Selecting and Electing Directors of Farmer Cooperatives

Excerpts from the report: The board of directors by law has the responsibility of managing the affairs of an association. The manager and other employees carry on their duties in accord with authority to do so only as the board of directors delegates responsibilities to them. As board members are the representatives of the member-owners of an association, the importance of selecting well-qualified individuals to serve on the board of directors cannot be too strongly emphasized. The growth in size of cooperatives, both at local and regional levels, together with the larger number of services performed by many of them has brought about an increased complexity in the job of the director. There has developed a widespread recognition of the need for better qualified directors, more care in their selection and methods of election, and a greater recognition of their duties and responsibilities. This analysis of present methods employed in selecting directors is designed as a basis for offering recommendations for improving procedures.