On the Road - Connecting With the the Co-op
By Bill Lathrop, General ManagerOne of the best ways to connect with your
cooperative is to attend the annual General Membership Meeting, held each May in Madison.
Unfortunately, we distribute to a geographic area that covers over 1,500 miles from East
to West, and over 500 miles from North to South (¾ of a million square miles). For most
members, a trip to Madison is simply out of the question.
Fortunately, there are other ways to interact with North Farm beyond coming to Madison,
meeting the truck, dialing 800.236.5880 or connecting to www.northfarm.com. Each year we
hold about a dozen chapter meetings throughout our vast territory.
Chapter meetings typically consist of a report from the chapter’s elected
representative on the Board of Directors, a report from a member of the Management Team of
North Farm along with a workshop in nutrition, natural products or a related area of
general interest. There are also product samples, door prizes and a chance to inspect new
products. Most meetings also include a cook-off, with members bringing a dish to pass. The
most popular dish wins a gift certificate.
I have just returned from the Great Plains chapter meeting circuit. With my wife Dottie
(also Board Administrator) and our two young people, Kate and Jason, we put over 3,000
miles on the North Farm van (known on our trip as the rolling potato). We attended
meetings in Bismarck, North Dakota and Glendive, Montana—and along the way saw a very
beautiful part of the country.
I really enjoyed the opportunity to discuss what is happening at North Farm with
members as well as hear their concerns and ideas. I learned of the great hopes the members
of this cooperative have that we succeed and thrive. These meetings not only energized me,
but also helped me understand how to manage our cooperative in a way that better meets the
needs of our members. From reviewing meeting feedback, I believe that these meetings also
energize our members. Some of the feedback from those members attending included:
- “wonderful opportunity to see and sample new products”
- “board members and co-op folks were so friendly”
- “very relaxed way of meeting others who are of a buying club”
- “great speakers, good food, good co-op info”
- “excellent info—Kevin’s info was fantastic, very encouraging and
user-friendly”
Chapter meeting announcements are mailed to all members in a chapter about six weeks
before a scheduled meeting. A list of upcoming meetings also appears on our Web site. I
know your time is valuable, but if you can find the time and energy to participate in your
cooperative, I think you would find it a fun and informative experience, and time well
spent. It is for me.
As always, thank you for your patronage.
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North Farm Warehouse Showcased on Wisconsin Public Television
by Norma Woods, Marketing Assistant
They pulled up in an unmarked van and not many employees even knew they were here. A
crew from Wisconsin Public Television--including a reporter/producer, a camera man and a
sound man--came to North Farm Cooperative on July 2, 1999. They were here to interview and
film Mike Peterson (PIR stock picker) and his supervisor, Todd Shumate.
Mike has been involved with the Wisconsin Fatherhood Initiative, which helps fathers
find jobs. This is similar to the programs that help mothers become employed.
Patricia Du Charme, North Farm Human Resources Manager, interviewed Mike and offered
him a warehouse position. Mike was trained and quickly learned how to operate North Farm's
PIR stock picker. Mike is happy in his current position and North Farm is happy with Mike.
"North Farm is fortunate to have an individual such as Mike in our employment,"
says his supervisor Todd Shumate.
Mike's story will become part of an hour-long documentary about his involvement in the
Wisconsin Fatherhood Initiative. It is scheduled to be aired in November or December on
Wisconsin Public Television. There is a possibility that this story will be picked up by
National Public Television.
We at North Farm are proud of Mike's success--and feel we may have had a little
something to do with it.
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North
Farm Cooperative and Food Security
by Dena Hoff, Regional Coordinator - Great Plains Chapter
Perhaps it would be a surprise to most of you to learn that our government no longer
has an emergency food stock. Under the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs
and Trade (GATT), government-controlled emergency food stocks were eliminated with the
result of shortages in some years, and uncontrollable surpluses in other years, causing
record low prices for farmers.
The United States and other industrialized countries are trying to change the
definition of food security from being a fundamental human right to one of participation
in a global market, which follows the dogma of permanent growth, global competition and
the maximization of profit.
At a recent meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, I listened to a U.S. trade representative
tell an audience from around the world that food security should not be defined as food
self-sufficiency, but reliance on access to cheap food on the global market.
This "cheap food" does not take into account the real cost to rural
communities when farm families are forced to sell their crops and livestock below the cost
of production--facing the loss of their livelihood, their land and the next generation of
young farmers.
Local government leaders all across rural America know that higher farm income would
revitalize communities struggling with crumbling infrastructures, population loss,
reduction of basic services, school closings and the myriad of social problems spawned by
a depressed economy.
