Rural Developers’ Assembly Virtual Meeting Recording

NDAREC’s cooperative development center hosted a virtual Rural Developers’ Assembly on September 29, 2020 where Margaret Bau, USDA Rural Development walked participants through the idea of homecare worker cooperatives for the state of ND.

Margaret holds the distinction of organizing the country’s first rural home care workers cooperative.

Margaret has been a Cooperative Development Specialist with USDA Rural Development since 1998. She has assisted in the formation of over 30 cooperatives across her home state of Wisconsin in industries as diverse as long term care, distributing local foods into regional institutions, arts marketing and galleries, conventional groceries, housing, disability support services, and converting existing businesses into employee ownership.

Margaret now works for the USDA national office as a resource on cooperative development but remains based in central Wisconsin.