Green Labor Journal - Working for a Substainable Future

Swanton Berry Farm

100% Organic and 100% Union

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Editor’s Note: This article is based on an interview with Jim Cochran, founder of Swanton Berry Farm, by Susan Samuels Drake.  From 1962 to 1973, she worked with the farm workers’ movement, including three years as César Chávez’ secretary.

“Sí, se puede – it can be done!” 

The World Health Organization and the UN Environment Programme estimate that each year, 3 million workers in agriculture in the developing world experience severe poisoning from pesticides, about 18,000 of whom die. According to one study, as many as 25 million workers in developing countries may suffer mild pesticide poisoning yearly.   

Conventionally-grown strawberries are among the top five most toxic produce items in many parts of the world. Jim Cochran, a 30-something idealist in 1983, was determined to change that and operate a viable, commercial organic strawberry farm.  “Dream on,” consumers and other strawberry growers said.

Now, along the California Coast Highway, 75 minutes south of San Francisco, the Swanton Berry Farm sign touts its organic berries and eight other organic crops. The “first commercial organic strawberry operation in California” grew from four acres into a $2 million annual sales operation on 200 acres. One hundred of those are currently producing, including 20 acres in strawberries, while the other 100 acres rest with cover crops.

Initially, Jim grew 50% of the strawberries with chemicals and 50% organically—just in case organic failed. Statistics show that millions of people around the world suffer damage, and many thousands die from pesticide exposure. In 1987, Swanton Berry Farm went completely organic, earning California Certified Organic Farmer  (CCOF) approval. The farm signed a labor contract with United Farm Workers in 1998. Again “it can’t be done” was the buzz around town. 

Cochran’s “Sí, se puede” (It can be done!) attitude began when he worked for a strawberry co-op before he took off on his own. He explained his operation’s contributions to “being green.”

Q:  How would you link “green” and “labor”?
A:  Typically those two have been separated. Recently there’s more thought that they should be integrated. As with the investigation of Nike’s practices, people said, “Wait a minute, this supposedly ’green’ product is being produced under atrocious working conditions.” People are saying, “We’ve been squawking about the sweatshops in China, but what about sweatshops here in the United States?”
Now, with the general economic condition, the 25-year-olds with no health insurance and no job security and so forth are asking questions like, “What kind of society is it that we live in where only 10-20% of the people make enough money and have enough benefits to live comfortably and not worry about their future?”

Q:  What’s “green” at Swanton Berry Farm?
A:  We do what’s become the standard organic strawberry practice, which is compost, cover crops, and crop rotations. We add various CCOF-approved nutritional solutions through the drip line.  (Cover crops are those planted primarily to manage soil fertility and quality, water, weeds, pests, diseases, biodiversity and wildlife.)

Q:  Why a labor contract?
A:  Having a formal contract enumerates a process that is much more comprehensive and consistent than an individual owner’s feelings at the moment. It’s an important transition away from the time where relations are based entirely on personalities, where something works great for 30 years then the son comes in and there’s a total change. If you’ve got this formalized process, a more professional relationship, then it’s less about personalities and more about agreed principles and operating practices. It is less about depending on someone’s good will—which can change. It’s important to have that structure. In my mind, it’s been very useful.

And from a practical point of view, when you come across a question, the answer is “Well, let’s look at the contract and see what we do about that.” …You have to let go of the idea that you control things. There are steps for resolving problems. Go to your supervisor, then his if that doesn’t work and so on. That’s rarely required, but it actually helps us avoid problems.

Working out a contract and maintaining it with United Farm Workers (UFW) has worked very well. There’s a positive psychological effect as farm workers see themselves as professionals, rather than as “cogs” in a system. Feeling empowered because they have some control over their work environment, they grow a sense of their value to society.

