College Conference on Cooperatives
Minneapolis, MN | February 19-21, 2027
Calling the next generation of cooperators! Join fellow students and emerging cooperative leaders and professionals for this two-day conference focused on building a stronger future for co-ops. Together, we’ll explore how cooperatives can actively engage the next generation, and how you can be a part of it. With a two-track agenda, this conference is designed to meet participants where they are in their cooperative knowledge. Whether you’re new to the space, you work at a cooperative, you want to start a cooperative, or you’re an experienced cooperator looking to engage the next generation, you’ll find relevant sessions, practical tools, and meaningful interactive opportunities.
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Agenda
Thursday, February 12, 2026
Group Arrivals
Dinner (Provided)
Friday, February 13, 2026
Breakfast (Provided)
Welcome + Icebreakers
Co-ops 101
What is a co-op, anyway? This session will cover the basics of cooperative business economics, different types of co-ops, the history of their development, and the 7 cooperative principles.
Powered by Producers: Cooperatives in Agriculture
Cooperatives have a long history in agriculture: learn how they benefit farmers and rural communities by hearing from a diverse panel of speakers.
Louis K. Doering Keynote Luncheon
Democracy at Work: The Worker Co-op Difference
What happens when employees own their workplace? This panel will explore worker-owned cooperatives, how they stand out from the competition, and how they stand up for their communities.
Decision-Making in Cooperatives: How Would You Act?
Co-op boards of directors are faced with a variety of pressing and difficult questions that don’t always have clear paths forward. Participants will interact in scenarios and will have to decide: how would YOU act?
Break
Evening at the Mall of America
Buses will provide optional transportation to the Mall of America for an evening out.
Saturday, February 14, 2026
Cooperative Tours Across the Twin Cities
Schedule to be announced
Group Tickets to CINCH World's Toughest Rodeo
Saddle up for a night of bull riding, saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, women’s barrel racing, and pre-show “down on the dirt” entertainment. Your rodeo ticket is included in your registration; participants will be responsible for purchasing their own food at the arena.
Sunday, February 15, 2026
Breakfast (Provided)
Debriefing the Co-op Tours
Co-op Feasibility Simulation
Groups will apply what they’ve learned and design their own cooperatives in a feasibility simulation that will challenge them to consider realities and limitations facing co-ops today.
Co-opportunities: What's Next?
Boxed Lunch (Provided)
Inside the Co-ops of Minneapolis and St. Paul
See some of the cooperatives National Farmers Union has featured at the College Conference on Cooperatives in this behind-the-scenes video.
