3c hapter - Index of

174 Locavesting
further. In order to pursue a broad mission of building a thriving
regional food system—the area has many small and mid- sized farms
but little of their product is consumed locally—Fifth Season sought
to engage the entire food chain. Its member groups include producers
of produce, meat, and dairy, value- added processors, distributors,
institutional buyers and workers. The goal is to develop
long- term relationships that lead to fair pricing for both buyers and
producers—and keep money in the local economy.
The various members spent six months hammering out a mission
statement and bylaws that articulate the group’s vision and
values. “Now, we feel like we can solve any confl ict or dispute that
arises, because we share these values,” says Susan Noble, executive
director of the Vernon Economic Development Association
(VEDA), which was instrumental in the co-op’s creation. VEDA
obtained a federal grant to help transform a 100,000-square foot
facility left empty by NCR, once the area’s second largest employer,
into a regional food processing and distribution hub with commercial
space for local food businesses such as Fifth Season. “We have
to rely on our own local businesses, and that’s what is happening
here,” says Noble. “We’re growing our own local economy.”
As Noble was helping spur new cooperative businesses in northwest
Wisconsin in early 2011, a hundred miles away in the state’s
capital, union members massed to protest governor Scott Walker’s
attempts to eliminate collective bargaining and weaken public
unions—which have a long and proud history in the state (and,
not incidentally, represent the last pillar of Democratic fundraising).
The need for new models that align the interests of various
stakeholders could not have been clearer. The age- old antagonism
between labor and management has spilled over to taxpayers and
political leaders. No one, it seems, feels they are getting a fair shake.
The issues are complex, to be sure. States and municipalities
are grappling with enormous budget gaps and declining revenue.
And some union members have gamed the system. But should we
be comparing the pay and benefi ts of teachers and other public
servants to the private sector—where wages have stagnated and
benefi ts have been shaved even as productivity (and CEO pay) have
soared? If public employees are the “haves” and private workers