40 Years a Cooperative: Resilience in Rural Mississippi

Introduction. Beat 4 might seem like a strange name for one of the most long-lasting small farmer cooperatives in Mississippi. The “Beat” system was developed to break up the state of Mississippi into regions for the purpose of organizing black farmers to combat a long history of racism. Beat 4 originally encompassed several counties but later adjoining counties organized their own cooperatives. Beat 4 now mainly serves farmers right around Macon, Mississippi. Beat 4 and cooperatives like it were designed to address serious social issues that plague the Mississippi Delta communities. There is a striking correlation between the epidemics of health and economic insecurity and concentration of black farmers. Beat 4 and its sister cooperatives in Mississippi have a powerful opportunity to both assist black farmers and improve the health of their communities by providing healthy fresh produce.

Ecological public health: connection of farmers to health. The maps of obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes show a striking commonality with maps of socially disadvantaged farmers. Southern states have the highest obesity rates in the nation with MS being the highest. Rural food deserts are concentrated in Mississippi and other Southeastern states. Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in the United States--worst in a cluster of 644 counties in 15 largely southeastern states, making up America's "Diabetes Belt." While sixty percent of Americans are obese, the distribution is not shared equally among different socioeconomic classes, races, states, or localities and is associated with food deserts. Minority populations living in food deserts are more vulnerable to many other diet related diseases, including heart disease, certain cancers, and diabetes1. In fact, Census Bureau and Centers for Disease Control data show that preventable diseases related to consumption of unhealthy foods, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, are highest in many of the same counties with the highest numbers of socially disadvantaged farmers (see maps at end of case study).

The number of overweight and obese persons is generally lower in areas where there are markets offering healthy food choices2. In other words, the availability of nutritious foods has a positive influence on people’s dietary patterns and health status3. High intake of fruits and vegetables is linked to better cardiovascular health, including lower risk of stroke and coronary heart disease and healthy dietary patterns, including fruit and vegetable intake, are associated with a lower risk of type two diabetes. Children are especially at risk. Nutrition during childhood and adolescence is essential for growth and

1 National Vital Statistics System, US Census Bureau, 2010. See also Interactive Atlas for Heart Disease and Stroke: http://nccd.cdc.gov/DHDSPAtlas/2Morland, K. et al., 2006. “Supermarkets, other food stores, and obesity: the atherosclerosis risk in communities study.” Amer J Preventive Medicine 30:333-339. 3 Matson-Koffman, D. et al., 2005. Site-specific literature review of policy and environmental interventions that promote physical activity and nutrition for cardiovascular health: what works? Amer J of Health Promotion 19:1671–1693.

development, health and well-being4. Further, eating behaviors established during childhood track into adulthood and contribute to long-term health and chronic disease risk5.

Almost two-thirds (60%) of overweight children have at least one cardiovascular risk factor (e.g., hypertension, hyperlipidemia)6 and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus is increasing in youth7. These trends most seriously compromise the future health and productivity of the socially disadvantaged populations and add to their health care costs.

Lack of socially disadvantaged youth involvement in agriculture has accompanied this rise in childhood health problems from lack of healthy food. The Beat 4 Cooperative vividly illustrates. Leadership is extremely concerned about the future of their cooperative due to the lack of interest of the young in their community.

Providing healthy local food. Increasingly U.S. consumers are recognizing the importance of local, healthy food. This trend is a powerful opportunity for socially disadvantaged farmers living in areas where healthy food is needed most. In a 2005 U.S. consumer survey, 72 percent of respondents believed that geographic characteristics such as soils influence the taste and quality of foods and 56 percent were willing to pay 10 to 30 percent more for local grown (in their state) (DeCarlo et al., 2005). A national survey in 2008 reported that nearly nine out of ten Americans (89 percent) would like to see food stores sell more fruits and vegetables that come from local farms, and over two thirds (69 percent) said they would pay slightly more for such produce (Deloitte, 2008). Entrepreneurs and venture capitalists see opportunity in these new trends impacting our food system. One recently reported raising $8.5 million for a multi-city local food systems venture (Grant, 2013). Another 2014 report cited $850 million recently invested in new food ventures8.

