From: the General Manager

By Lindy Bannister

Summer, summer, summer- my personal favorite time of the year! Maybe it is a holdover from my childhood, when school was out and I got to spend time at my Gran's house and in her garden. It seemed to go on for miles, but then again we "kids" weren't even tall enough to see over the corn stalks. In the spring, we each got to pick out a chick from the new batch in the hen house. All summer long we were sure we could tell which one was ours and we got to follow them around, picking up their eggs (and always being careful to avoid the mean rooster who hid under the boxes in the corner).

Now I can look back and marvel at that little micro-farm and think of everything they did right, simply because that's how it was always done. There was a man who brought in a beehive and tucked it away in a corner we weren't allowed to play in. There were flowers everywhere and, because of that, the bees were happy and we got to see hummingbirds up close. If we were really still, we could feel the breeze their little wings created.

We ate plums, cherries and really sour apples that probably weren't even ripe, until Gran would wonder if she'd have to send us home with a "belly ache." We'd always end up just fine, especially after we had a nap under the huge willow tree with branches that touched the ground. It made a great fort! I'm hoping many of you have memories like this, and that we are creating places for our kids and grandkids to experience them as well.

This spring, I was invited to join the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) in China to discuss consumer cooperatives. It was the opportunity of a lifetime. My presentation at the conference centered around how the store came to be a very successful model of a retail co-op. We are wholly unique and the Chinese were fascinated not only by our store, but by our warehouse and farm. We connected on so many levels: the farmers in the room talked about sustainability, looking after the rivers and animals, preserving farmland and, most importantly, how to get safe food into consumers' homes. They spoke of a loss of community, hypothesized how to get it back and stressed the need for young people to return to the farms. They farm cooperatively but saw how we used the retail stores to be a community and loved the ideas. It would be hard in this space to tell you everything I saw and heard, but I will say this: we made connections that will make all of us better cooperators. It also made me realize how proud I am to have this job and to be able to tell our story wherever I go. You are part of a very special co-op and we all share a piece of our success.

Speaking of success, I hope you all saw that in June we were named one of the Star Tribune's Top Workplaces of 2010 after being nominated by an employee. Every staff member was asked to fill out a survey and, when the results were in, we placed 28 in the "mid-size" category!

By now I'm sure you have all noticed our new website. It seemed the time had come to update and freshen our window to the world. The site traffic is telling us more people are interested, and we are trying to keep all of you connected to our busy co-op. We always appreciate your feedback and suggestions. Look both on the website and in the store for more information on the upcoming Farm Dinner at Gardens of Eagan, as well as the farm's open house.

In this issue you will find stories about Nice Ride Minnesota, the new bike-sharing program we are participating in. Specifically, the kiosk south of the Lyndale and 22nd intersection is sponsored by us. The "Eat Local, America!" challenge will be throughout all of August this year and we will also be sponsoring and selling Wedge food at the Minnesota Garlic Festival.

I encourage all of you to get involved in this year's election for the board of directors. We will be videotaping your candidates again so you can get to know each of them before deciding who will represent you. In trying to make it easier to actually cast your ballots, we are going to set up a "voting booth" at our customer service desk so you can fill out your ballot, drop it in the box and continue shopping.

Whatever else you do during this time of the year, take a second and thank a farmer for their hard work and patience in bringing us the fantastic bounty that makes summer so memorable.