The Cooperative Accountant

CPE: 1 Credit Hour Electric cooperatives operate in a unique environment where board-approved rates are designed to recover costs and maintain long-term financial stability. This session examines how ASC 980, Regulated Operations, allows cooperatives to align accounting results with the realities of the ratemaking process.

Cooperative boards are most effective when directors have the information, context, and perspective needed to stay focused on their governance role. This session will examine why boards sometimes become inefficient or get off course, and how management leaders and professionals who work with boards can communicate expertise in ways that improve understanding, strengthen judgment, and support better board outcomes. .

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Larry Romuald, a devoted leader, mentor, and friend to NSAC and so many throughout the cooperative community. Larry dedicated 42 years of his career to serving agricultural cooperatives, but those who knew him will remember him for far more than his professional accomplishments. He was a trusted advisor, a thoughtful leader, and someone who generously shared his knowledge and experience with others.

NSAC is headed to sunny San Diego! We’re excited to announce that The Cooperative COMPASS—guiding accounting, tax, and finance professionals in the cooperative industry toward exceptional education, collaboration, and innovation—is coming to San Diego, California, May 3–5, 2027.

A retirement plan that runs on company stock can turn into a company’s next liquidity crisis — and U.S. accounting rule-setters are weighing whether businesses should be forced to spell out the size and timing of those buyback bills. The issue centers on employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), a common way for private-company founders to sell their businesses to workers as they head for the exits.

George v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 2026‑10 (Feb. 3, 2026) is one of the most consequential cases in the agriculture industry in recent years with respect to the research and development (R&D) credit under IRC §41. The U.S. Tax Court made it clear that agricultural innovation does not need a lab coat to qualify for the R&D credit. Production based experimentation, whether in barns, fields, or poultry houses, can count when aimed at cracking real technical uncertainty.

CPE: 1 Credit Hour Field of Study: Taxes Hosted in collaboration with the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC) and the National Society of Accountants for Cooperatives (NSAC), this webinar will provide an update on the evolving clean fuel incentive landscape, with a focus on recent legislative changes, Section 45Z clean fuel production credit requirements, and prevailing wage and apprenticeship considerations.

Published July 27, 2026 Early-bird registration is now open for NCBA CLUSA’s 10th Annual Cooperative IMPACT Conference! For 10 years, the Cooperative IMPACT Conference has brought together leaders, innovators, and advocates from across the cooperative movement to explore what’s next—and shape the future together.

This session focuses on the income statement and the reporting of electric cooperative operating results under the Uniform System of Accounts (USOA). Participants will explore operating revenues, operating expenses, and non-operating income and expense items, while gaining insight into how financial performance is measured and reported. The course will provide practical examples to help attendees better understand cooperative revenue recognition, cost classification, and overall financial results.

Published July 16, 2026 By Dr. Tommie Singleton Professor Accounting Sanders College of Business & Technology, Dr. Mark Lawrence Professor Accounting Sanders College of Business & Technology INTRODUCTION Cooperatives accumulate tremendous volume of data in the performance of accounting processes. In today’s world, collecting data leads to inherent risks. Such risks include crimes from access to personal identifiable information (PII), commercial sabotage, ransomware, and a variety of other risks.