farmer/ag co-ops; list serve guidelines
Rob Brown
Hi everyone,
Thanks for posting the article about producer co-ops in the south, Jon! That was great. There is great potential for food/ag co-ops in Maine and, as Larry points out, farmers and food producers (like Central Maine Meats) have other needs besides expanded markets, including affordable health insurance. Brad’s suggestion of subscription services for medical care is an interesting one to explore/encourage.
Ken, there is an insurance company in western Maine that I am working with as they consider converting to a worker cooperative, and I’ve discussed with them the possibility of working through Cooperative Maine Business Alliance to offer a variety of insurance products at an association discount, including health insurance. This is not an immediate solution, but it’s a possibility in the future.
ALL, PLEASE keep in mind some guidelines for posting to this open list serve, so that postings are relevant to a broad number of people and we don’t clog people’s inboxes:
· If you’re changing the subject, please change the subject line.
· If you’re starting a back-and-forth conversation with one person, please move that off the list serve.
There are over 500 people on this list serve and it is not moderated, so we’d ask that people use discretion so that postings are clearly marked for content and relevant to a broad number of people who are interested in cooperative ideas and developments in Maine and elsewhere.
Thanks,
Rob
From: cooperat...@googlegroups.com [mailto:cooperat...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Ken Morse
Sent: Monday, August 28, 2017 9:10 AM
To: cooperat...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [ Cooperative Maine ] Cooperative Maine Business Alliance Progress Report
Hi, all-
I’ve heard there is an insurance company in western Maine that is in the process of becoming a cooperative Don’t think they have publicly announced yet, but once they do, it seems like some conversation with them would make lots of sense.
As far as other farm co-op initiatives, Crown of Maine is a growers co-op, and I think the Unity Food Hub has some cooperative foundations as well. Here in western Maine, we’ve explored options for a wholesale distribution cooperative (looking at models in northern NH and Vermont) but so far the “scaling up” capacity of most local farms has not reached wholesale thresholds well enough to support a cooperative.
Would be interested in hearing about other initiatives in Maine.
Ken Morse
Community Food Strategies
Coordinator, Maine Network of Community Food Councils
Leadership Team, Maine Farm to Institution
On Aug 27, 2017, at 7:23 PM, Angela Faneuf <angela...@gmail.com> wrote:
We'd love to start a conversation about cooperative health insurance.
Anyone have any insight or information?
Thank you,
Angela Faneuf
Farming Artists Cooperative
On Aug 27, 2017 7:19 PM, "Larry D" <lar...@myfairpoint.net> wrote:
Thanks for this article, Jon.
What farmers in Arkansas have done brings up a question: Is cooperation something that would benefit Maine farmers, especially small, organic farmers? Granted, they already have Fedco and MOFGA as very valuable allies in bringing down costs and promoting organic agriculture and the benefits of buying local. But, would forming some kind of cooperative offer benefits and advantages they don’t already have?
Has anyone surveyed farmers about this? What, if anything, are they lacking now in effectively and efficiently producing and selling food? Is state government doing its part? Or, is it better not to depend on the state, but rather do it ourselves? Anyone have information on this?
Talked to a couple of farmers today at a farmers’ market. One thing they don’t have is a good deal on health insurance (being a farmer is harder on the body than a lot of jobs). Neither MOFGA nor the Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets has apparently come up with something for them, but maybe a farmers’ cooperative could do that. Or maybe one of these two groups should come up with something.
On Aug 26, 2017, at 11:37 PM, Jon Olsen <joli...@gmail.com> wrote:
Encouraging report from the Deep South Posted in today's Popular
Resistance (.org) FYI Jon
Arkansas Farmers Join Cooperatives to Make Small Farming Possible
Cows on a farm. Photograph courtesy of Bryan Clifton.
Create! Agrticulture, Cooperatives, Farmers, Food, New Economy, Worker
Cooperatives
By Staff, www.foodtank.com
August 25th, 2017
Powered by Google TranslateTranslate
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Print Friendly
Photograph courtesy of Bryan Clifton.
In addition to providing fresh produce and meat for families in
Arkansas, New South Produce Cooperative and Grassroots Farmer’s
Cooperative supply financial and agricultural support for their member
farms. Based in Little Rock and Clinton, respectively, these
farmer-owned and operated co-ops connect members to distribution
networks, provide technical assistance, and help small farmers raise
capital as a collective.
