What is the ICC?

The Illinois Cooperative Council (ICC) serves as a clearinghouse on issues affecting cooperatives in Illinois. Our primary mission is to promote cooperative education, create publicity about cooperatives, foster communication among cooperatives, and develop and disseminate information related to cooperatives in Illinois.

The Council is comprised of various organizations that support cooperatives in the state and its members include agriculture, electric, food, banking and other cooperatives or supporting organizations including academic, state, and federal agencies.

The ICC has promoted cooperative education and informed the general public for six decades.  I have been involved with the ICC since the early 1990s and served as Chairman, Vice Chairman, Treasurer, and Secretary, among other committee leadership roles.  I am proud to see the continuing efforts of our volunteers in fulfilling our mission.   However, our work is more necessary now than ever, to continue to provide education and promote the cooperative way of doing business.

The ICC is currently planning our annual Cooperative Youth Conference. We could not continue these efforts without the financial support of our sponsoring organizations, many of whom are local cooperatives that use this educational opportunity to train future cooperative leaders.  Watch for more information soon about the 2017 event, to be held June 8-9 at Western Illinois University in Macomb.

Written by Kent Erhardt, CoBank