Director Committees of Farmer Cooperatives

Excerpts from the report: The growth in size of cooperatives, especially major regional associations, together with the larger number of services performed by many of them has increased the importance and the complexity of the director's job. The effectiveness of board members depend upon many factors. At the request of a regional farmer cooperative and the American Institute of Cooperation, Farmer Cooperative Service undertook a project dealing with these and other problems related to qualifications, selection, and performance of boards of directors of farmer cooperatives. The purpose of this part of the study is to survey the current use and effectiveness of board committees as a tool of management and report the findings for the general guidance and assistance of all cooperatives. The report sheds light on the use of both standing and special board committees; duties, responsibilities, and authority of committees; size of committees; and frequency and length of committee meetings. It also furnishes an evaluation of special board committees designed to study and make recommendations on specific problems.