance
Network, Alabama Cooperative Extension Service, Alabama Le-
gal Services and local attorneys, hosted a Wills Clinic in Linden,
Alabama. Summer Interns completed Intake Interviews with
twenty landowners who schedule appointments to consult with
an attorney and/or receive a simple will, power of attorney or
health care directive. Landowners with complex estates or heirs
property issues were referred to private attorneys.
• The Project Attorney and legal Interns conducted an Advanced
Estate Planning Workshop on July 28, 2015 in Demopolis. More
than twenty-five landowners attended the event.
cooperatives in Haiti and the U.S. South.
The Federation received a U.S. Department of Treasury License to
travel to Cuba under the auspices of people-to-people exchanges.
A Federation/LAF delegation just recently returned from Cuba as
a follow up to a 2001 trip to re-establish the relationship with an
“Association of Small Producers” in Cuba. The purpose of the trip
was to get a better understanding of the new cooperative guidelines
in Cuba and establish an agenda for subsequent trips for learning
and exchanges between small farmers, cooperatives and partners
interested in sustainable agriculture and cooperative development.
The ultimate goal of the Federation’s international cooperative economic development efforts and work with small farmers, cooperatives and rural communities all over the world is to establish a network of limited resource farmers and cooperatives that are engaged
in fair trade and cultural exchanges with one another.
Thanking Our Retired Staff
Linda Cavitt
Linda Cavitt served as the Finance Director of the
Federation/LAF from 1996 to 2015. She has, in fact, been
involved with the Federation/LAF for decades. Being from
Mississippi, Linda obtained her accountancy degree from
Jackson State University and subsequently used her skills
in movement work on behalf of Black farmers and rural
communities overall. She first became involved with the
Federation/LAF in the accounting department in the early
1970’s where she worked out of the organization’s Rural
Training and Research Center in Epes, Alabama. Significantly, she ultimately worked her way up to becoming the
Finance Director. In the 1980’s she withdrew from the
Federation to then return in 1996 until her retirement this
year. Throughout her long career at the Federation she has
worked closely with the finance staff and leadership such
as Ray Tyson, Julious Anderson, Pat Jackson, and Gordon
Drennan. Her contributions have been significant.
Thank you Linda!
Jacqueline Ward
Jackie began her career at the Federation July 7, 2000 as executive
assistant until her recent retirement. Prior to this she had been
immersed in social and economic justice along with exceptional
administrative, organizing, and communication skills. In her position, she provided administrative support to Federation leaders
Ralph Paige and Jerry Pennick, management staff, and the board of
directors.
For 12 years Jackie worked on the planning and execution of the
Annual Anniversary Celebrations and the Estelle Witherspoon
Lifetime Award Dinners. Its success depended on cooperation
-staff, board members and greatest resource, volunteers. To recharge her batteries, vacation was is a must for Jackie. Some of her
favorite travel memories include visiting the Forums, the Colosseum and museums in Rome; meeting Winnie Mandela in Kwazulu
Natal, South Africa; enjoying late night shots of tequila in Cancun
after visiting the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza.
The Federation and its people hold a very special place in her
heart. Even in retirement, she continues to be engaged as a consultant. Until there is social and economic equity, you never say
goodbye to the Federation.
Thank you Jackie!
Resolution Celebrating the
Life and Legacy of
John Ernest Johnson
(1938-2015)
Whereas, Earnest Johnson served as Credit Union Specialist for the Federation of Southern Cooperatives for more than
three decades from 1970 to 2002;
Whereas, Earnest Johnson was part of the original staff of the Federation that moved with his family to our Rural Training and Research Center in Epes in 1971 and helped to develop the cooperative and credit union training program of
the Federation;
Whereas, Earnest Johnson helped to organize more than twenty Community Development Credit Unions (CDCU’s)
and sustain and support many more CDCU’s in the South and around the nation;
Whereas, Earnest Johnson was an active supporter of the credit union movement and the involvement of poor and
Black people in the movement through the Federation, National Federation of CDCU’s, RDLN, CUNA, NCBA and other organizations;
Whereas, Earnest Johnson was inducted into the National Cooperative
Business Association Hall of Fame in 1998;
Whereas, Earnest Johnson also worked with the international credit
union movement through St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish,
Nova Scotia, Canada, the United Nations and the government of South
Africa;
Whereas, Earnest Johnson was a great human being who worked
tirelessly and with great dedication to serve Black and poor people.