Arkansas ranks among the least food secure states in America. Data
from the Center for American Progress shows the average percentage of
Arkansas households who were food insecure from 2013 to 2015 was 19.2
percent, the second highest rate in the country. Farmer-owned
cooperatives help address the root problems of poverty and hunger in
Arkansas, not only by making fresh produce and meat more accessible to
local communities, but also by creating a significant number of jobs.
New South and Grassroots were developed as a solution for farmers who
had successfully started their own farming operations but were having
trouble getting their products from pasture to plate. Members of the
co-ops sell directly to their cooperatives, which can then market and
sell large amounts of produce or meat.
Ben Maddox, manager at New South, says, “Arkansas, and the South in
general, is an incredibly rich agricultural area that is, for the most
part, lacking in solid support services for organic farmers. We see
ourselves as a market-based solution to this problem that can not only
support farmers through increased sales but also act as a collective
advocate for the rights, needs, and issues of small organic farms.”
Cody Hopkins, general manager of Grassroots and owner of a Grassroots
founding member farm called Falling Sky Farm, said the co-op has been
well-received by small farmers in the region. “A lot of farmers who
were doing their own independent business have joined Grassroots and
turned over their entire salesbase to us because it’s a much more
efficient way of doing business, and it allows them to really focus on
what they want to be doing, which is farming.”
The co-ops were given financial support from Heifer USA, which is
working to help states achieve food security through organic farming
cooperatives and farmer-to-farmer mentorship programs. Heifer
International is best known for its work overseas in developing
nations, but its USA initiative has made an impact in the South. In
addition to marketing know-how and development support, Heifer
contributed US$3 million to Grassroots to help it grow as an
organization.
“In total, we’ve created close to 30 jobs, which is a big deal in
rural Arkansas, and that’s not including the individual farms and the
impact they’re having on their communities,” Hopkins said.
The cooperatives both operate with the understanding that engaging the
future generation of farmers is essential to maintaining food security
in Arkansas. “We believe that to really address the barriers to
accessing healthy food, you have got to start with the root causes of
poverty and unemployment that dominate our rural landscape. For that
reason, our focus is on building a company that can support farmer
livelihoods and good jobs through sustainable agriculture,” Maddox
said.
Sara Brown, business development officer at Heifer USA, says the
success of the farmer-owned cooperative model in Arkansas is due in
part to national marketplace demand. “Americans want pasture-raised
livestock and Certified Naturally Grown and Certified Organic produce,
and food distributors are looking to give them that. We want to
encourage more farmers to farm sustainably, not only because it will
make them a viable livelihood, but also because it is better for our
bodies and our environment,” Brown said.
Heifer USA plans to continue developing its cooperative model in
Southern Appalachiaand the Arkansas Delta, two of the poorest regions
in the country. The company is also evaluating the viability of
starting cooperative projects in the Northeast. Whether Heifer is
working in Arkansas or Zambia, Brown says, “the root of this work is
that bringing together communities and individuals that share values,
goals, and passions for change can empower each other to become
resilient.”
On 8/15/17, Jonah Fertig <jfe...@cdi.coop> wrote:Larry,
The name change was decided at this year's Principle Six conference. We
had a bunch of different name possibilities (including keeping the original
name) and this got the most votes from any of them by far. By having a new
name, we are indicating a new phase of Cooperative Maine and folks wanted
to include business in the name because cooperatives are businesses and
this name shift more clearly demonstrate that to others. While some
cooperatives may not strongly identify as a business, the majority of folks
at the conference this year (which included housing co-op members) felt
this name shift was a good reflection on our new stage. We also thought
with this name, that we could still informally shorten it to Cooperative
Maine as well.
Cooperative Maine Business Alliance is open to all cooperatives to join and
also open to other organizations, individuals, businesses, and supporters
to join. The Steering Committee will also be working on a membership
structure for Cooperative Maine Business Alliance that we hope to roll out
this fall with a membership drive. So to your specific questions, yes
Housing Cooperatives are definitely invited to join and Community Land
Trusts and Non-Profits could become members as well if they support the
mission and work of Cooperative Maine.
Robert Levine and Doug Johnson are the co-chairs of the Steering Committee
of Cooperative Maine Business Alliance.
