Can you imagine managing a farm with 6 other farmers?
Do you think it is possible to keep a farm running with so many decision makers?
Whenever I explain that our farm is a worker co-operative. Folks respond by saying that sounds like a lot of meetings.
And it is a lot of meetings, but also a lot of reflection, a lot of support, a lot of working hands, and a lot of group wisdom.
When we were starting Tourne-Sol and would speak to our farming elders about our project, they would smile and say “I had that dream too when I was young”. And though they didn’t explicitly say it, i could imagine them continuing “but then I grew up and ran a real farm business where things actually got done.”
Well, we’ve been running a co-operative farm for 15 years now. And I think we’re lined up for at least another 15 years.
We’re trying to be the farming elders who say you can run a farm with other people and be profitable and sustainable and happy.
This week, I had a chance to do that with Jackson Rollett on the No-Till Growers podcast.
Jackson wanted to talk about collaborative farming and how Toune-Sol has managed to thrive as a coop.
Check out this week’s No-Till Growers episode to hear how we structure the farm, how we makes decisions, and how we benefit from the strengths of the cooperative model.
And if you are co-operatively inclined, I hope this episode inspires you to build co-operative ventures!
Enjoy the episode!