Twenty years ago, Beat 4 was one of less than 1,700 farmers markets existing in the country. This number rose to 2,756 in 1998, to 5,274 in 2009, and in summer 2013 stands at 8,144, according to USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. In 2005, there were 1,144 community-supported agriculture organizations (CSAs) in operation, up from 400 in 2001 and 2 in 1986, according to a study by the nonprofit, nongovernmental organization National Center for Appropriate Technology. By 2009, one estimate was 3,6379, but the number could be much larger. In early 2013, one database estimated that there are more than 4,000 CSAs in the U.S.; some estimates even place the number of CSAs as high as

4Story M, Holt K, Sofka D: Bright Futures in Practice: Nutrition. 2nd edition. Arlington, VA, National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health; 2002.Dietz William H., Stern Loraine, American Academy of Pediatrics.: American Academy of Pediatrics Guide to Your Child's Nutrition: Feeding Children of All Ages. 1st edition. New York, Villard Books; 1999::xiii, 234.5 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Guidelines for school health programs to promote lifelong healthy eating. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 1996, 45:1-37. PubMed Abstract Perry CL, Story M, Lytle LA, 2010. Promoting healthy dietary behaviors. In Healthy Children 2010: Enhancing Children's Wellness. Volume 8. Edited by Weissberg RP, Gullotta TP, Hampton RL, Ryan BA and Adams GR. Thousand Oaks, CA, Sage; 1997:214-249. 6 Freedman DS, Dietz WH, Srinivasan SR, Berenson GS, 1999. The relation of overweight to cardiovascular risk factors among children and adolescents: the Bogalusa Heart Study. Pediatrics, 103:1175-1182.7 American Diabetes Association: Type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents. Pediatrics 2000, 105:671-6808 Wortham, J. and C. Miller, 2013. Venture Capitalists Are Making Bigger Bets on Food Start-Ups. New York Times, April 28, 2013.9 Galt RE. 2011. Counting and mapping community supported agriculture in the United States and California: Contributions from critical cartography/GIS. ACME: Int E-J Crit Geogr 10(2):131–62

6,000 nationally10. The number of farm to school programs, which use local farms as food suppliers for school meals programs, increased to 2,095 in 2009, up from 400 in 2004 and 2 in the 1996-97 school year, according to the National Farm to School Network. Data from the 2005 School Nutrition and Dietary Assessment Survey, sponsored by USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service, showed that 14 percent of school districts participated in Farm to School programs, and 16 percent reported having guidelines for purchasing locally grown produce.

Unfortunately, regions with high numbers of socially disadvantaged farmers reside are among the lowest in the nation in development of healthy local food systems. One prominent 2013 ranking of prevalence of local food systems11 ranks Mississippi in the lowest of all states and declining relative to other states.

A University of Texas study documented the impact of introducing farm stands in low-income communities with limited access to fresh and quality fruits and vegetable on residents’ consumption. The study found that introduction of farm stands significantly increases fruit and vegetable consumption12.

Beat 4 cooperative has an opportunity to bring a significant increase in fresh local vegetables to Macon, MS and beyond. This has been the case over the course of history as black cooperatives have brought significant advantages to its members and surrounding communities.

History of socially disadvantaged groups led to establishment of cooperatives. There is a deeper history to Macon, and Mississippi that helps set the context for how the cooperative came to be and why it still exists today. Beat 4’s creation was in response to the challenging nature of the area for black farmers. With the more affluent whites unwilling to work with black farmers, the cooperative was a necessary tool to bring much needed income to rural farmers. This has been the case since the ending of slavery with many black farmers remaining on plantations as sharecroppers due to the challenge of owning land for themselves13.

