Illinois Statutes Chapter 805. Business Organizations § 315/2. Definitions and short title

(a) As used in this Act:

The term “Director of Agriculture” means the Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture or the Director's designee.

The term “agricultural products” shall include horticultural, viticultural, forestry, dairy, live stock, poultry, bee and any farm and aquatic products and fur bearing animals raised in captivity and their products.

The term “member” shall include actual members of associations without capital stock, and holders of common stock in associations organized with capital stock.

The term “association” means any corporation organized under this Act, or any corporation formed under any general or special act of this or any other state as a co-operative association, organized for the mutual benefit of its members, and in which the returns on the stock or membership capital is limited to an amount not to exceed 8% per annum, and in which during any fiscal year thereof the value of business done with non-members shall not exceed the business done with members during the same period, and in which substantially all of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock or memberships are owned, held and controlled directly or indirectly, by producers of agricultural products.

The term “person”, except when used in reference to an officer or member of the board of directors, in which case it means an individual, shall include any individual or any entity, including but not limited to a sole proprietorship, a partnership, a corporation, a cooperative, an association, a limited liability company, an estate, or a trust.

(b) Associations organized hereunder shall be deemed “non-profit”, inasmuch as they are not organized to make profit for themselves, as such, or for their members, as such, but only for their members as producers.

(c) This Act may be cited as the Agricultural Co-Operative Act.