This article empirically tests the hypothesis that cooperative boards of directors and board size, specifically, can influence firm performance. Most existing studies of cooperative governance rely on qualitative data to draw inferences; however, this chapter uses several USDA data sets and a...

This case study on the former Rice Growers Association (RGA) analyzes the effects of a variety of business decisions and market changes, relative to the ongoing Farmers’ Rice Cooperative (FRC). Interview and survey findings reveal that many respondents felt RGA’s Board of Directors...

Three aspects of property rights theory are particularly relevant to the conversion of the walnut-marketing cooperative, Diamond Walnut Growers (DWG), into a publicly traded stockholder-owned corporation. The horizon problem became apparent when DWG began investing heavily in branded,...