The world food trade has become concentrated in the hands of a few transnational
corporations. Cargill, a U.S. company, controls 60% of the world's cereal trade. About
five of these companies control 90% of the export trade for wheat, corn, coffee, tea,
pineapple, cotton and forest products.
Global competition in this country means $2 per bushel of wheat and $212 per bushel of
Wheaties. Both the farmer and the consumer are losers. This global competition for profit
is promoting human misery in terms of hunger, slave labor and environmental degradations
around the world.
Since the liberalization of trade laws, Mexico has become a welfare state. The Mexican
government no longer controls prices on ten basic commodities with the result that 240
million Mexican people eat only once a day (if at all), and ten million Mexicans are
employed in the U.S. to feed their families. This scenario is being repeated in developing
countries world-wide, promoted by corporate greed.
Food security also means food safety to most of us. Food standards and labeling laws
are under attack by those who would take away our choices as consumers.
Real food security can only happen through food self-sufficiency locally, regionally
and nationally. Food self-sufficiency can best be ensured by decentralized land ownership
in the hands of independent family farmers who are afforded the opportunity to produce
food in an ecologically sound and culturally appropriate manner. As member/owners of North
Farm Cooperative, we have a golden opportunity to help ensure this manner of food
production.
We have a say in how the products we carry are produced, by whom and how they are
priced. We have access to product information and good labeling. We know if food is
organic or if it contains genetically modified organisms. We have access to a distribution
system which, while not perfect, does a good job of bringing us food we can trust to be
safe and raised in a manner that supports independent farmers.
Member-owned businesses and cooperatives are being targeted by transnational
corporations who fear the power of the people. It is important for each of us to work to
make our local groups stronger. The way to make North Farm a continuing source of safe
food is to ensure the financial security of our cooperative by increased member equity.
The more we own, the more control we have.
We must recognize our cooperative as a valuable resource in a just, fair, food
distribution system and as a market for independent producers and small companies. Every
dollar you spend at North Farm is a dollar R.J. Reynolds or another 'food octopus' doesn't
get.
Food security depends on all of us, and I urge you to educate yourself and others on
the implications of international trade laws on your most basic human rights and needs,
and to work toward strengthening and improving our cooperative as a sustainable source of
safe, fairly-priced food.
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Food
Industry Greets Y2K With a Smile
by John R. Block, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and currently president of Food
Distributors International (Used with permission of Food Distributors International)
You're probably not sure what to believe anymore -- is the country prepared 100 percent
for the year 2000 and the possible glitches that could disrupt daily life, or should we be
hoarding food and supplies as if the world is coming to an end? The answer is somewhere in
between, at least from the food industry's point of view. While some industries are
farther ahead than others in updating computers, replacing or revising equipment and
systems, the overall outlook for preparedness is optimistic.
One concern shared by all Americans is food and whether it will be available. I'm
pleased to report the food industry scores high on the Y2K readiness scale. Surveys by the
Food Distributors International (FDI) indicate grocery wholesale companies and foodservice
distribution firms "are extremely confident that January 1, 2000, and the days and
weeks thereafter, will be normal from a business standpoint."
Grocery wholesalers primarily serve independent supermarkets, companies that represent
about a 37 percent share of total retail grocery sales. Other supermarket firms, generally
the larger chains, operate their own warehouses, and all supermarkets also obtain products
directly from the manufacturers. Foodservice distributors supply restaurants and
institutions, such as hospitals, schools and prisons, with the products they need to serve
their customers.
In both cases computer technology is a critical part of business operations. Any
oversight regarding Y2K issues could result in a severe disruption of business that could
be costly and provide competitors with a potentially long-term advantage.
To ensure an uninterrupted supply of food and food products, foodservice distributors
and grocery wholesalers have been working diligently to avoid disruptions. FDI's survey of
a large portion of its members shows that companies are either very confident or confident
with just a few reservations, that product shipping, receiving and invoice orders will
proceed without disruption. They believe their customers--the grocery stores, restaurants
and institutions--are ready as well.
Food distributors also have backup plans in case something goes wrong. For example,
they know how to handle manual transactions, to track inventory by hand, to manage
warehouses without the assistance of hand-held scanners and other devices. In other words,
business should go on as usual.
The industry's preparedness was recently reinforced by the head of the President's
Council on the Year 2000 Conversion (Y2K Council), who acknowledged grocery wholesale and
foodservice distribution companies are "well prepared" to cope with so-called
Y2K problems, but that they are concerned that consumer panic and hoarding could cause
unnecessary complications.
