\nJim Cochran<\/p>\n
Farmer, Swanton Berry Farm
Davenport, Calif.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Despite what many consumers may think, organic rules don’t <\/p>\n Meet more people who are redefining green<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Next »<\/strong><\/a> <\/p>\n Related Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n Ask Umbra dishes with Anna Lappé<\/a><\/p>\n Live Chat with Umbra Fisk<\/a><\/p>\n ‘Green tea party’ closes out U.S. Earth Day celebrations<\/a><\/p>\n
\nensure fair treatment of workers—and tight profit margins mean that
\nworking conditions and pay on organic farms are too often no different from those in conventional operations<\/a>. But Jim Cochran, 62, who launched California’s first organic strawberry farm in 1987, refused to accept the established norms<\/a>. In 1998, he became the first organic grower to sign a contract with the United Farm Workers union—and he approached them.
\nThen, in 2005, Cochran rolled out what might be the nation’s first
\nstock-ownership plan for farm employees; workers begin earning stock in
\nthe operation after putting in 500 hours. “The dignity of farm labor is
\na founding principle of Swanton Berry Farm,” Cochran says<\/a>.
\nIf the farm’s crowded stands at Bay Area farmers markets are any
\nindication, it is possible to protect the earth, treat workers well,
\nand make a profit at the same time.<\/p>\n