Cooperation vocation: How the Organic Valley embraces sustainability and community

In 1988, a handful of Midwest family farmers fed up with the state of American agriculture gathered at the Viroqua, Wisconsin courthouse to talk about doing farming differently. Thirty years later, the farmer-owned cooperative they started, Organic Valley, represents more than 2,000 farmers in 34 states and achieved $1.1 billion in 2018 sales.

Building on its founding mission of saving family farms through organic farming, Organic Valley has embraced a wide range of sustainability initiatives. It has committed to switching all of its remaining fossil fuel-based electricity to renewables by this year. It keeps the distance its milk travels as short as possible via a regional distribution model that includes a biofuel-powered fleet. And its Grassmilk products use dairy from 100 percent grass-fed cows, promoting animal and soil health and sequestering C02.