Unfortunately, media reports and those trying to capitalize on consumers' fears are
causing needless anxiety. A recent edition of "60 Minutes" raised consumer
concerns that some municipalities, including the District of Columbia, are not prepared
for Y2K and encouraged viewers to stock up on food.
FDI and other key food industry associations responded to CBS. Here is an excerpt:
"The food industry, from farm to fork, has been working hard to make sure that
January 1, 2000 will be like any other shopping day. From the farm, to the processing
plants and manufacturing firms, to food distributors and retail stores, companies have
invested millions of dollars and years of hard work to prevent disruptions caused by
Y2K."
The food associations advised consumers to shop like they would for any long holiday
weekend. The worst scenario would be for consumers to panic and begin to hoard excessive
amounts of groceries. More than anything, that's what could cause shortages and
inconveniences to occur.
So sit back, trust your supermarket and their suppliers, and prepare for that long
holiday weekend in the middle of winter.
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General
Membership Meeting
by Jan Torkildson, Member Services Manager
Mark your calendars for the General Membership Meeting (GMM) to be held in Madison,
Wisconsin on May 13, 2000. Once again this event will be hosted at the Dane County Expo
Center. We are planning a number of fun events for the weekend knowing that Mothers Day is
also that weekend.
On Friday evening, May 12, we will host a picnic at a nearby park. This is a great
opportunity to meet with other co-op members in a casual setting, and also to make new
friends and glean new ideas.
Saturday, of course, will include the General Membership Meeting, Buying Club Forum and
Food Fair. In addition, we will have a variety of workshops including: How To
Organize a Cooperative, Retail Capitalization, and Presenting the Buying Club Concept to
Your Local Organization as a Fund Raiser/Educational Opportunity. As always, we will
provide an excellent cooking workshop. Other fun workshops we hope to have are: Flower
arranging, medicinal herbs, natural beauty and perhaps an early morning Tai Chi or Yoga
workshop. In addition, we will have chair massage available throughout the day.
Madison is beautiful in the spring! Please plan to spend a wonderful weekend with us.
On Sunday you can take Mom to Olbrich Botanical Gardens or go for a bike ride through the
Arboretum.
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Upcoming North Farm Board of
Directors Meetings:
- January 21/22, 2000
- March 24/25, 2000
- May 12/13, 2000
All Board meetings will be held in Madison, Wisconsin. Members are encouraged to attend
the general sessions. The North Farm General Membership Meeting will also be held in
Madison on May 13, 2000.
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Y2K Update
by Bill Lathrop, North Farm General Manager
With the new millennium just weeks away, here is a quick update of where we are at
North Farm.
By the time this reaches print, we will have upgraded all primary systems to
Y2K-compliant status. The only missing pieces on our primary systems will be some
miscellaneous reports and queries, which will represent an inconvenience but no threat to
consistent operations. During October and November we will complete testing non-critical
systems. We anticipate no problems in any system at North Farm due to Year 2000 dating
issues.
Another component of Y2K at North Farm is demand for food in anticipation of food
shortages in January. At this time, we see no shortages of the traditional products
associated with Y2K buying. We are seeing plentiful supplies of all bulk food products.
If you intend to order extra food because of Y2K, please do so in October and November.
By December, unexpected demand would not allow us to replenish our supplies should we find
ourselves out-of-stock on items. This has little to do with food supplies or Y2K, but the
number of weeks it takes us to take delivery of product once ordered.
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Easy Holiday Recipes
Anise Honey Drops
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 tsp. anise flavoring
- 11/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 Tbsps. soy flour
- 1/4 cup wheat germ
- Non-stick baking spray
Cream together first three items. Mix flours and wheat germ; blend into creamed
mixture.Drop by teaspoonfuls onto sprayed pans. Let sit on pan for at least 8 hours. Bake
5 to 7 minutes at 375°. Cool on rack. Will be soft inside and crispy outside. Makes about
48.
Pecan Fingers
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 Tbsps. sugar
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 cup finely ground pecans
- Pinch of salt
- Confectioner's sugar
Melt butter; mix with other ingredients thoroughly. Shape into fingers and bake at
325° for 20 minutes or until lightly brown. Allow to cool; then roll in confectioner's
sugar. Makes about 18.
Cream Cheese Balls
- 8 oz. low-fat cream cheese
- 2 tsps. milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 cup chopped dried fruit and/or walnuts
- Coconut flakes
Blend first 3 items; mix in fruit/walnuts. Chill dough. Form into balls; roll in
coconut. Store in refrigerator. Makes about 18. (No baking!)
