A new Iowa County cooperative may expand revenue sources for farmers and serve as a model for economic development in other rural counties.

 About 40 people gathered June 15 at the Wyoming Town Hall near Spring Green to learn about the Driftless Foods Co-op, which is in the formation process.

Construction could begin this fall on the co-op’s first project, an individual quick-frozen vegetable processing plant in Highland, said Rick Terrien, executive director of the Iowa County Area Economic Development Corp.

Seeking initial funding of $20 million to $25 million through investors and grants, the co-op also plans to pursue sustainable poultry processing, hydroponic tomato production and a regional pet-food line.

Terrien said the co-op will be modeled after a worker cooperative in Spain that has spawned many small businesses. He said it’s a better economic development strategy for rural counties than "chasing smokestacks" and trying to attract big companies.

"I want to turn Iowa County into a 763-square-mile (business) incubator," he said.

Mark Olson, of Renaissance Farm near Spring Green, who turns the fresh herbs he grows on three acres into seven product lines marketed nationally, said he would prefer to work with the co-op.

"From a producer’s point of view, it will mean the ability to take my raw agricultural products and have them processed at a scale that is economical and allows me to compete in a larger market," he said.