Co-ops seen as business centers of rural communities

By Matthew Wilde, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Iowa McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

Oct. 27–WASHBURN, Iowa — Grain cooperatives are money-making machines in recent years, thanks to record demand and high prices for crops.

But cooperative officials say co-ops are much more than a place to buy, sell or store grain. Elevators are the heartbeat of rural communities.  Read on