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permaculture - Re: [permaculture] Re: Alternative Food System Description

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  • From: "Robert Waldrop" <rmwj@soonernet.com>
  • To: "permaculture" <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Re: Alternative Food System Description
  • Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2003 07:00:49 -0800

Our effort in Oklahoma is still a work in
progress, but here are some of the characteristics
of our cooperative:

1. We have customer and producer members, both
have equal rights and the use of the terms is
mostly for our convenience. Customer members can
sell and producer members can buy.

2. The co-op stays out of the pricing of the
products. 100% of the retail price goes to the
producer. The co-op pays its expenses via
a small surcharge per order, currently $3.50 in
the OKC area and $5 elsewhere. After the January
order, we intend to revisit that charge
and consider whether it needs to be increased,
decreased, or changed to a percent. It is my
opinion that one reason for our early success
is that the co-op is staying out of the pricing
equation.

3. Producers are not required to meet an organic
standard., but they are required to fully declare
their production practices. All of our
vegetable producers thus far are certified organic
except for one corn producer. No Confined Animal
Feeding Operation products can be
sold through our co-op. We are presently
developing a set of product classifications to
use, but that is still a work in progress.

4. Regarding community, we eat together a lot.
Every board meeting is a pot luck, and we started
this with our very first potluck. We have
an Oklahoma Food Banquet each quarter, table
fellowship is our primary marketing outreach.

5. As far as local economic development,
obviously we are just beginning, but thus far the
future seems promising. Our first order, in
November, grossed $3220, with 36 orders. The
December order grossed $4450, with 41 orders.

Robert Waldrop
www.oklahomafood.org see also
http://shop.oklahomafood.org


----- Original Message -----
From: "Guy Koehler, Rivendell Ranch"
<rivendell_ranch@reachone.com>
> I am hoping that you may have already solved a
lot of the problems I am
> trying to address:
> - sustainability
> - organic grass fed
> - fair profit to farmers
> - fair prices to consumers
> - development of local economy
> - community
>
> Thank you for your time,
>
> Guy Koehler
> Rivendell Ranch
> Hoquiam, WA 98550
>
> www.geocities.com/rivendell_ranch
>





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