Community Market Cooperative

October is Co-op Month!

2007-10-08T22:03:00.000-05:00

Co-ops’ commitment to their communities stems from their organization as member-owned and member-controlled businesses. Being owned largely by people who live and work in the communities they serve gives cooperatives a different perspective from businesses owned by distant investors.

*Co-op are motivated to serve their members, not outside investors.
*That means they must also serve the communities in which their members live and work.
*Investor-owned businesses also generate jobs and make charitable contributions in their communities.
*But for co-ops it’s a critical part of what they do and why they do it.

Community Market Cooperative believes that by supporting our local producers/farmers we are creating strong economic development, creating a safe and socially responsible food system and building community. We hope that you share this belief and join this cooperative. Visit our website for more information.

The Real Dirt on Farmer John

2007-09-11T10:29:00.000-05:00

If any of you have a chance to see this movie, please do! I'm keeping my eye out on when it might be in our area (or at least in Des Moines).

rest of post

Farm Bill should be the Food and Farm Bill

2007-09-10T22:52:00.000-05:00

It was only a few years ago that even I didn't understand what the Farm Bill really was about. Now, with just a couple of years of involvement with Community Market and all the research I've done, I realize that it is more than just a Farm Bill.

Sure the Farm Bill gives a lot of help (some) farmers, but it also has millions of dollars to help low income families (WIC) and school lunches. It also includes subsidies for commodity farmers (another name for agricultural welfare) and dictates how much money can be spent in certain areas of research, education and helping the real farmers out.

If you want to educate yourself more on what exactly is in the Farm Bill, then check out this website: http://www.foodbattle.org/

Support Letter from M&M Divide RC&D

2007-07-02T22:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Mr. Adams,

The Missouri & Mississippi Divide Resource Conservation & Development (M&M Divide RC&D) located in Carroll, IA has partnered with the Community Market Cooperative to assist in their fundraising efforts. M&M Divide RC&D, Inc. is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization designed to improve rural economic development in a six county area in West Central Iowa. In short, we provide a way for people to work together to plan and carry out activities that will make their community a better place to live. M&M Divide RC&D received its non-profit status in 1992 and has since worked on and sponsored various projects including the establishment of a forestry management program, small business and community development, recreational trails, value-added agriculture studies, and other similar projects.

Community Market Cooperative is a niche grocery market to be located in Carroll, Iowa. Community Market’s emphasis will be to provide local products and food items to shoppers as well as natural and organic fresh, frozen and processed foods and health and beauty aides. Although the Community Market is a cooperative and relies heavily on membership, the store will be open to the public. Their mission statement is as follows:
Community Market Cooperative exists to serve our owners and community by:
 Supporting our community’s health and well-being and;
 Stimulating the local agricultural production of natural and organic foods by providing an economic outlet.
Community Market Cooperative (CMC) is incorporated under Chapter 501A in the Code of Iowa. Chapter 501A allows a cooperative to organize on a partnership model similar to a Limited Liability Company and to have both patron and non-patron investors.
This significant feature provides a cooperative to seek outside equity capital to create or expand the Cooperative, without having to claim the funds as income. The bylaws for CMC specify that Non-Patron investors must be citizens of the state of Iowa. Choosing the cooperative route as opposed to a sole proprietorship enables CMC to put forth their mission of providing an economic outlet for local producers and giving back to the community. The cooperative will be dedicated to offering fair trade value to producers for their wares and will offer patronage dividends to stockholders during years the store is profitable.

The majority of Community Market’s customers will be members of the cooperative. Members will have paid a one-time fee of $100 to own one share/one vote in the cooperative. Non-members will also be welcome to shop at the store with no difference in services except that they will not receive membership benefits.
Based on an initial feasibility study, the trade area consists of a 35-mile radius around the city of Carroll. This radius includes eight counties which, based on statistical analysis, has a total population of about 100,000 people. Higher sales penetration rates will be achieved from customers of the trade area closer to Carroll and lower sales penetration will be achieved from the more distant reaches of the trade area.
CMC aims to target consumers who are interested in getting local foods on a year round basis, more natural and organic foods for healthier eating and natural and organic non-food items for a healthier lifestyle. A trend is growing across the nation in which consumers are becoming more interested in getting food and other products that are grown and produced closer to home, decreasing the cost of packaging and transportation.
Many consumers in and around Carroll are currently driving to Ames, Des Moines or Omaha for natural and organic foods. Also, although consumers may know of local producers, it is not always easy to purchase food items from multiple producers. Community Market Cooperative will keep consumers in the area by offering the same types of products as the stores in the bigger cities and will finally offer one place to buy a myriad of local foods and products on a year round basis. Through national and local studies it has been found that consumers will pay up to 25% more if they know that the producer has received a fair value on their products.

