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Abstract
Excerpts from the report: Cooperative management has long recognized research as an important tool in decisionmaking. Just before the beginning of World War I, many cooperatives began using research findings of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and land-grant universities for guidance in making policy decisions. Some 35 years ago, cooperatives began to explore the possibility of establishing their own business and technical research programs. This study reports on the research activities of some of the 100 largest cooperatives in the United States. Fifty-five of the 80 cooperatives responding to a mail questionnaire provided information as to the nature and extent of their research programs. The basic objectives of this study were to: 1. Determine the nature and extent of cooperative research programs. 2. Suggest points for cooperative leaders to consider in establishing new research programs or in the further development of existing programs.