Immediately after the Civil War, diminished civil rights presented challenges in creating unions or cooperatives, though some emerged despite the restrictions. As early as 1862 some aid was given to freedmen who desired to own their own farms. Union Generals would divide plantations owned by confederate leaders so that freedmen could own land. These cases were the exception to the norm though with many freedmen going to work as sharecroppers, under tenancy, or as wage labor in the fields. Conditions for farmers saw improvement with the help of the Freedmen’s Bureau that acted as a negotiator between farmers and land owners. The Bureau helped in the creation of independent housing and fair wages and exchanges between the two parties. In addition to the Freedmen’s Bureau the Union army was crucial after the war to constructing schools and many churches that were critical social and educational centers. Often membership in black churches helped farmers to stick together

10 University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service Publication Community-supported Agriculture.11 http://www.strollingoftheheifers.com/locavore-index-2013/12 Evans, A.I et al., 2012. Introduction of farm stands in low-income communities increases fruit and vegetable among community residents. Health Place, 18:1137-43.13 “For more than a century after the Civil War, deficient civil rights and various economic and social barriers were applied to maintaining a system where many blacks worked as farm operators with a limited and often total lack of opportunity to achieve ownership and operating independence”. USDA publication: Black Farmers in America 1865-2000

and resist pressure to sell cheaply by creating group marketing opportunities. These coordinated efforts fueled resentment among white society.

Prospects were worsened by the Jim Crow Era of the 1890’s with concerted efforts to dismantle much of the work done by farmers and government agencies since the withdrawal of troops in 1877. Then came the New Deal period (1900-1945) during the Depression that brought about the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA). The act mandated the minimum price for cotton and restricted acreage of production. This brought about mass displacement of many sharecroppers and tenant farmers, both black and white. Black farmers were most negatively impacted during the AAA enforcement period. On average where whites were displaced, the percentage of black farmers was double14. The government did develop two programs to assist displaced farmers, the Resettlement Administration followed shortly by the Farm Security Administration (FSA). One of the more successful measures taken was to take farmers with good credit and place them contiguously on large tracts of land. Many of these groups were the beginning of future cooperatives. These cooperatives were actively supported and promoted by the FSA. Cooperatives included traditional farm supply purchasing, marketing and joint ownership of machinery and breeding stock.

These developments saw a dramatic increase in the number of cooperatives and unions that helped pave the way for Beat 4 in the mid-seventies. In a 1947 survey only 16 percent of the 25,543 cooperatives organized under FSA had gone out of business and a few of them remain today. These cooperatives made it possible for farmers to market and sell their produce and create more opportunities. The challenge for many cooperatives was a lack of education and tacit knowledge of creating and operating a cooperative along with continuing racial intolerance. Cooperatives formed during this New Deal period (1900-1945) were helped in large part by Extension Agents from counties and Universities. These agents, with the help of other organizations, helped to foster more formal and particularly visible cooperatives.

With the onset of black cooperatives, white retailers and business owners were known to simply not sell or trade products with these cooperatives. Sometimes these cooperatives would have to ship their products long distances to be processed in lieu of local services, something that would have been impossible for individual farmers alone.

Late in 1967 the Federation of Southern Cooperatives (FSC) was formed by representatives from 22 cooperatives across the South. Its director was highly involved in adult literacy and creating concrete tasks for cooperative members to help develop their own economies. FSC encompassed a comprehensive range of services for rural community development. They offered training, consulting, research as well as capital for land and business project development. These services have been made possible by grant funding and private foundations. FSC has played a large part in development of Beat 4 by providing grants, knowledge and administrative capacity since the cooperative formed in 1974.

Bringing it home to Macon: As we understand the past and the larger picture of black farmers in America, we can begin to look at Macon, MS and its development. This study focuses on 8 Causal Factors of Resilience and we will be inspecting Beat 4’s cooperative through that lens.

14 New Deal Agriculture – USDA History of Black Farmer 1865-2000 pg. 8-9

Macon, a small town in rural Mississippi has been home to the Beat 4 Cooperative since 1974. The Beat 4 cooperative is a black cooperative but it has, and does, work with white farmers who want to work with them. We see elements of Complimentary Diversity15 with the cooperatives inclusion of whites into the cooperative. One of those white farmers is Larry Miller and his family including his father who helped to create the original cooperative in 1974. Since then, the Miller’s (a Mennonite family) have been critical contributors to the development of the cooperative. Neither Larry Miller nor his father ever served as president of Beat 4 cooperative, rather they worked closely helping to write grants and administrative backing. Their involvement reflects the involvement of outside facilitators (often Extension Agents) that aided heavily in the development of cooperatives through the early twentieth century.

