Spreading the Organic Food Gospel: Generation Organic

Organic Valley is the largest organic food cooperative in the U.S., encompassing dairy farmers in every region of the country and partnering with major organizations such as Heifer International, the Rodale Institute, and Farm Aid. While the cooperative has come under some scrutiny given its size, it has become one of the most successful and sustainable large scale models of its kind, and make a strong case for the cooperative versus corporation. Organic Valley is also working to ensure that organic food (particularly dairy) production continues to gain strength in the coming era. The most visible and just plain fun way they're raising awareness for the future of organic food is via their Generation Organic bus tour, which is set to get rolling in just a few days.

The Generation Organic tour features nine young dairy farmers who are committed to pursuing organic, sustainable agriculture, often on farms that they grew up on or in the places that they're from. They hail from Wisconsin, California, Ohio, and Maine and are all in their early 20s and full of vigor. While many of the young farmers are still finishing up college, they anticipate farming full time in the future if they're not already. The crew of young farmers are slated to appear with their veggie oil powered bus at various college campuses from Ohio to Vermont and then finish their tour at the Capitol building in Washington D.C. At campuses like Oberlin, Bennington, and Williams College they'll be giving presentations, doing garden tours, and throwing grilled cheese socials.

The effort of this Generation Organic tour is to promote just that: "Gen-O," the budding farmers that will hopefully carry our food system into a healthier, more organic state. The crew hopes to capture the attention of interested young folks who might be thinking about farming but aren't sure where to start or aren't aware of the realities of being a young farmer. It is also a venue for Organic Valley to display the programs that they offer to help beginning farmers, like educational opportunities, scholarships, and regional networking.

The Generation Organic Tour is timed well. It has coincided with a period when young people really are seriously considering getting into farming, and specifically organic farming. While there is a lot of hype and buzz around words like "organic food" and "sustainable agriculture," it is important that even large companies like Organic Valley do their part in ensuring the future and integrity of organic food.