October is National Cooperative Month and 2012 is the the United Nations International Year of Cooperatives, so it is extra special to celebrate record farm cooperative income in 2011 and dairy co-ops did very well indeed.

USDA released the latest statistics today, showing that farmer, rancher and fishery cooperatives posted record sales of $213 billion and $5.4 billion in net income, surpassing the previous record sales year of 2008 by $10 billion while besting the old income record by $500 million.

“These new cooperative sales and income records for 2011 underscore the strength and productivity of the nation’s farmer- and rancher-owned cooperatives, and the vital role they play in the nation’s economy,” said Dallas Tonsager, under secretary for Rural Development. “Primarily because of mergers, the number of farm co-ops continued to decline, but memberships and asset values are up.” Tonsager also noted that co-op employment levels remained strong, with cooperatives employing 184,000 full-time, part-time and seasonal workers, up slightly from 2010.

USDA’s annual list of the nation’s 100 largest agricultural cooperatives, also released today, shows that they also had record sales and income in 2011. The 100 largest ag co-ops reported revenue of $148 billion in 2011, an increase of almost 30 percent over 2010, when revenue totaled $113 billion. Net income for the 100 top co-ops was $3.17 billion, up from $2.35 billion in 2010. The previous top 100 co-op records were $130 billion for sales and $2.42 billion for income, both marks set in 2008.

The top ten agricultural cooperatives include four dairy cooperatives. Dairy Farmers of America of Kansas City with $12.9 billion in revenue was number two on the list again, topping 2010 revenue by 20%. Ranking 6th on the list was California Dairies with $3.66 billion, up 20% from 2010. The 9th and 10th largest cooperatives were Northwest Dairy Association of Seattle and Associated Milk Producers of Minnesota, both with approximately $2 billion in revenue, up 30% and 20% respectively from 2010.

Listen to or download Tonsager’s press conference here: USDA Under Secretary Dallas Tonsager