Amaretto Cookies
- 3 egg whites
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. almond extract
- 2 cups ground almonds
- Butter and flour for pan
Whip egg whites until stiff. Slowly add sugar as you continue to whip until very stiff
and shiny. Carefully fold in the almond extract and ground almonds. Drop teaspoonfuls of
mixture about 1" apart onto buttered and floured cookie sheets.Allow to sit for one
hour before baking. Bake for 30 - 45 minutes in a 300° oven until lightly browned. Turn
off oven and allow to dry there for 15 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and allow to cool
thoroughly before storing in an airtight container. Makes about 30.
Strawberry Granola Bars
- 11/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 11/2 cups Breadshop's Strawberry'n Cream Granola
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 3/4 cup soybean margarine
- 1 cup strawberry preserves
Stir together first 4 items; cut in margarine until mixture is crumbly. Put two thirds
of crumbs into ungreased 13" x 9" x 2" pan and spread with preserves.
Sprinkle remaining crumbs. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes. Cool on rack, then cut into
bars. Makes about 30.
Coconut Carob Balls
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 3/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup carob powder
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- Coconut flakes
Mix first 5 items together thoroughly. Refrigerate dough. Form into 1" balls and
roll in coconut. Chill. Makes about 48. (No baking!)
Carob Fudge
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 to 1 cup honey
- 1 cup carob powder (unsweetened)
- 1 cup chopped nuts and/or sunflower seeds
- Non-stick spray
Melt peanut butter and honey; mix in carob, then nuts. Prepare 8" square pan with
non-stick spray; spread warm fudge. Chill, then cut into pieces. Makes 16 pieces. (No
baking!)
Honey Nut Balls
- 1/2 cup peanut butter or tahini
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 cup wheat germ
- Chopped nuts
Blend first 3 items. Chill dough. Form into 1" balls and roll in nuts. Store in
refrigerator. Makes about 18. (No baking!)
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Quantum's
"Vein Away": A Great New Product!
by Jan Torkildson, Member Services Manager
As a child I had wonderful rosy, chubby checks. People just loved to squeeze them. I
have also enjoyed the great outdoors in Wisconsin for most of my 40+ years. What I did not
enjoy was taking care of my skin. However, the combination of chubby checks and frigid
Wisconsin weather took its toll on my face leaving me with quite a rosy face (lots of
broken capillaries).
Anyway, I have tried a variety of prescription creams and various Vitamin K creams to
no avail. I have been sold many combinations of makeup intended to cover up the red. None
have ever worked.
Recently we were presented with a new product from Quantum called "Vein
Away". This product is made with horse chestnut seed and Vitamin K; both are
recommended for the reduction of spider veins. I tried the cream on one cheek for a week
and was pleased with the significant reduction of broken capillaries. While I still have
those wonderful rosy, chubby cheeks, they no longer attract the attention they once did.
Plus, now I can cover up the red easily with just a small amount of powder. Of course, I
need to remember to use the powder. Perhaps some gingko will help me in that area.
If you are interested in purchasing Vein Away, it is on sale at 10% off in November and
December. Vein Away is Item #15394 listed under "Quantum Skin Lotions:.
This article is not intended to be a marketing effort but rather the sharing of
information that others like me might appreciate. It is so embarrassing when you blush and
your already red face turns almost purple.
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What's
Cookin': Gingerbread People
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup shortening
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup light molasses
- 3½ cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 2 tsps. baking soda
- 2 tsps. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- ½ tsp. ground cloves
- Granulated sugar
- Decorations
Thoroughly cream first six items. Sift together flour, baking soda and spices; stir
into creamed mixture. Refrigerate until cold. Roll dough onto floured surface to ¼-inch.
Cut with gingerbread cookie cutter. Put onto ungreased cookie sheets, 1-inch apart.
Sprinkle with sugar and bake at 375° for 6-8 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool
on rack before decorating. Makes about 24.
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Natural Items?
Here at North Farm we are constantly examining new and improved products for our
customers. We strive to make the best natural items available to you. There are, however,
some natural items that we felt were not beneficial for our customers and will not be
included in the Price List. They include the following:
- Poison ivy
- Tornadoes
- Deep cold water
- Fire
- Tigers
- Wood splinters
- Icebergs
- Lightening
- Gravity
- Meteors
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Home
Grown: Earth Fire Products
Nestled in Wisconsin apple country, Earth Fire Products Co. has been making seitan and
miso for five years. Building on the experience of Traditional Foods Co-op, Earth Fire has
continued to produce the finest seitan in the country. Numerous restaurants and delis
prefer to use Earth Fire Seitan for its full flavor, tender and chewy texture, as well as
the quality of the organic ingredients--from Café Brenda & Wedge Deli in Minneapolis
to the Essene Natural Foods Café in Philadelphia.
