About the Coop
The story of how a community came together to save
50 acres of organic farmland.
Amy and Gregor Robertson owned the farm prior to 1998. They also had a company that produced organic juices called “Happy Planet.” It was time for them to move on and have their farm up for sale.
Other people involved in organic farming were concerned that the farm would be sold to non-organic interests. They wanted to save the organic status of the farm. A few interested people met at Windsong in September 1998 to discuss a way to buy the farm.
Some members of Windsong dropped into the meeting to find out what was happening in their community. They did a brainstorming session to come up with solutions. At the end of the meeting, a plan was formed
There were 10 people at the meeting. Each decided to find another 10 people. The idea was that with 50 people buying $5,000 shares each, they would provide the capital to buy the farm.
Within a few months, enough people were found to cover the cost to buy the farm. Those people formed a non-profit cooperative to own the farm. Since then, they made the land available to young farmers who could not afford to buy their own farm. They named it the Glen Valley Organic Farm Cooperative.
A number of farming enterprises have been leasing the farm, growing food and supplying local farm markets, restaurants, and CSAs / food delivery since that time.
The current farm enterprises on site include: Close to Home Organics and Earth Apple Organic Farm.
The cooperative continues to oversee the leases and infrastructure maintenance of the farm.
GVOFC has support from many local organizations and businesses.
