Fifth Season Cooperative Incorporates as Multi-stakeholder Co-op
written by: Nicole Penick, of the Valley Stewardship Network
Seven months later, the Driftless Good Food Revolution is still underway. Through the hard work of key stakeholders under the leadership of Sue Noble, Vernon Economic Development Association (VEDA) and Nicole Penick, Valley Stewardship Network (VSN) the development of the multistakeholder cooperative has been achieved.
On August 10th, 2010 the Fifth Season Cooperative was incorporated with the signers being a diverse group of committed individuals who bring a wide range of expertise to the table. Brian Wickert from EZ Farming, Marilyn Volden Food Service Director for Viroqua Public Schools, Terry Hoyum owner and manager of Premier Meats, Pete Kondrup general manger of Westby Co-op Creamery, Larry Ringgenberg Director of Student Centers of UW-La Crosse, Nicole Penick co-op employee and Mark Hutson, Food Service Director for Gundersen Lutheran are the seven signers and will serve as the interim board until the co-op seeks memberships and holds elections in early 2011.
The classes of membership for the cooperative include producers, producer groups, food processors, distributors, buyers and workers of the cooperative. This represents all of the key players in the food system at the local level. The goal is to keep local dollars circulating in the community and to develop long term relationships between the institutional buyers and the farmers in order to ensure a fair price for everyone. To learn more about becoming a member, please contact Nicole Penick at vsnnicole@gmail.com or call the VSN office at 608-637-3615.
The new board has a lot of work to do as they determine the best food safety and quality policies and as they work with all members of the co-op to establish fair pricing for each product that the cooperative distributes. Western Technical College, Three Rivers Waldorf and The Root Note Restaurant are also interested in purchasing locally grown produce and locally processed meat through the cooperative along with UW-La Crosse and Gundersen Lutheran. In Viroqua, the Viroqua Public School District, Pleasant Ridge Waldorf and Vernon Memorial Hospital are excited about the prospects of getting more locally grown food into their cafeterias.
The Fifth Season Cooperative is working with farmers in our region to determine what their interests and abilities are to provide produce, value added products, beef, chicken, dairy and eggs to interested buyers. The commitment to sustainable farming has been at the forefront of every discussion with both producers and buyers and there is strong commitment to create a truly sustainable regional model for our food system.
The newly formed Fifth Season Cooperative selected the first board of directors and their advisory board from the steering committee group. Left to right standing back row: Tom Thompson; Brian Wickert, board member; Mark Hutson, board member; Terry Hoyum, board member. Front row standing: Marilyn Volden, board member; Nicole Penick, board member; Larry Ringgenberg, board member, Sue Noble, VEDA, director advisory board. Seated front: Jan Rasikas of Viroqua Food Co-op, advisory board; Margaret Bau of USDA Co-op development Specialist, advisory board; Cecil Wright of Organic Valley, advisory board.