Seitan (“say tan”) is a traditional Japanese wheat gluten cooked in soy sauce
and ginger. Seitan is a concentrated protein source (about 18% by weight) without the
cholesterol and fat so common in meats containing equivalent levels of protein. Because
the gluten is cooked in soy sauce, seitan is a complete protein containing all the amino
acids. The soy sauce adds lysine which is lacking in wheat. It is very easy to use and
makes a wonderful addition to a vegetarian or natural foods diet.
To make seitan, we work up a dough from organic wheat flour and hand-wash most of the
starch and bran away. The protein-rich gluten that remains is hand-formed into balls,
boiled in water, and simmered in a ginger and shoyu (natural soy sauce) broth. The crew of
four to seven people works efficiently to process the fresh flour into tender balls of
seitan.
The result is delicious, chewy balls that are ready to eat or easily used in your
favorite recipe. Seitan can be cut or torn; sautéed and added to stir-fry, stews and
sauces; or just added directly to dishes as they cook. Give seitan 10-15 minutes to absorb
flavors.
Seitan stores well as long as it is frozen. Simply let it thaw before you begin your
food preparation or steam it briefly. Earth Fire Seitan is packaged in 14-ounce tubs or
5-pound boxes. The tubs have some sauce included. The balls of seitan in the 5-pound box
have been individually frozen so you can take out what you need. The 5-pound box is very
handy for any size kitchen.
More information and recipes are available. Call 800-267-6918 and leave your name and
address.
Try all of our delicious organic, vegetarian foods!
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Price List Twist
by Dottie Dykstra
Exciting changes are coming your way along with the new millennium. Beginning with the
January/February Price List, the book will do a "twist" -- instead of the pages
being 11 inches wide by 8.5 inches tall, it will be 8.5 inches wide by 11 inches tall. In
publishing-speak, we're moving from landscape to portrait. The portrait style is widely
used throughout the publishing industry and enjoys its status as a "standard"
layout style.
From last year's Price List survey, we found that an overwhelming number of members
wanted more information available to them. When adding more information, space is always
at a premium, and therefore we decided to change the book's direction.
With this significant change, increased space is available to give more details to our
members. We have more space to tell you about promotions, auto-substitutions, case stacks
and something new beginning in January -- SRPs (Suggested Retail Pricing). North Farm
chose to include a column for SRPs so our members better understand the discounts they
receive by buying at the wholesale level.
Members will be happy to learn that not only will this "twist" benefit them,
it benefits the North Farm teams who work on the price list as well. There are several
labor intensive duties to perform when preparing a price list that doesn't conform to a
standard layout. Beginning with the new layout, we will be saving several labor hours each
price list issue by not having to tackle those duties.
I urge you to review your December, 1999 issue of the Home Shopping Insider for more
details on what the "twist" will look like. Samples of pages will give you an
idea of what you can expect and we'll inform you explicitly of all the enhancements that
will show up in your January/February Price List.
We at North Farm are excited about these changes, and feel our members will be too. All
of us at North Farm welcome you to come and "twist" with us in January!
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Are You Expiring?
by Dottie Dykstra
Because we have a large percentage of members whose subscriptions expire at the end of
the year, I'd like to take a moment of your time right now to have you look at the mailing
address on the back cover of your Price List. If you see a circle next to your name and
address with the reminder to re-subscribe, please do. The subscription form is on page 16
of your Price List.
This way you can be assured of not missing out on "twisting" with us in
January!
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Chapter
Meetings in the Year 2000
by Jan Torkildson, Member Services Manager
One of the roles of our Board of Directors is to provide a forum for our members to
share information and generate ideas. To help facilitate this we hold two meetings every
year for each chapter.
As we begin to plan for the year 2000 we would like to ask for your support in hosting
these meetings. If you and your members are interested in helping us facilitate these
meetings, please e-mail us your interest.
So that we can make these meetings more beneficial to our members we frequently have
educational speakers who provide information on various topics such as medicinal herbs,
cooking whole foods and cooking low-fat meals.
We want to continue to provide our members with educational opportunities and welcome
your input on the subjects you would like us to pursue in the year 2000.
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