members stayed with the farm through its season of shortage. That same year, Diggers’ Mirth Collective Farm next door also suffered; the farmers managed to earn a small profit—enough to net each farmer the equivalent of $5 an hour. It wasn’t much, but had the farm been structured in a typical hierarchy, the owner would have already paid out the labor and been left to bear the losses alone. “In our case, as bad as it was, no one was in debt,” says Dylan Zeitlyn, one of the founders of the worker-owned farm. “We were more resilient because of [our model]—it could have bankrupted somebody.” As Igoe sees it, all farmers would benefit from adopting a cooperative model, sharing resources and responsibilities with other like-minded food producers. For their part, Solidarity rents land from the Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians, who are also farmers, and works with the tribe to steward Native land. They’ve invited other tenants to share this stewardship; today Solidarity operates alongside growers of sunflowers, apples, sprouts, and indigenous cover crop seeds. Igoe, Cavasos, and the other tenants share chores, such as watering and making deliveries, as well as resources from tractors to water. Jones of Intervale Community Farm is surprised that more CSA programs haven’t adopted a consumer cooperative model. “I think it’s partly because co-ops are unfamiliar in the U.S., which is not the case in Latin America, Europe, Japan, and [elsewhere].” Mai Nguyen agrees. “I find that [among] people who come from countries where co-ops were developed and supported by the government, they’re more likely to develop,” Nguyen says. In their work with cooperatives, Nguyen has found that immigrant and refugee communities formed the most successful cooperatives.
Quality Angus, Hereford, and Balancer Bulls Available For Spring Delivery
UPCOMING VIDEO SALES: Thursday, May 30th, Cottonwood, CA Consignment Deadline: May 21st
Monday-Wednesday July 8-10 Nugget Resort & Casino, Reno, NV Catalog Deadline: June 20th
Market your cattle with the professionals! Steve Lucas • Paradise Valley • (775) 761-7575 Mark Venturacci • Fallon • (775) 427-8713 Gary Nolan • Elko • (775) 734-5678
Watch and Listen to the sale on the web at...
Contact:
Deep Creek Mountain Genetics - Callao, Utah at (435) 693-3133
For details please call our office at 530-347-3793or email us at wvm@wvmcattle.com Look for the catalog and pictures on our web site: www.wvmcattle.com THE NEVADA RANCHER – MAY 2019 39