U.S. Agriculture undersecretary visits, praises co-ops LARAMIE, WY (wpr) - During a visit to the Big Hollow Food Co-op in Laramie today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Undersecretary of Rural Development praised cooperatives for supporting rural lifestyles and driving local economies.

Undersecretary Dallas Tonsager says his department works to promote cooperatives, or businesses owned and run by members who share in the profits. He says food co-ops are seeing a new boost of business with the recent popularity of the local food movement, but the business model is nothing new.

"Cooperatives really drive a lot of our economy altogether. The whole national rural electric system is a cooperative, the farm credit system is a cooperative I think local producers and these local kinds of products, I think it's much more accepted. I think it's gotten much better in the last 10 years."

Tonsager pointed out October is national co-op month. He says the organizations have long served rural communities effectively where corporations haven't bothered to go. © Copyright 2012, wpr