More top 100 agricultural cooperatives make their home in Iowa than any other state, according recent USDA data. The number of top 100 co-ops in Iowa, 16, is up from 11 a decade ago.

USDA's annual list of the nation's top 100 agricultural cooperatives, by business volume, indicates Minnesota ranks second among the states, with 13.

Minnesota is followed by Nebraska with nine, Illinois and Wisconsin with five each, then California, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri and Ohio, which are all tied with four.

Iowa is home to more top 100 agricultural cooperatives than any other state, USDA's annual co-op rankings find

Looking at business volume where a cooperative has its headquarters, Minnesota ranks first among the states, with $68.8 billion. Missouri is second at $16.2 billion and Illinois is third at $13.2 billion.

Record sales, improved rankings
Like the nation's ag co-op sector as a whole, the top 100 cooperatives also enjoyed a third consecutive year of record sales. They reported revenue of $174 billion in 2013, an increase of almost 9% over the $166 billion reported in 2012.

Net income (after taxes) remained virtually unchanged from 2012, at $3.5 billion. The previous records for sales and net income were set in 2012.

CHS Inc., Saint Paul, Minn. – an energy, farm supply, grain and food co-op – has been the nation's largest ag co-op during the past decade. It held onto the No. 1 spot in 2013, with $44 billion in revenue. It was followed by Land O' Lakes Inc., Saint Paul, Minn., with sales of $14 billion, and Dairy Farmers of America, Kansas City, Mo., with almost $13 billion in revenue.

Related: Ag Cooperatives Report Strong Growth in 2013

Wheaton-Dumont Cooperative Elevator, a grain co-op based in Wheaton, Minn., made the biggest climb up the Top 100. In 2012, it was not even on the list, ranking 150th. The co-op rose 58 spots, to 92nd place, in 2013.

The Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative, Wahpeton, N.D., a sugarbeet co-op, showed the next largest gain, moving from 131st place in 2012 to 98th in 2013.

Twenty-three cooperatives improved their ranking by double-digits. Six of these are mixed co-ops (co-ops that handle grain and farm supply sales). Dairy and grain each had two co-ops make double-digit gains, while cotton, rice and sugar each had one co-op jump by at least 10 places.

Grain cooperatives have experienced the largest increase in top 100 representation during the past decade. There were 19 grain cooperatives in the top 100 in 2004. That number rose to 41 in 2013.

Dairy cooperative representation in the top 100 fell from 28 to 21 during the same period, while farm supply cooperatives increased from 13 to 16.

October is National Cooperative Month. According to USDA, there are about 30,000 cooperatives nationwide, including those that deal in electricity and communications services, financial and credit services, housing and other sectors. At latest count, 2,186 of those cooperatives are ag-based.

Download the list of USDA's top 100 agricultural cooperatives.

Source: USDA