Determining the economic feasibility of forming a turf cooperative among producers in Southern Idaho and Utah

The purpose of this research was to determine if forming a turf producers' cooperative in southern Idaho and Utah would be economically feasible.; A few producers from the Utah Nursery and Landscaping Association (UNLA) approached staff at Utah State University to inquire about the proper steps to follow in order to form a cooperative.; This dissertation contains the initial feasibility study that was completed for the UNLA.; The main focus of this dissertation concentrated on marketing, trucking costs, and bulk purchasing. A non-random survey was distributed to 55 turf producers in southern Idaho and Utah, with data being received from 13 respondents. Linear programming was used to calculate the minimum number of miles that would have been required for the 13 respondents to fill their delivery orders in 2003 to determine possible savings for trucking costs that might be achieved with a central dispatch system.; Along with the linear programming analysis for trucking costs, an initial market analysis was performed in order to determine areas in which the individual turf producers may save or possibly make more money if they were to decide to work cooperatively. The analysis presented in this dissertation suggests a turf cooperative in this region could save a considerable amount of money on marketing activities alone, and there are other potential benefits that might come from the cooperative. The opportunity for the UNLA turf producers to have a successful cooperative is a possibility based on the findings of this initial feasibility study. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...