In the farming villages of our ancestors, people worked together as a way of life, sharing labor and other resources in relationships of trust, reciprocity, community responsibility, and necessity. In this respect, agricultural cooperatives are a holdover from the past, but they can also offer a strategy for the present. The collective power of the cooperative can be a lifeline for farmers with limited individual access to resources like capital, equipment, land, and markets. Historically, co-ops have taken many forms, from the ambitious Freedom Farm Cooperative of Fannie Lou Hamer to the modest general store in many rural towns. RAFI staff profiled three active cooperatives that are navigating the highs and lows of joining forces on the farm. 

Carolina Alzate Gouzy spoke with Ángel L. Rodriguez, of the Cooperativa de Porcicultores de Puerto Rico; Angel Woodrum interviewed Delia Jovel Dubón of Tierra Fértil Co-op in Western North Carolina; and Jaimie McGirt talked with Tonya Pennix of the Piedmont Progressive Farmers Cooperative in the North Central Piedmont region of North Carolina.

Cooperativa de Porcicultores de Puerto Rico

The Cooperativa de Porcicultores de Puerto Rico (CPPR) was initially organized in 2009 in response to the risk imposed on local producers by an increasing supply of pork from the U.S. mainland and Canada. At that time, Puerto Rico had hit a never-before-seen low in production. Only 2.61% of the pork sold on the island was locally sourced, while the remaining 97.39% came from new-entry external markets. According to Ángel L. Rodriguez, Purchasing, Sales, and Marketing Director of CPPR (Puerto Rican Hog Farmers Cooperative), farmers started to think about how they had lost so much market share. They realized that “We weren’t unified, and we were struggling individually.”

In 2009, Rodriguez and a group of farmers began organizing as a cooperative with a unified mission and vision. By 2013, they were well-organized but still felt their final product needed improvement to compete with imported pork. They took on that challenge, breeding swine adapted to local climate conditions and meeting taste preferences for layered fat, showcased in signature dishes like lechón, roasted suckling pig. By 2017, the co-op was blossoming with membership of more than 70 small pork producers. 

Rodriguez says that their main strength lies in working together. They are providing their clients with more and better products. They have access to new funding and resources. They have gained the respect needed to negotiate with the government and industry and to demand attention for their sector. Rodriguez is proud to share that local pork production is now nearly 7% of all pork consumed in Puerto Rico and growing.

Low-price imports continue to present a significant challenge. “How is it possible,” Rodriguez asks, “that imported pork is cheaper? A pork chop that is sold for $4 to $6 per pound on the mainland is sold in Puerto Rico for $1 to $2 per pound,” he states. “How is that possible?” 

Rodriguez’s advice to anyone considering forming a co-op is to “Be prepared to work with human beings. They naturally like to work individually, and it is hard for them to cooperate.” He believes that the best way to organize a group like this is by setting a good example and not merely with words that are often “taken by the wind.” Rodriguez himself wasn’t trusted at the beginning. But he says that when farmers saw his way of producing and doing business, he began to win their trust and allegiance. “We need more leaders with a heart!” Rodriguez proclaims.

Since last year, CPPR and RAFI team members have been working toward the goal of a co-op-owned processing plant. RAFI introduced CPPR to the Flower Hill Institute, an Indigenous-led nonprofit that is assisting CPPR in the planning and design of its slaughterhouse. Prospects look good, especially since FIDECOOP, a PR-based nonprofit serving co-ops, was recently awarded funding from the USDA Rural Development Meat and Poultry Intermediary Lending Program (MPILP) to support CPPR in owning and operating its own facility.

—Carolina Alzate-Gouzy

Tierra Fértil Cooperative 

Move now to the verdant peaks of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and you’ll find Tierra Fértil Cooperative, a Hispanic, worker-owned farm cooperative whose purpose is “to set a precedent to reclaim and recover knowledge, resources, autonomy, capacity, and collective power to create a more sustainable, fair, and equitable life for the Latinx community and people of color.” Together, the members of Tierra Fértil grow a variety of vegetables and herbs, which can be found at farmers markets in the Asheville, NC area.