Currently the M&M Divide RC&D is the acting fiscal agent for CMC and is handling all income and expenses. Community Market Cooperative has already received the following: $1,098 donation from Practical Farmers of Iowa; $2800 matching grant from the USDA-NRCS; $9,000 matching grant from Food Coop 500, $1,500 from Pioneer Hi-bred International, $500 from Carroll Soil and Water Conservation and $500 from the Scholar Foundation. Additionally, CMC has raised $3,100 in private donations and $7,300 in Patron Shares (memberships). These initial funds have been used towards incorporation fees, a complete feasibility study, some advertising and marketing costs and some reimbursement costs. Fundraising efforts are ongoing as CMC holds membership drives around the eight-county area, other grants are being researched, and a capital campaign is being organized.

The Community Market Cooperative is dedicated to supporting local, family producers who practice sustainable agriculture and providing a healthy grocery alternative to consumers. The M&M Divide RC&D and the Community Market Cooperative find this collaboration to be mutually benefiting as it relates to our respective missions, thus the RC&D firmly lends its full support towards the implementation and success of this project.

Please do not hesitate to call if you have any questions or need additional information. Questions can be directed to Rick Tafoya, RC&D Coordinator, at (712) 792-4415 or email rick.tafoya@ia.usda.gov or Denise Webber, CMC President (712) 830-1125 or email organic_homestead@yahoo.com.

Thank you for your thoughtful consideration.

Respectfully,

Walter Wittrock
M&M Divide RC&D, Chairman

Support organic farmers in the 2007 Farm Bill

2007-06-27T13:26:00.000-05:00

Photo courtesy of PDPhoto.org

Every so often, the broad coalition of organic food supporters
- which include food companies, retailers, farmers, advocacy groups, and of
course consumers - coalesce around one crucial issue.

This happened in 1997, when the first draft of organic regulations were
released by the USDA and included such anti-organic practices as
irradiation, genetically modified crops and sewage sludge fertilizer. The
community sent an unprecedented number of comments to the USDA opposing the
so-called "Big Three" and they were struck down in the final version of
regulations.

In 2003, when a Georgia Congressman inserted a rider onto a bill in the dead
of night and won passage for the right to use non-organic animal feed
(sought by one of his chicken processors), the community rose up again. Led
by opponents in Congress, the measure was rescinded in a subsequent bill.

Now, arguably, it's time again for the organic community to rise up again,
spreading the word through advocacy groups, in email, on blogs and most
potently, at the check-out counters of natural food stores and co-ops.

What's the issue this time around?
The Farm Bill. Organic supporters have been pushing very hard in Congress to
win a few crucial programs for organic farmers but the buzz is at a low
level in Washington. Organic doesn't even win a mention as a worthwhile
alternative (evident in this recent
Washington Post editorial), when the talk comes to reforming the
farm bill.

What are supporters of
organic farming seeking?

- Basic research funds. Currently organic farming research and education
gets about $13 million from a patchwork of USDA programs. But only $3
million of those funds is specifically dedicated for organic farming.
Supporters want to increase those targeted funds to $15 million annually in
mandatory funding - this, out of a USDA research budget of about $2 billion.

- Certification cost share. Farmers can get up to $500 annually to offset up
to 75 percent of the costs of organic certification. (This is the only
"subsidy" specifically targeted to organic farmers and is meant for smaller
farmers). But many states have run out of money and they won't get any more
until the new farm bill is approved. Supporters are looking to increase the
cost share to $750 through $25 million in funding over five years.

- Crop insurance. Organic farmers must pay a 5 percent premium to receive
crop insurance but their crop losses are compensated at the same rate as
conventional growers (even though the organic crop is worth more). They want
the USDA to correct this unfair practice.

- Transition Support. Transitioning farmers must follow organic methods for
three years before they can sell their crops under the organic label. That
means their costs are usually higher but they are still getting paid
conventional prices for their crops. The lobby is looking for $50 million
per year to help with the transition process, with the funds split between
technical and financial assistance.

- Data Collection. Right now there is little reliable data on organic
product, on the amount and sources of organic food imports, on the prices
farmers get for their crops or the usual information available to
conventional farmers. That discourages investment, skews crop insurance
decisions and undermines the market. So the lobby wants some dedicated funds
for this type of research. (For more detail on these issues, see this

PDF from the Organic Farming Research Foundation).