Be it resolved, the Federation of Southern Cooperatives honors the life
and legacy of John Earnest Johnson by inscribing this resolution in the books and records of the organization and will
plant a tree in his honor in our Memorial Grove at the Federation’s Rural Training Center at Epes, Alabama.
Signed this 24th day of July 2015.
_____________________
Shirley Blakley
Board Chairperson
___________________
Cornelius Blanding
Executive Director
COOPERATIVE MEMBERSHIP
Alabama Goat Co-op
COOPERATIVE MEMBERSHIP
STAFF
ALABAMA Alabama State Association Of Cooperatives – Alabama
PUBLIC RELATIONS & FINANCE OFFICE • ATLANTA, GA
Fisheries Co-op – Coden • Browntown Co-op - Marbury • Demopolis
Cornelius Blanding Executive Director, Cornell Crawford Finance
Citizens FCU - Demopolis • Federation of Greene County Employees
Director, Eboni Thomas, Executive Assistant Rosemary Barnes
Administrative Assistant, Gordon Drennan Internal Auditor,
FCU - Eutaw • Freedom Quilting Bee - Alberta • Marengo County
Eris Adams Accounting
Farmers Co-op - Safford • PLBA Housing Development Corp. Jason White and Alex Jackson, Tuskegee University Interns
Gainesville • Selma-Dallas Farmers Cooperative - Selma • SOGOCO
Goat Producers Cooperatives - Epes • West Alabama Farmers
FLORIDA STATE OFFICE
Association - Sawyerville • Sankofa Youth Agricultural Co-op Monica Rainge State Coordinator
Livingston ARKANSAS Arkansas Farm & Land Development Corp.
Demarcus Williams Outreach Specialist
- Brinkley GEORGIA Georgia State Association of Cooperatives
• Flint River Farmers Cooperative - Newton • Georgia Child Care
GEORGIA STATE OFFICE • ALBANY, GA
and Nutritional Assoc. - Atlanta • Houston Cty. Child Development
Cornelius Key State Coordinator, Lisha Brown Administrative
Center - Perry • Southern Alternatives Cooperative - Ellaville •
Assistance, Catherine Kendrick, Marketing/Outreach Specialist,
South Georgia Vegetable Producers - Quitman • West Georgia
Marquis Harris Outreach Specialist
Farmers Cooperative - Hamilton KENTUCKY Kentucky Minority
RURAL TRAINING & RESEARCH CENTER• EPES, AL
Farmers Association LOUISIANA Louisiana Oystermen Association
- Plaquemine Parish • Point Coupee Farmers Cooperative - New John Zippert Director of Program Operations, Debra Eatman Center
Logistics Coordinator Ethel Giles Coordinator, Alabama State AssoRoads MISSOURI Missouri Rural Crisis Center MISSISSIPPI
ciation
of Cooperatives Pam Madzima Director of Rural Cooperative
Mississippi State Association of Cooperatives •Attala County Self
Development Program, Alice Paris Membership Desk, Osagie Idehen
Help Cooperative • Attala County Self Help Cooperative, Inc •
Outreach Consultant -ASAC, Alex Harvey Forestry Program Specialist,
Beat 4 Farms Cooperative A.A.L. • Boque Chitto / Lincoln County
Dr. Susan K. Bambo Outreach and Technical Services Coordinator, AarCommunity Center • Family Farmers Cooperative • Indian Springs on Hodge Outreach Specialist, Walter Brown and Shaina Pomerantz
Farmers Association, Inc. • Kemper Regional Outreach Cooperative
– law school interns from Southern University, Baton Rouge, LA
(KROC) - Scooba • Milestone Cooperative Association • Mississippi
Delta Southern Rural Black Women in Agriculture • Mid-South
LOUISIANA STATE OFFICE
Bruce Harrell, Agriculture Specialist
Progressive Agricultural Group • Mississippi Meat Goat Producers
- Pattison • Mt. Zion Saving Lives Outreach Center - Noxapater
MISSISSIPPI STATE OFFICE • JACKSON, MS 
• New Community Cooperative • North Bolivar Development
Ben Burkett State Coordinator
Cooperative • North Delta Produce Growers Cooperative • Quitman