In early years Beat 4 functioned as an unofficial wood cutters cooperative, but over the years transformed with the needs of its members. The cooperative has followed this sequence of change in focus: wood cutters, hog farmers, cattle farmers, and now they include cattle with a new primary focus of vegetables. Through the years they have gone through many phases of transformation16, changing their organization as needs arose. This transformation has been an element of black cooperative activity in the South since the end of the civil war. When Larry Miller’s father moved to the area in the early 1970’s he began working with the father of Jessica Fox who is now the cooperative’s president. The two men worked with Larry and other members of the community to unite the small scale producers in the area who were primarily selling out of their truck beds. They made a circuit to pick up okra, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and peas to sell in the market in Macon. This relationship began as a gentlemen’s agreement, with no official standing as a cooperative or recognizable structure. As time passed though, it became apparent that unifying as a cooperative would bring more legitimacy and structure to their loose organization. More funding, and opportunity awaited them if they were to merge officially as members. We see again elements of Conservative Flexibility and Transformation as the cooperative realized the positive impact of legitimizing the cooperative. These two causal factors of resilience are often complementary in systems that illustrate spiraling up17as transformation and careful innovation can lead to prosperous new enterprises.

They soon changed from being a wood cutters union to focusing on hogs, purchasing livestock through small grants from the USDA. This promised to make the farmers more money than harvesting wood alone. Increasing complementary diversity18 the farmers merged the two enterprises. It is a challenge to house hogs, though, and the Miller family worked with members to build pens for them. Without this aid, it is unclear whether the hog farms would have been created. It is a fact that most black farmers were, and are, small land holders without much financial backing or savings. As Beat 4’s members 15Complementary Diversity: A system’s ability to maintain diversity in a complimentary way by ensuring individual parts support the larger whole. In this way the Miller family offered diversity within the group while also providing significant knowledge of organizational management and formal knowledge that the cooperative lacked. Moreover the Millers were raising two children of color whom greatly benefitted from the relationship with the cooperative. 16 Periodic Transformation: Beat 4 cooperative exemplified the element of periodic transformation through the formation of the cooperative, responding to changes in the market and within their membership by transforming their model as was required. 17 Spiraling up: As a system moves into the α phase of the adaptive cycle it can spiral up by reorganizing for resilience at a higher level of productivity or spiral down to a new system, perhaps very enduring, but of lower productivity. 18 Conservative Flexibility: The ability of a system to retain valuable knowledge and practices while incorporating innovation.

received grants to purchase livestock, they lacked the capitol to purchase and build proper fencing to support the new livestock. It is through modular connectivity19 that the farmers were able to achieve their goals of raising hogs. The farmers remained modular as they retained wood cutting while reaching out and connecting to the resources that the Miller family provided. This instance of connectivity yielded great success but not every attempt to connect with the surrounding community had been successful. In early years the cooperative created pick your own berry farms but most of the white populace was unwilling to venture into rural areas onto black farms.20

During the phase of the cooperative focusing on hogs, they were prosperous enough through membership and grant funding to build a community center, and to create the basis for a small Credit Union. In channeling their membership dues into real and lasting infrastructure the cooperative built Assets into their community. Assets is a key component in the causal factors of resilience as it enables groups to maintain more security against shortages or changes in the market. The community building and credit union offered a multitude of opportunities to the cooperative. Originally the credit union was run out of the back door of a local church and funds were only available two days a week. The Credit Union’s critical role for the members: supplying loans where other local banks wouldn’t. The reluctance of local banks is one small piece of the larger problem that cooperative members have faced since, and before, its inception in 1974. Finances have been a struggle for the black community for decades with banks rejecting loans to update or build their farms. Larry Miller recounts their battle with local banks to stop pay day loans in the area because the rates were so destructive and they encouraged a cycle of increasing debt and lack of delayed gratification—which is crucial to asset building. Pay day loans discourage the individual from putting off unnecessary purchases for the sake of saving for larger investments. A bank employee once said to Larry Miller that normal loans would make it “too easy for blacks to become more self-sufficient”. The Credit Union often was the only way for members to extend credit to build their farms. In recent years with the reduction in factory work, much of the funding fell out of the credit union as members lost their income. They have since merged with Hope Credit Union which serves Mississippi, Arkansas and Tennessee. The Farmers Market, community center and Credit Union sit close together on the same road just outside of Macon on the main highway 45.

