The National Farmers Union looked at the future of co-ops in local communities at their annual convention. National Cooperative Business Association President and CEO Doug O’Brien says technology can be a double-edged sword for rural communities. “On one hand, technology does tend to create an even bigger magnet for people to go to more urban areas. It’s where a lot of the tech jobs tend to be composed and some of those businesses,” O’Brien said. “On the other hand, we saw particularly during the pandemic we could see that technology could be a solution for people who want to live in rural communities.” Technology can allow for more remote work in those situations. O’Brien says one challenge for rural cooperatives is access to capital.
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