When Delia Jovel Dubón and a group of founding members created the co-op, they weren’t necessarily planning to develop a business. It started as a community initiative in 2020 to create food access and food sovereignty in their community during the pandemic. Dubón explains, “We were concerned about having access to food because a lot of us lost our jobs. We just wanted to get food to our community.” 

Dubón explains that the Hispanic community has a deep connection with farming; many came from farming families and from countries with many farms. “We have lost that connection. The way we live now, you buy everything. I was craving a sense of belonging, and farming was an excellent way to get that,” Dubón shares. “The reason we decided to create a cooperative was because we believe in collective power, we believe in protecting us, we believe in the need to share capacities, to share knowledge, and create community,” she adds. “I believe a lot in working together. It was the only way to try (farming), honestly. Every person brings different capacities and knowledge. As an individual, you aren’t able to do and bring everything. Working together is more possible,” she shares.

Like Ángel Rodriguez of the Pork Cooperative in Puerto Rico, Dubón notes that many people believe that success is individually based. “If I want to be successful, I have to think just about me, and not the others. I think it’s because we don’t understand how to work together anymore. Working together, you have to be concerned about all of our success,” Dubón says. And, again like Rodriguez, Dubón notes the lack of trust among people and the patience it takes to earn mutual trust.

While building its processing facility poses the most considerable challenge for CPPC, land access is the single biggest challenge for Tierra Fértil. “We are so grateful to have a partnership that allows us to continue farming, but we need to focus on having access to land. It’s the only way to keep it Tierra Fértil. It’s essential,” Dubón says.

—Angel Woodrum

Piedmont Progressive Farmers Cooperative

For egg producers, being able to “focus on your farm” is critical, and so the benefits that come with being a member of a co-op — guaranteed markets and a fair market price — allows farmers to focus on what farmers do best, tend to their flocks. The Piedmont Progressive Farmers Cooperative (PPFC) is providing central NC markets with fresh eggs from pasture-raised chickens and providing its farmer members with services like a website, packaging materials, marketing, as well as equipment to wash, weigh, and package the eggs. 

PPFC began as a grassroots nonprofit in NC, committed to food access, agricultural innovation, and equitable access to farm resources. Its intention to support underserved farmers was clear from the beginning; early members were African-American producers and PPFC continues to be led by an African-American board with a strong commitment to farmers of color. 

The co-op is more than just a business venture. Tonya Pennix, member and current Board President of PPFC, identifies the level of collaboration and mutual support as a deep source of power and pride. “Working together gives us a bigger voice — not only as small farmers — as people involved in the importance of agriculture and its future,” said Pennix. 

The group has recently added aggregation of vegetables, fruits, and meat to its slate, which has been successful in bringing in new farmers, some of whom take advantage of the starter flock program to begin raising egg layers. Add the new bulk-buying cost reduction strategy, and you have a membership well worth joining. RAFI Farmers of Color Network Director Ray Jeffers recently joined the co-op and started a new flock on his farm!

But with scaling up farm operations comes the need for both infrastructure and environmental conservation. Sam Crisp, a PPFC founding farmer-member and current board member, strongly advocates that farmers access cost-share assistance for environmental enhancements. Because of Crisp’s familiarity with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) programs, he has introduced many PPFC members to their local NRCS office. 

While membership is growing, the demand for PPFC’s products is growing even faster. At a recent recruitment meeting, Weaver Street Market’s Merchandising Manager, James Watts, said to producers in the room, “We cannot keep the cooperative’s eggs on our shelves, and if you can produce more by growing your membership, we are dedicated to selling it.” 

The co-op has outgrown its current processing facilities and is on the lookout for a permanent space to house the egg wash machines, cold storage, and office space, and Pennix encourages readers to reach out to her with any possibilities. 

Pennix’s bright perspective on any adversity is unwavering: “Yes, there were probably roadblocks, but as a group we knew the importance of what we were and what we are working towards. Instead of viewing obstacles as blocks to stop us, we approached them as hurdles and learned to jump them or go around or under them — whichever worked best for the future of the cooperative and more importantly, our members.”

—Jaimie McGirt