Pays Tribute to its Wisconsin Roots
In celebration of its 18th year as a Wisconsin-based cooperative of organic farmers, Organic Valley/CROPP Cooperative today announced it was presenting its most esteemed award, the Ray Hass Pioneer Award, to Fritz Steffes, a Chilton, Wisconsin farmer, at the cooperative's annual meeting on April 1st.
"Like the late Ray Hass, one of the founding farmers of Organic Valley/CROPP Cooperative, Fritz Steffes has demonstrated a devotion to organic farming, a belief in the cooperative business model and an unwavering support for Wisconsin that can serve as an inspiration to us all," said George Siemon, CEO, Organic Valley/CROPP Cooperative.
Since joining the cooperative in 1994, Steffes has been active in a number of roles, including leadership on the Dairy Executive Committee and helping to develop policy for the Work Improvement Plan subcommittee addressing milk quality issues. Steffes also worked closely with the National Farmers Organization (NFO) to assist farms in making the transition to organic, thereby increasing the number of CROPP member farms in the Lakeshore area of eastern Wisconsin.
The award will be presented to Steffes by George Siemon on March 31st at 8:00 pm at the Organic Valley/CROPP cooperative headquarters building, One Organic Way, La Farge, Wisconsin, during the cooperative's annual meeting.
Organic Valley/CROPP: Committed to Growing Wisconsin
Siemon noted that ever since the cooperative was organized in 1988, it has worked to build a strong and viable organic business community in Wisconsin.
Today its impact includes nearly $3 million in business partnerships with seventeen cheese plants across the state. They are located in Sheboygan Falls, Cascade, Waldo, Monroe, Brodhead, Mindoro, Antigo, Marshfield, Kaukauna, Plain, West Bend, Plymouth, Belleville, Richland Center, Sparta, Plover and Chaseburg.
Organic Valley/CROPP has built retail partnerships with 154 stores throughout Wisconsin and 18 distributors who carry Organic Valley products to all of these stores. Nine milk trucking firms, including Organic Valley's own trucking firm, today run a total of 31 pick-up routes across the state.
The cooperative supports 417 organic farms and their families in Wisconsin. These include 205 dairy, 81 produce, 5 pork, 74 beef, and 52 egg producers. In addition, more than 200 employees work for Organic Valley/CROPP in La Farge, Wisconsin. The cooperative has become one of the largest employers in southwest Wisconsin.
"Organic Valley/CROPP is proud of what we've been able to accomplish over the last 18 years, and we're thankful to our customers and the Wisconsin agricultural and business communities who have helped us to realize this success," said Siemon. "As we look towards the next 18 years, our goal is to work to build an even stronger and more vibrant organic industry in the state."
Organic Valley: Independent and Farmer Owned
Organic Valley Family of Farms is America's largest cooperative of organic farmers and is one of the nation's leading organic brands. Organized in 1988, it represents nearly 750 farmers in 22 states and realized a record $245 million in 2005 sales. Focused on its founding mission of keeping small and mid-sized farmers farming, Organic Valley produces 200 organic foods, including organic milk, soy, cheese, butter, spreads, creams, eggs, produce, juice and meats which are sold in supermarkets, natural foods stores and food cooperatives nationwide. For more information, call 1-888-444-MILK or visit www.organicvalley.coop.
