Throughout October, 40 Square Cooperative Solutions is celebrating National Co-op month. We are proud of our unique status as the first – and only! – Minnesota agricultural co-op focusing exclusively on health plans for farm families, agribusinesses and their employees through access to self-funded health insurance options.

Minnesota is home to more co-ops than any state in the nation. Since 1948, Minnesota has recognized Co-op Month, becoming the first state to formally honor co-ops. In 1964, Co-op Month became nationally recognized by then-USDA Secretary (and former Minnesota Gov.) Orville Freeman with the theme: “Cooperatives: USDA Helps Build a Better America.” That same theme rings true today, with the U.S. supporting nearly 30,000 cooperatives across many industries, led by agriculture. Minnesota’s farmer cooperatives are the nation’s second-largest economic generators, contributing $16.2 billion in economic activities each year! According to USDA’s latest data, farmer cooperatives hold a record $96.3 billion in assets and a record $44.4 billion in farmer-member equity. The nation’s largest agricultural cooperative in the nation, CHS Inc, is based in Inver Grove Heights, Minn.

“We join the agriculture and larger cooperative community in celebrating National Co-op Month,” 40 Square Executive Director Char Vrieze said. “Co-ops have a rich history in our state. They’ve helped form the backbone of our agriculture industry, and as an organization that is focused on health – not profits – we’re proud to be a cooperative that offers quality health plans to Minnesota families working in agriculture.”

Celebrated by cooperatives nationwide during the month of October, National Co-op Month is an annual opportunity to raise awareness of a trusted, proven way to conduct business and build communities in a grassroots fashion. This year’s theme, “Build Back for Impact,” is also a chance to leverage our shared cooperative identity in the face of complex challenges we face. Our biggest impact comes from embracing the values and principles that make co-ops truly special.

Having come to the market in January 2018 to fill a growing need for expanded health care options, 40 Square is a member-owned and member-governed health plan. In other words: With 40 Square, you own your health plan. Any health care dollars left over at the end of the year go back to members in the form of enhancing benefits, decreasing premiums or curbing price increases. The initiative to form 40 Square was founded by Cooperative Network, the Minnesota and Wisconsin state trade association of cooperatives and United Farmers Cooperative (UFC), an agricultural supply cooperative based in Winthrop, Minnesota.

“Like other co-ops that have led the way for strong agricultural communities, 40 Square is helping to preserve the proud tradition of Minnesota agriculture for generations to come,” Vrieze said.

40 Square’s 2022 open enrollment season begins Nov. 1 and runs through Dec. 20 for existing plan participants. For new customers, open enrollment starts in the first week of October. To learn more, contact the 40 Square team at 844-205-9579 or info@40square.coop. For more information on National Co-op Month, visit coopmonth.coop.