About 20 people gathered in Austin Saturday to watch the crops grow.

Members of the Latino Economic Development Center, local officials and area farmers celebrated the first year of the La Surena Cooperative Saturday.

About six farmers make up La Surena, which is Austin’s first agricultural coop for Latinos. The LEDC held the event at La Surena’s acre of crops near Woodson Kindergarten Center in southeast Austin.

“It’s another way to make a living,” said Miguel Garate, international student adviser at Riverland Community College. Garate and other local leaders helped farmers put the coop together with the LEDC’s help.

LEDC officials have helped Latino businesses around the state and have backed several agricultural coops in Minnesota, including one in nearby Owatonna.

Local business expert George Brophy believes Austin’s coop signifies a good chance for further business opportunities for residents in the future.

“It’s a good sign of economic growth,” he said.