Myra
Bryant
Director
of Mississippi Center for Co-op Development,
County Development Organization • South Rankin County Farmers
Daisy Garrett, Outreach Specialist, Daniel Teague Agriculture
Association • Unlimited Community Agriculture Cooperative Specialist, Joe Barnes Agribusiness Management Specialist, Darnella
Starkville • Winston County Self Help Cooperative • East Central
Burkett-Winston Cooperative Field Specialist (LA), Kimberly Crisler,
Federal Credit Union (Hope) • Shelby Bolivar County Federal Credit Director of Finance, Savannah Jackson-Hales Cooperative Development
Union • Shreveport Federal Credit Union • First Delta Federal Credit
Specialist, Latanya Toomer MS Agriculture Mediation Specialist,
Union SOUTH CAROLINA South Carolina State Association of Maya Crooks Agriculture Specialist, Tywan Arrington Project Director,
Cooperatives AXIOM FARMS-Columbia • Jasper County Farmers
Paul Darby Consultant
- Hampton • Farmers Co-op/CIA - Greelyville • Global ProducersSOUTH CAROLINA STATE OFFICE
Kingstree • Mid-eastern Farmers Cooperative - Mayesville • People’s
Gloria Tinubu State Coordinator,
Cooperative - Nesmith • South Carolina Sea Island Farmers CoWilliam Wallace Outreach Coordinator
op - Ravenel TEXAS Texas Landowners Association - Houston
PRODUCTION TEAM - Production Coordinator Heather Gray
Writers/Researchers: Jerry Pennick, John Zippert. Eboni Thomas Photographers Cornelius Blanding, Heather Gray, Cathy
Kendrick, John Zippert (note: Executive Director Cornelius Blanding was the photographer of the back cover photo - it
is from the farm of Lee Jackson - a shrimp and cattle farmer in Lowndes County, Alabama)
Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund • 2769 Church Street
East Point, GA 30344 • 404 765 0991 • www. federation.coop
Funders
2014-2015
Financials
Federation Of Southern Cooperatives/
Land Assistance Fund’s
Combined Statement Of Financial Position
(Unaudited)
August 31, 2014
Alabama Power Co
Black Belt Community Foundation
CHS Foundation
Dolphin Foundation
E. M. Gitt Charitable Foundation
Evangelical Lutheran Church
Farm Aid
Farm Credit Council
Fund For Democratic Communities
GA Department of Public Health
Jessie Smith Noyes
Nathan Cummings Foundation
National Fish and Wildlife
Nationwide Insurance
NCB
NCBA/CLUSA
PROTEUS Fund
SARE
Sharing, Inc.
Tuskegee University
US Forest Endowment
USDA Agricultural Marketing Services
USDA APHIS
USDA Forest Services
USDA NASS
USDA NRCS
USDA Office of Advocacy & Outreach
USDA Rural Development
ASSETS
Cash and Cash Equivalents Endowment Cash
Investments (Endowment)
Receivables:
Grants and contracts
Promises to give
Loans
Loans, net
Employees (salary and travel advance
Prepaid Insurance
Total Current Assets
$674
855,047
81,935
667,805
97,289
4,259
4,259
81,950
53,141
1,842,100
Property and equipment, at cost
Land
Land Improvements
Parking Lot
Buildings
Building Improvements
Equipment
180,988
37.608
12,300
1,012,084
319,133
534,120
Less: accumulated depreciation
(1,628,398)
New Property and Equipment
467,835
Other Assets
Accrued Interest
Deferred Charges
4,486
6,725
Total Other Assets
11,211
TOTAL ASSETS
$2,321,146
LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS
LIABILITIES
Account Payable
Accrued Leave
Accrued Interest Payable
Accrued Payroll Taxes
Accrued Unemployment Taxes
Other Liabilities
Notes Payable
Current
Non-current
177,278
53,173
8,000
315,767
5,111
65,479
1,407,154
Total Liabilities
NET ASSETS
Unrestricted
Temporarily Restricted
2,281,659
Total Net Assets
TOTAL LIABILITIES & NET ASSETS
(624,927)
664,414
39,487
$2,321,146