4 ms·

Where do the "doers" get the capital to create greenhouses and raise vegetables?

phphphphp 4y ago
Do you need to create greenhouses and raise vegetables from the start? My understanding is that a coop (like any business) is a means to an end and so you can start out by leveraging what is effectively group buying to source high quality fresh produce and then, once established, gradually iterate towards total self reliance. Does that not work for this model?
- socialismisok 4y ago
  It could, but where do you get the capital to do the group buying? My point is that the parent is likely simply not aware of the organizing that went into creating the group of "doers" they are praising.
  - bombcar 4y ago
    Around here the "doers" (we have farmer's markets and similar) are spouses/children of actual farmers, and even though their main product may be fifty five billion bushels of ethanol wheat, the family grows some crops for personal use, and they have been "roadside standing" the excess for years; the farmers market starts as an extension of that and from there can grow. You'll note that they already were farming for the big players. The other half are often "hobby farm" hobbyists who may or may not grow to be an actual business (there are at least two or three honey providers that have done this around here - starting small and obviously not the primary income to being large enough to have employees).
yojo 4y ago
I’ve shopped at a couple worker owned co-ops. None of them grow their own food, though some do value-add preparation (e.g. prepared salads). I think there are farming co-ops, but that does not seem to be what the article is about.
- boole1854 4y ago
  Having seen the inside workings of a local farming co-op, I can tell you that they they also do not necessarily grow their own food. Some produce is literally sourced from major chain grocery stores in town and resold with markup by the farmers at the farmer's market. To be fair, the sellers usually do sell some of their own produce as well, if it's in season, but some of them don't hesitate to also simply resell grocery store produce to bulk out their product offerings. (And frankly, the grocery store produce often just looks more fresh than the produce actually grown by the vendors themselves.)

Do you need to create greenhouses and raise vegetables from the start? My understanding is that a coop (like any business) is a means to an end and so you can start out by leveraging what is effectively group buying to source high quality fresh produce and then, once established, gradually iterate towards total self reliance. Does that not work for this model?

socialismisok 4y ago
It could, but where do you get the capital to do the group buying? My point is that the parent is likely simply not aware of the organizing that went into creating the group of "doers" they are praising.
- bombcar 4y ago
  Around here the "doers" (we have farmer's markets and similar) are spouses/children of actual farmers, and even though their main product may be fifty five billion bushels of ethanol wheat, the family grows some crops for personal use, and they have been "roadside standing" the excess for years; the farmers market starts as an extension of that and from there can grow. You'll note that they already were farming for the big players. The other half are often "hobby farm" hobbyists who may or may not grow to be an actual business (there are at least two or three honey providers that have done this around here - starting small and obviously not the primary income to being large enough to have employees).

yojo 4y ago

I’ve shopped at a couple worker owned co-ops. None of them grow their own food, though some do value-add preparation (e.g. prepared salads). I think there are farming co-ops, but that does not seem to be what the article is about.

boole1854 4y ago
Having seen the inside workings of a local farming co-op, I can tell you that they they also do not necessarily grow their own food. Some produce is literally sourced from major chain grocery stores in town and resold with markup by the farmers at the farmer's market. To be fair, the sellers usually do sell some of their own produce as well, if it's in season, but some of them don't hesitate to also simply resell grocery store produce to bulk out their product offerings. (And frankly, the grocery store produce often just looks more fresh than the produce actually grown by the vendors themselves.)