Organic Processing Vo1.5 #3

Beginnings.” Developed by the Land Stewardship Project, this 10-week course provides training to help run a successful farming business.

Another project supported by farmers and management is Generation O, which reaches out to recruit young farmers. As part of this project, Organic Valley supported the launch of the first Organic Future Farmers of America chapter. They are also reaching out to colleges, purchasing milk and recruiting interns from Chico State University, University of New Hampshire and others. “Family farmers are dropping like flies,” said Marquez. “How many kids do you know in your class that say ‘gee, I think I’ll be a farmer?’ We need to change that. We need to make farming, a viable, attractive career.”

Employee organic training. Organic Valley also has several Organic 101 workshops to help educate employees on the value of organic. This was inspired by a question that a staff member asked Marquez one day. The employee said, “You know, I was in church the other day and one of my fellow churchgoers said, ‘Wow, I know you’re into organic and I’ve got to ask you this question: what the heck do you see in a $18 chicken? Why is it better?’” Although the employee knew it was better, she found it difficult to give specific reasons why. This made Marquez realize that organic education had to start with their own staff.

Marquez also noted that the industry as a whole needs to understand how to communicate the benefits of organic more effectively. To help other communication professionals do this, she has collaborated with the Organic Trade Association, the Organic Center and the Organic Materials Review Institute, to lead a discussion group called “Managing the Organic Message.”

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based association for the organic business community in North America.

OTA represents the organic industry to policy makers and the public.

Make your voice heard and

GET CONNECTED

to policy and

regulatory expertise to quality information

and education

to new customers

and suppliers

to colleagues in all

sectors of the organic business community

Learn more at
www.ota.com
or call
(413) 774-7511,
ext. 19

Cultivating a strong organic industry since 1985

Closing Thought: What
Every Business Can Learn
from a Co-op

Although co-ops operate by different rules than most typical corporate businesses, (i.e., their main responsibility is to farmers not stockholders), there are many business principles that companies of any size or type can learn from a cooperative model.

According to Marquez, the most key management practice is, fittingly, “cooperation,” defined as “working together for a common purpose or benefit.” Part of this is making sure that all those who are tied to your business are able to collaborate on issues and have a say. “Who do you involve in decisions?” Marquez said. “People who feel they’re part of the business have a better morale and this creates a better workplace. The days of top-down management are gone. People want to be involved. They don’t want someone just telling them what to do.”

Transparency is another important aspect of a cooperative—everything has to be an open book. “If you’re going to be a green business, you’d better be ready to do some audits and be prepared to share those audits. Sometimes the scorecard isn’t as good as we want it to be, but it’s important to have a scorecard so that you know what you should improve. We owe it to those who buy our products to be transparent about how our food is grown and the way we run our businesses.”

Looking closely at the way Organic Valley runs its business, it’s easy to see that their dedication to people and the planet is not only part of what they say, but everything they do. That’s the greatest lesson anyone can learn from this company and what makes them a true triple bottom line role model.