Q:  Union Benefits? 
 A:  UFW’s Robert F. Kennedy Health Plan, dental plan, vacation pay, holiday pay, Juan de la Cruz Pension Plan. Pay is $8.50-12.50 per hour for workers in fields, sales, delivery and others. A couple of managers get a little more. Conventional growers in the area pay slightly less for beginning workers and don’t offer benefits. Benefits may not matter as much to the 22-year-olds, but do to the 55-year-olds.

As for grievances, we haven’t had anything serious; things are resolved before we get that far. We also offer housing in former army barracks moved to the property for workers wishing to live on-site. The more senior field workers have private rooms or live within twenty minutes of the farm.

Q: What benefits does organic farming afford over conventional?
A:  Organically managed soils are demonstrably healthier than chemically-managed soils. The direct benefits would be improved health among farm workers because of less exposure to these dangerous chemicals. Secondarily, there’s probably a little bit of improvement in the public’s health because of less exposure to pesticides--consuming and breathing them. Thirdly, there are intangibles, indirect effects…more diverse cropping systems…mean a variety of scenes in the landscape, a variety of work that people are doing.

Q: You were inspired by César Chávez and Rachel Carson—how?
A:  I was probably 14 when I read Carson’s Silent Spring. Later on, what really struck me was the work that César and Dolores [Huerta, co-founder of UFW] were doing at the core of social justice issues.…something very constructive, that was going to make a difference to a lot of people.

Q:  Will the farm survive if you’re out of the picture some day?
A:  I’ve been deliberately pulling back from operations and turning responsibilities over to others. Probably more than half the people who work here are sort of true believers in what we’re doing. They collectively carry the philosophy.

Q:  Is organic produce a luxury?  American Public Media’s program Marketplace entitled "The Non-Organic Future,” claimed that by giving poor farmers fertilizers, pesticides and genetically modified seeds, the world could be fed—and that was the only way.  http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/05/04/pm-the-non-organic-future/
A:  That’s propaganda generated by the giant chemical companies, and has been shown to be untrue. Organic methods can be just as productive as chemical ones. They are just not profitable for the chemical companies.
Interestingly, we are finding that lower- and middle-income people are becoming organic shoppers. …It started with the more elite and those absolutely religiously-committed to organic food, but it’s really become widespread along a lot of income classes. It’s probably true that the lowest income groups don’t buy much in the way of organic, but partly that’s because nobody really offers it to them. Stores are opening up in neighborhoods that aren’t plainly upscale neighborhoods.

Q:  Where are your markets?
A:  San Francisco and Monterey bay areas, especially at farmers markets and local health food stores. In 2007, there were 1700 acres of organic strawberries in California, maybe 5% of the total. Of that 5%, I’m guessing we grew about 1%. Many Bay Area restaurants also serve Swanton Berry Farm produce, including the outstanding Chez Panisse, thanks to Alice Waters.

Cochran invites grocers to visit the farm and swap facts and ideas for improvement. He closed the interview with this: “Imagine a community where the local grocer not only knows a great deal about the produce on his or her ‘stand’, but knows exactly where it came from and who grew it.”

Recognition of Swanton Berry Farm:
2002: EPA Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award 

2003: Swanton Berry Farm only U.S. farm chosen to undergo a pilot audit of labor practices toward the goal of establishing international labor standards for small farms.

2004: Jim Cochran and co-owner Sandy Brown make a presentation about labor standards at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome.

2005:  Swanton Berry Farm offers co-ownership to all employees through its Employee Stock Ownership Plan

2011: National Resource Defense Council's Growing Green Food Producer Award, to Jim on behalf of Swanton Berry Farm, recognizing those promoting sustainable agriculture and food.

For additional information, contact: www.swantonberryfarm.com

Susan Samuels Drake, of Soquel, CA, is the author of Fields of Courage: Remembering César Chávez & The People Whose Labor Feeds Us. Her other publications include interviews, essays and poetry. Emails at sdrake2@cruzio.com get through if your Subject isn’t vague.