Organic Valley bans raw milk sellers- Time for a boycott?

[PotterWatch]

I understand that your farmers sign a contract and for those who are happy with it, good for them. I will still continue to buy my dairy products elsewhere.

 

[redhen]

This is just another example of a company that is getting bigger and more greedy. Its a plain fact, folks.
Nothing that we can "really" do about it... such is life in the good old USA...
OV has made it clear to me that its NOT all about the farmers for them.... its ALL about the all mighty $ to them..really... its as plain as day.. .... sad.
And they wonder why farmers cant make it today? When their OWN co-ops dont support them?

 

[Katy]

Quote:
What you people seem to don't get and maybe that's because you don't have any experience with a farm cooperative, but OV is the group of individual farmers......not a giant public company. Yes it may be getting bigger, but it is still the farmers that make up the company. The more money the company makes, the better it is for each individual farmer.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
What you people seem to don't get and maybe that's because you don't have any experience with a farm cooperative, but OV is the group of individual farmers......not a giant public company. Yes it may be getting bigger, but it is still the farmers that make up the company. The more money the company makes, the better it is for each individual farmer.

I completly understand what i said,Katy..

I think maybe you're the one that dosent really get what everyone here is saying...
I am entitled to my opinion. Enough said..

 

[Katy]

Quote:
What you people seem to don't get and maybe that's because you don't have any experience with a farm cooperative, but OV is the group of individual farmers......not a giant public company. Yes it may be getting bigger, but it is still the farmers that make up the company. The more money the company makes, the better it is for each individual farmer.

I completly understand what i said,Katy..

I think maybe you're the one that dosent really get what everyone here is saying...
I am entitled to my opinion. Enough said..

Yep, you're entitled to your opinion.....I stand by what I said tho.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
I completly understand what i said,Katy..

I think maybe you're the one that dosent really get what everyone here is saying...
I am entitled to my opinion. Enough said..

Yep, you're entitled to your opinion.....I stand by what I said tho.

Thats great! And so do i...

 

[redhen]

Katy... maybe you can answer a question for me?
I know that a co-op is made up of farmers... (well..the small co-op up here isnt ALL farmers..i could join it if i wanted to... you just have to invest so much money..etc...)
Anyways... Are you SURE that OV is just made up of farmers?? Or can others buy into the co-op like we can here?
And does EACH person in the co-op get an equal share? MAybe thats why some of the farmers are finding it necessary to sell some milk on the side??

 

[DuckLady]

Please stop arguing.

Note I said "please."

 

[Katy]

Quote:
There wouldn't be much point in a non-dairy person joining.....since they'd have no product to sell thru the cooperative, but I don't know the answer to that. Non-farmer people can join ours too, but they are non-voting members and they only join if they want to be able to charge gas at the pump without a credit card.

I would think if they operate like ours does, the patronage dividends/bonuses are based on how much business you have done with the coop for the year. We get paid a dividend on how much grain we've sold thru them and how much farm supplies like fuel, fertilizer and chemical that we've bought. Whether you're a big farmer or small farmer you get paid the same percentage of the business you have done. A big farmer is going to have bigger patronage check, but only because he has spent that much more or sold that much more grain during the year.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
There wouldn't be much point in a non-dairy person joining.....since they'd have no product to sell thru the cooperative, but I don't know the answer to that. Non-farmer people can join ours too, but they are non-voting members and they only join if they want to be able to charge gas at the pump without a credit card.

I would think if they operate like ours does, the patronage dividends/bonuses are based on how much business you have done with the coop for the year. We get paid a dividend on how much grain we've sold thru them and how much farm supplies like fuel, fertilizer and chemical that we've bought. Whether you're a big farmer or small farmer you get paid the same percentage of the business you have done. A big farmer is going to have bigger patronage check, but only because he has spent that much more or sold that much more grain during the year.

Okay..thanks for the reply..
I was wondering how other co-ops worked...
I'm not sure how OV's works...