The history of Beat 4, as with most of its sister cooperatives, resides solely in the memory of long-time members and supporters such as Larry Miller. Their stories are full of racial conflict from local government officials and members of the white community reluctant to interact with the black community. Since the height of Civil Rights activism aggression has been calmer, but not extinguished. Jessica Fox was hired as a Vista Volunteer to help with a resurgence of church burnings in the Macon area through AmeriCorps. These burnings reached their peak during the 1980’s with over 5,000 churches burned across the South. During the 1990’s when Jessica was hired the resurgence only reached a fraction of that number totally slightly more than 500 across the South. The intolerance swung both ways with whites burning black churches and blacks burning white churches. The larger issues leading to this aggression have yet to be fully resolved.

Larry Miller has done his part since the 1970’s to promote the rights of blacks in Macon and Meshulah. Their home was a safe haven not only for locals but also for integrated groups traveling through the

19 Modular Connectivity: Causal Factor in Resilience of Modular Connectivity; Modularity refers to the system’s ability to maintain in anonymity, though to remain resilient that system must maintain enough connectivity to remain viable in case of shortages or significant and unexpected changes. 20 http://deltanetwork.org/news/learn-to-facilitate/facilitation-types/non-government-organizing/

South who often were turned away from hotels and restaurants. This occurred once during the summer when an integrated group of women were traveling and called to ask if they could stay the night. A reporter following the women told Larry that the article written about their stay with the Millers, “was fantastic!” and the newspaper also received 13 cancellations

Larry and his wife have lived close to Macon in Meshulah, MS since the early 1970’s. Larry arrived during the Vietnam War era as a conscientious objector and was assigned to work in a local hospital instead of combat duty. Larry renewed his assignment after developing relationships and a sense of belonging in the community. The couple chose to stay and work in the area, specifically for the rights of colored children. To them, “feeding children is a non-negotiable issue” and they have made it their life’s mission to resolve the problem. As the couple settled into the area they both studied to become teachers with the intention of teaching in the Macon school district. Larry was due to begin teaching but the district that had once communicated with Larry the intention to hire him didn’t alert him of the new teacher orientation. Furthermore when Larry found out about the date of orientation through the local grapevine, he showed up and the administration told him that there was a mistake in the minutes of their meeting: His name had been replaced by someone else’s. The minutes were never corrected and Larry and his wife struggled to make a living cutting wood on their property through the winter. Larry and his wife eventually were allowed to work in the public schools but only after the hiring of a black superintendent.

During their time in Meshulah, Larry Miller and his wife would allow children from the Choctaw reservation to come to their home to shower. The landlord of the children’s homes told the Millers they had to stop because “the children and their families might start to expect showers in their own homes”. Race is an unfortunate reality that has painted the development of the cooperative and continues to affect it even now. The Miller’s went on to adopt two half black children and housed multiple orphaned Choctaw Indian children in a converted school house turned dormitory. This raised the attention of local institutions who were reluctant to work with them based on the color of their children and the Naïve Americans whom they housed. The idea that blacks and Indians were sleeping together under the same roof was an idea that many found reprehensible. Ironically the building had originally been an old plantation school teaching etiquette to girls and boys all of whom were white. According to Larry the Cooperative was a crucial aspect in making the political and social changes that they’ve made during their time in Macon. Had they been alone, it would have been a much different story. The couple remark that they were often “radical and outspoken” raising criticism from the community. Not only would they have had trouble making a living in Macon, they tell us it would have been tremendously difficult for their children to have a functional childhood.

The Miller children are now fully grown and they are working in government agencies to provide financial assistance through WIC or other aid work. Their children said they, “learned everything we know from you both”. The Millers always took their children to group meetings and work in the market, always integrating them into their work. Their willingness to include their children in their outreach is the reason that their children have carried on in social work today. The Millers have created redundancy within their own family, their children proud to carry on the work of improving social conditions.

