Federation of Southern Cooperatives celebrates commitment to Black farmers, landowners and underserved communities in the South

Members of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives Listen to USDA Representatives during the USDA Leadership Resource Panel

The Federation of Southern Cooperatives held its 57th Annual Meeting from August 15-17 to discuss and celebrate their commitment to supporting Black farmers, landowners, cooperatives and underserved communities in the South. To help celebrate and join the important conversations around their work, employees of NCBA CLUSA from across multiple departments attended this event, including the Strengthening Cooperative Communities project team, and members of the Farmer-to-Farmer project, government relations, finance and business development.

Over the past year, the Federation has secured nearly $460,000 for cooperative investment; provided heirs property technical assistance to 124 landowners, impacting more than 8,000 acres of land; and submitted close to 2,000 Discrimination Financial Assistance Program applications. Learn more about the Federation's work in their 2023-24 Annual Report.

The meeting started with a roundtable discussion focused on creating collective impact for infrastructure and policy with cooperators from across the country. We heard from farmers, cooperative leaders, lawyers and policymakers about the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement program, and what actions we can take to collectively foster greater participation for historically underserved farmers.

The day closed with the 23rd Annual Estelle Witherspoon Lifetime Achievement Award Banquet. The fundraising event honored South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn, who was awarded the Estelle Witherspoon Lifetime Achievement Award for his exceptional contributions to his community and his relentless advocacy for justice and equity. This prestigious award, given in memory of Estelle Witherspoon, honors her unwavering dedication to community advancement and cooperation, and is given to those who embody these values.

On Friday, the Federation met at their rural practice center in Epes, Alabama. This full day training focused on USDA updates from representatives, including a leadership resource panel from the heads of multiple USDA departments, an update on the 22007 Discrimination Financial Assistance Program and other technical assistance opportunities and trainings.

"Being able to network with farmers and cooperative managers from across the country gave me a wonderful opportunity to learn about the incredible work they are doing in the U.S. cooperative area, and I enjoyed being a part of the Federation's meeting," said Shirley Gasparo, Assistant Program Manager/Recruiter for NCBA CLUSA's Farmer-to-Farmer program.

The day ended with their annual fish fry, auction and entertainment. The annual meeting concluded on Saturday, August 17 with a Prayer Breakfast followed by a Business Meeting with reports from the Board of Directors, Executive Director Cornelius Blanding and state caucuses of cooperatives. To learn more about the Southern Federation of Cooperative's 57th Annual Meeting, listen to Everything Co-op's live broadcast.

NCBA CLUSA employees (from left to right): Rachael Holt, Songseoub Kim, Shirley Gasparo, Alfred Hylton-Dei, Aaliyah Nedd, August Wagner, and Kiara McGowan (center) pose for a selfie at the Federation of Southern Cooperatives Rural Training and Research Center in Epes, Alabama.Terence Courtney, Cooperative Development Director, discusses Cooperative Development during the Annual Meeting's concurrent workshops.

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