The Future of Agriculture: Triple-Bottom-Line Beauty

Several weeks ago I was fortunate enough to attend Organic Valley's annual meeting, at which more than 600 of its farmer-owners converged in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.

May 17, 2012 | Source: Marias Farm Country Kitchen | by Alberto Gonzalez

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Several weeks ago I was fortunate enough to attend Organic Valley’s annual meeting, at which more than 600 of its farmer-owners converged in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.

For those who are not familiar with it, Organic Valley is part of a farmer-owned cooperative (the CROPP Cooperative) of 1,687 certified-organic farms scattered all over the U.S. and three provinces in Canada.  The cooperative was founded in 1988 and is still run by several of its founding farmers, including CEO George Siemon.

What I witnessed at this event was poetry in motion. These guys have been busy silently creating the future of agriculture. I know that may sound like a big statement, but their work really got me thinking about what it will take to sustain our farms, our families, and our environment, and I think these guys have the answer.

The CROPP farmers are focused on developing ways to grow more nutritious food in a more sustainable way, and they are constantly looking for ways to raise the bar when it comes to the environmental impact of their work. They do all of this by sharing in each other’s knowledge (how simple, right?!) using hyper-specialized workshops, and truly collaborating and cooperating. I call this farming democracy in action.

And take note: These guys-these farmers at the top of their field-are moving away from obsolete and unsustainable oil-based agriculture to sun-based agriculture; from chemicals to organics; from large factory farms to small family operations; from consolidated industry to local agriculture; from GMOs to organic; from cheap to affordable; and, most important, from quantity to quality. And they do all of this not just from a place of integrity, shared values, and common sense. They do it because it’s good business-sustainable, successful business.