The cooperative served to support not only the Miller’s and their children as they struggled to fit into the social norms of Macon’s white locals it was an immeasurable aid to the black community. Larry recounts a close knit network in the black community that were key to making the enterprise work in

the first place. He and his wife aren’t sure if the methods employed so many years ago would work today, but at that time, the black community was very receptive to them despite their differences. One of the few struggles that Larry remembers is the debate of what to put on the Farmer’s market sign. As Larry led the grant to purchase the sign he wanted to simply have “Famers Market” so that the letter would be big and easy to read from the road. Members of the cooperative wanted to put “Beat 4 Cooperative Farmers Market in Noxubee County” which would make it illegible from the road. It took the better part of a year to agree on shortening the sign to Macon Farmers Market. Larry admits that he, “didn’t do his committee work” and “moved too fast” losing sight of the need for a collaborative process. In a way Larry was too modular, and lost connection with the group weakening the resilience of the cooperative for a time. Larry remarks that he often became too “success driven” and would become so afraid of losing a grant that he would fail to include the rest of the cooperative.

A variety of different programs were employed by Larry and the board including assisting cooperative members in building their own greenhouses. The greenhouses were one of the more popular programs as all the materials were paid for and it created lasting value and more assets21 by enabling farmers to extend their growing season and supplying warmth through the winter. In the past there was also an active youth component to the cooperative. The youth would work with Larry and other members of the cooperative through the growing season. They helped older farmers raise their production while also learning for themselves to grow a small crop that they could sell at the end of the season. Larry tells us that this was a great innovation for the youth who learned real skills from senior cooperative members and also made money, the first time for many.

It was mandated by the cooperative that the youth save part of their income in the credit union for school clothes. The cooperative hoped that this would help teach them to save their money and maybe help them make larger purchases in the future such as, Jessica Fox pointed out, a car to go to college with. This is another example of asset building through delayed gratification as the youth were required to put their money away for months at a time. It was only after withholding the money and receiving it at the end that they could see the value of their savings. The youth would also travel extensively with Jessica Fox to SSAWG conferences around the country. Jessica tells us that they couldn’t go unless they were actively contributing during the growing season though. This proved to be a great motivator for them as most of the youth had never been to another city, let alone out of state to another part of the country by plane. Many of the youth have moved on after high school to larger cities to go to college and find better jobs. Larry, and later Jessica Fox, report that they still come back and help during the summer and contribute financially when they can. In this way they instilled a level of redundancy22 in the system with the youth who continue to invest in the cooperative. One of the youth went on to become a college football star and he has offered help regularly both in time and financial contribution since then. The youth would also travel extensively with Jessica Fox to SSAWG conferences around the country.

21 Referring to the Resilience Quality of Increasing Physical Infrastructure. The accumulation of value in tangible assets that remain after exterior disturbances thereby acting to maintain productivity. In this case the greenhouses maintain productivity in questionable weather and lower the necessity of wood or fuel to heat the individuals’ home.22 Redundancy: The system’s ability to repeat itself in succession. In Ecology this is the plants ability to re-seed itself and continue to propagate through a meadow or forest. If there are too few of a plant, it will eventually become overcrowded by more dominant plants. In this instance it can be noted that the youth are contributing in a fashion to the cooperative by continuing to engage in the summertime. This is a weak indicator though as the youth are not committed, rather, they contribute when and if they can.

Jessica tells us that they couldn’t go unless they were actively contributing during the growing season though. This proved to be a great motivator for them as most of the youth had never been to another city, let alone out of state to another part of the country by plane.

The youth component along with the greenhouses and hog farming has diminished over the years sometimes due to lack of funding, or lack of participation by members. Both the greenhouses and the hog grants ran out and the youth aspect has ended due to the hesitance of member to include present day youth and culture. Jessica Fox explains that some of the cooperative members feel that the youth get out of hand during the meetings. According to the Millers, Macon has lost its best and brightest, the ones who would be willing to start their own businesses or take ownership over the cooperative. This problem is seen across the nation in rural areas that can’t offer the income, or the lifestyle that youth want. Moreover most of the cooperative members don’t have young children anymore. This is an indicator of lack of redundancy when an organization or group isn’t fostering the next generation. When Jessica Fox was operating the youth program she had young children herself and was motivated to create opportunities for them and other children.