Although the House Agriculture Committee nodded in the direction of organic
farming in the mark up of the farm bill, much of the funding under
consideration would be discretionary - not mandatory. The programs will only
get funded if money can be found, which is highly unlikely in this tight
fiscal climate.

Why Does organic need these funds?
Demand for organic food now exceeds supply, but US farmers are not
converting fast enough to fill the gap. The costs of transition, the lack of
knowledge about organic methods, and uncertainty about the market all play a
role in inhibiting conventional farmers from making the switch. With
American farmers lagging, production is increasingly shifting overseas -
meaning U.S. farmers will lose out on a lucrative market.

Consumers will see more organic products from Mexico, China, Chile, Brazil,
India, Australia, Italy and Turkey, including fresh and frozen produce,
soybeans, grass-fed meat, grains and beans. That's not a bad thing, in terms
of agricultural practices and opportunities in those countries, but it won't
do anything for farming in the US.

So what can we do?
The Environmental
Working Group has launched a worthwhile site to generate 30,000 signatures to lawmakers by July 15. But for mass action, retailers and co-ops with direct access to consumers need to step up to the plate. They need to publicize this issue at the check-out counter, since most people don't even know about it. The message: Support organic farmers in the 2007 Farm Bill.

The point is to win baseline funding for organic agriculture, so that it can
be increased in the next farm bill. If the baseline is near zero, it isn't
going to move at all - not in the next bill, or the one after that and
farmers will continue to sit on the sidelines.

When you wonder why so many organic products are originating overseas, you
will have your answer: the modest government incentives and research U.S.
farmers needed to pursue organic farming weren't available. So they didn't
bother to switch.

Samuel Fromartz is the author of
"Organic, Inc." and blogs
at Chews Wise

Impressions of a Cooperative

2007-06-23T00:18:00.001-05:00

Watch a video about what children think about shopping at a cooperative grocery store as well as meet some of their local producers.

Legislature Approves and Funds Iowa Farm to School Program

2007-06-22T20:39:00.000-05:00

1000 Friends of Iowa Applauds Future Benefits for Local Economies and Farmland

With news of the last minute approval of legislation that will bring fresh Iowa foods to Iowa school students, spirits are soaring at the 1000 Friends of Iowa office. Senate File 452, introduced by Senator Joe Bolkcom from Iowa City, was stalled out for many weeks at the legislature but ended up being amended onto other legislation at the end of the session last week.
Policy language creating the program and establishing a Farm to School Council was added to the “standings bill,” SF 601, the last bill of the session. An $80,000 appropriation to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) was added to Agriculture and Natural Resources budget bill, Senate File 551. IDALS will administer the program with two full-time staff.

The Farm to School program was established to encourage and promote the purchase of locally and regionally produced or processed food in order to improve child nutrition and strengthen local and regional farm economies. A seven-member Farm to School Council will seek to establish partnerships with public agencies and non-profit organizations to foster communication between farmers and schools, and will seek financial or in-kind contributions to support the program.
The Farm to School Program is a wonderful starting point that will address many of 1000 Friends of Iowa's concerns about how we use our land in Iowa and pass the benefits of that knowledge on to our most precious resource…future generations.
1000 Friends of Iowa staff followed the legislation and engaged people along the way, even when legislators said it was a dead issue.1000 Friends of Iowa worked with other organizations and supporters including health professionals, faith-based organizations, and farmers. 1000 Friends of Iowa members and others weighed in at key times in the legislative process about how this program will boost local economies and advance sustainable agriculture.
Big thanks should go to Senator Joe Bolkcom from Iowa City and Senator Robert Dvorsky from Coralville for getting the policy language in the standings bill. Representative Mark Kuhn from Charles City advanced the $80,000 appropriation and Senator Staci Appel from Carlisle was a persistent supporter during key times in the legislative process.
You can email and thank them at the following email addresses:
joe.bolkcom@legis.state.ia.us
mark.kuhn@legis.state.ia.us
staci.appel@legis.state.ia.us
robert.dvorsky@legis.state.ia.us
1000 Friends of Iowa will stay involved as the next steps of this program develop and we will keep you updated. Establishing and growing this program means
• More dollars will circulate locally due to the expansion of markets for local foods
• Infrastructure for local food distribution will be advanced
• Connections between farmers and local communities will strengthen, furthering potential for farmland preservation and local planning for food security