In Cooperation,
Jonah
-----
*Jonah Fertig*
*Director of Cooperative Food Systems *
*Cooperative Development Institute <http://www.cdi.coop/>*
*Celebration Tree Farm <http://www.celebrationtreefarm.com> & Yoga
<http://www.celebrationtreefarm.com>- *co-owner
Maine Farm & Sea Cooperative <http://www.mainefarmandsea.coop/>- *Board
Member*
*Cooperative Fund of New England <http://www.coopfund.coop>-** Board
Member*
*Maine Food Strategy* <http://www.mainefoodstrategy.org>- *Steering
Committee*
*Good Food Council of Lewiston-Auburn* <http://www.goodfood4la.org>-
*Councilor*
jfe...@cdi.coop
207-615-9970
On Sat, Aug 12, 2017 at 3:53 PM, Larry D <lar...@myfairpoint.net> wrote:Thank you for these notes. I knew nothing about the name change and
structure change until receiving these.
Who is “me?” I don’t know who sent these notes and is part of the
steering
committee. Please clarify so we know who did these notes and sent them.
Is
it Robert Levine? It is good for someone doing notes to sign their name
to
them so we know who to contact if there are questions or changes in the
notes.
If the group is now “Cooperative Maine Business Alliance,” does it still
include housing cooperatives, for example, which may not think of
themselves as businesses? Or community land trusts? Or nonprofit groups?
How will any cooperative that does not identify itself primarily as a
business feel welcome in this newly named organization?
I don’t have any strong feelings about the mission statement but it seems
fine to me. Part of the original purpose of Cooperative Maine was simply
to
raise the level of awareness, visibility, and legitimacy of cooperatives
as
an important part of the Maine economy. I think that is reflected in the
new statement.
Larry Dansinger
(207) 262-3706 or lar...@myfairpoint.net
On Aug 11, 2017, at 10:48 AM, 'Robert Levine' via Cooperative Maine |
CooperativeMaine.org <http://cooperativemaine.org> <cooperativemaine@
googlegroups.com> wrote:
Hi everyone. For those of you who attended the last principle 6
conference
this past Spring you might remember that we voted to change the group’s
name from Cooperative Maine to the Cooperative Maine Business Alliance.
I'd like to take a moment to update you on our progress. The steering
committee selected at the conference is Katie Lawson, Emmy Anderson, John
Crane, Doug Johnson, Jonah Fertig, Rob Brown and me. So far, we have had
three meetings.
We have assigned the following roles:
CMBA co-chairs: Doug and Bob
Secretary: Katie
Treasurer: Emmy
We have completed some planning for a table at the Common Ground Fair,
for
Co-op Month in October, and for co-op outreach and engagement. Our next
step is to refine a mission statement and we'd like to ask for your
input.
The draft mission we’re starting with is:
The mission of the CMBA is to improve the success and sustainability of
cooperatives in Maine through peer-to-peer technical assistance,
mentoring
and networking, and through public education, organizing and advocacy
that
strengthens our cooperative economy.
Please let me know if you have suggestions for the statement and we will
review all feedback at the next steering committee meeting. It is
important
to us that this effort is member driven.
We also need volunteers to staff the table at Common Ground. Please sign
up here to volunteer for tabling shifts at the Common Ground Fair by
Friday, Sept. 8!
And if your co-op is planning anything for Co-op Month, or if you’re
willing to help coordinate Co-op Month, please contact Rob Brown
rbr...@cdi.coop.
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Ken Morse
Zafra Whitcomb
   |
Zafra Whitcomb, IT & Finance Systems Manager
123 High St, Belfast, ME 04915
207-338-2532 | m: 207-505-5395
Belfast Co-op Board of Directors, Secretary; Co-operative Grocers' Network Board of Directors, Vice-President cooperativegrocer.coop
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Erbin Crowell
Ken,
The NFCA, which includes 35 food co-ops and start-ups across New England and New York, does an annual survey of food co-ops and invites all Maine food co-ops to participate. This information is then used to communicate our shared impact (http://www.nfca.coop/about) and supports peer networking for shared success. It might be useful to incorporate some of the questions from the survey you mention into our annual surveys.
I’d be interested in a pdf of the documents from 1981.
We also have a number of member co-ops that have been transitioning from a member discount structure to a patronage or patronage/discount system.
-Erbin
================================
Erbin Crowell, Executive Director
Neighboring Food Co-op Association
PO Box 93, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370 USA
e: er...@nfca.coop // w: www.nfca.coop
================================
Stay in the Loop with your Neighboring Food Co-ops!