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b Strategies to Revitalize Rural America About two - thirds of participants in a Better Homes and Gardens consumer panel said they would pay a pre- mium for pork raised on a small farm, on an environmentally responsible farm, or humanely. Others will pay a premium for antibiotic -free meat or products with unique flavor or other special attributes. But family farmers and ranchers who want to enter special markets with premium prices — sometimes called niche markets — often find it very difficult. They frequently must develop their own marketing channels from scratch and must also develop new production methods. Those just starting have to line up capital. It's much harder than walking into the office of a corporate integrator and signing up as a contract producer. A cooperative could make it more feasible for family farmers to enter high -value markets and, in the process, capture this opportunity for them. If family farms and ranches don't capture it quickly, it may be lost to cor- porate farms. They have taken note of organic, natural, and other niche markets and responded. Corporate farms are attractive suppliers to food companies wanting to put natural and other specialty prod- ucts on supermarket shelves. It is cheaper and easier to go to one large corporate supplier for raw farm prod- ucts than to find hundreds or thousands of small farmers who can certify that they meet quality and produc- tion standards and provide a steady and adequate supply when it's needed. But a cooperative that markets for many family farmers and ranchers would have those advantages and more. Like a large corporate farm, a family farm cooperative could offer food companies a guaranteed and steady supply of farm products that meet niche market standards in one stop. That would make it far easier for food companies to develop products to serve niche markets, encourage more of them to enter, and in turn create more opportunities for family farmers to sell in these markets. Securing raw farm products from a family farm cooperative would give food companies an added advantage with consumers who want to vote for what they believe in with their food dollars. They could say their food was raised on a small family farm — something many consumers would like to support. For example, there could be a significant market advantage for a cooperative selling high - quality meat, certi- fied as raised on small family farms and ranches without hormones or feed antibiotics, and meeting objective standards for stewardship of the environment and humane treatment of animals. The cooperative with the ability to provide a steady supply of products offering that market edge would be able to secure a significant premium for its members. What Services Should Such a Cooperative Provide? A cooperative could help family farmers and ranches secure premium markets without raising large amounts of capital to build or purchase processing facilities or even a brand name. The key would be offering a core set of strategic services. First, the cooperative would need to provide marketing and collective bargaining services. It would be the vehicle for family farmers and ranchers to collectively market products that meet specific standards — for Page 18