MUM courses:
- Energy Use by Man and Nature
- Hands On Course In Sustainable Technologies
- Permaculture Design Certification
- Sustainability Forest Academy
- Artisan Foods and the Slow Food Movement
- Local Economy
Grinnell College courses:
Resource Center
Management And Organization
Management and Organiztion
Fairfield Farmers Co-op will work as a common ownership business where all the producers are its members and a handful of five main producers are chosen to orcastrate the responsibility of output while the entire group of producers will participate in its leadership. The five main producers will be chosen by the group of many, to communicate the needs and desires of both the CSA “family-food” members and the neighboring restaurants to the other local farmers. Decisions will be set unilaterally, given such questions as “who should grow what?” and “how much?” and the five main farmers will come together to hirer a marketing manager who, through the structured website, will then be responsible for keeping track of the farmers’ available produce, communicating with the institutions about orders, matching orders to farmers supply, and coordinating the delivery of products to customers.
The Co- op will then hold monthly meetings at a chosen member’s house, where all farmer members can take turns setting the agenda and suggesting any areas for production or management that they wish see improved. It is important to us that each member feels that their opinion is valid and any idea or difference in perspective given will only strengthen the bond of seamlessness within the business. The farmers’ customers also have input into what the members grow, because these monthly meetings are open to all the institutions the Co-op serves. This way, the institutions have the ability to give feedback into what they would like to see grown and are able to truly cultivate that special connection between farmer and customer and the process through which they obtain their food.