The Quentin Burdick Center for Cooperatives at NDSU has received a $10,000 donation from CoBank and Farm Credit System. The donation will help support the overall mission of the center, which is dedicated to advancing knowledge about cooperatives within the university and among the general public.

Everett Dobrinski, CoBank chair, and David Kragnes, former chair of American Crystal Sugar Co. and member of the CoBank’s board of directors, presented the contribution at the recent Al Bloomquist Lecture event, which is held annually by the center.

“We’re pleased to be underwriting the Burdick Center and its mission of support for cooperatives,” said Bob Engel, CoBank’s president and chief executive officer. “The economic turmoil of the past few years has underscored the strong benefits of the cooperative business model and the unique alignment of interests it creates between customers, investors and other stakeholders. In promoting the cooperative approach, the Burdick Center continues to perform an enormous service for agriculture and the rest of the rural economy in this region of the country.”

“We’re grateful for this contribution and the ongoing support of CoBank and Farm Credit System,” said Greg McKee, Burdick Center director. “This donation will allow us to enhance the quality of the center’s education, training, research and other programs.”

The mission of the center is to conduct, promote and coordinate university education and research on cooperatives; strengthen cooperatives’ operation; and work toward expanding employment and economic opportunities through cooperatives.

Half of the contribution to the center came directly from CoBank. The rest came through a donation from the Farm Credit Foundation’s Douglas D. Sims Fund for Rural Leadership, which was established through a $1 million grant by CoBank in 2006 in recognition of its former chief executive officer.