Jessica Fox’s father was president of the co-op for many years and Jessica didn’t become involved herself till the early 90’s as a Vista Volunteer. Her position as a Fire Burning Vista helped black churches recover from arson. While working as a Vista Volunteer she became more aware of the cooperative and followed in her father’s footsteps by joining. She continued her work as a Vista Volunteer, but now working for the cooperative. This is redundancy in action as her own father was president of the cooperative, though it took her working for another organization to see the value of integrating the two. In this way she demonstrated conservative innovation by merging her work as a Vista Volunteer with her work in the cooperative, amplifying the capacity of the two separate organizations. In order for her, and anyone else, to join she had to be producing something for the cooperative. She began with and continues to grow a variety of vegetables. The greater part of her work for the cooperative consisted of helping develop administration and programs for the youth. She worked extensively with Larry Miller in developing grant initiatives to expand the outreach of the cooperative and offer more opportunities to its members including daycares, youth outings and a raised bed gardening program. Her first mission was organizing day cares for members during the late 1990’s. She later went on to become youth coordinator for the Southern district of SAWG (Sustainable Agriculture Working Group) which consisted of 5 southern states. She isn’t sure exactly how she became the youth coordinator for the southern chapter of SAWG, but was inevitably introduced to the national youth coordinator Savannah Williams who has since moved on to other work. Jessica’s work with the youth was paid for many years through a large multi-million dollar grant through the Mississippi Association of Cooperatives and partially through her affiliation with SAWG. This allowed her and the youth to travel and build gardens in Macon and surrounding communities.

During this time Larry Miller was working with members of the cooperative to fund the building of the Farmers Market that now sits right off Hwy 45 before you enter Macon. A modest sheet metal building, it was built with 6 bays to receive produce from farmers who back up their truck beds. When the youth were constructing their raised beds though, they blocked off a number of these bays, detracting from the use of the building. In a way the cooperative actually reduced the overall asset of the building by limiting its capacity to receive produce. Within the walls are shelves to hold produce, a small wood stove, an almost complete kitchen, and a pea sheller situated in the back for members and non-

members to use during harvest. The sheller is free to use for members, but non-members pay $3 a bushel to use the machine.

The building took years to fund but today is paid off and owned by the cooperative. They pay $1.00 a year to lease the land from the city and it is agreed that if the cooperative ever stops selling produce the property reverts back to the city. Current market manager John Williams still plans to invest into the building despite the risk. The building has no insulation and so generates massive amounts of heat in the summer and is bone cold in the winter. The modest fees that members pay plus the revenue they generate from sales isn’t enough to build the infrastructure the building so badly needs. The kitchen that sits behind the cash register remains close to completion, but they lack funding to finish the project. John and Jessica had hoped to create a certified kitchen so their members could make value added products like jellies, frozen produce, salsas and other prepared items but that hasn’t come to fruition yet. This project is one of other half complete projects like insulating the building, purchasing coolers for the produce, repairs for the building, and reviving the raised beds that surround the building. In the past the way that these projects were made possible was through grants. Unless Beat 4 devises another way to finish these projects, they will remain incomplete.

Jessica and John both remark that in recent years, grant funding seems to have run dry. Once the cooperative was operating with the help of a large grant through the Mississippi Association of Cooperatives (MAC) that paid multiple staff members and funded multiple projects. Without this grant MAC has whittled their paid staff to only a few people working in Jackson, MS. Before, when there were more employees MAC could more easily apply for multiple grants and network with other organizations. Now, with everyone working volunteer hours it’s challenging to get as much done.

The lack of renewed funding has perpetuated another issue for the cooperative: a failed community housing project. The apartment building was made to house 20 families and act as a networking hub for those that lived there. From that hub the intention was to build the base for a farming community who could work and live together. The structure was built from grant money and Jessica Fox explains that no one was there to oversee the construction of the site. With no one to check the quality of the work, the building wasn’t fit to pass inspection when the time came to bring families in. The apartments all had to have renovations to pass residential building codes and the cooperative doesn’t have the funds to complete the work. Now, the building sits mostly vacant and the cooperative sees no other choice than to sell it to get out from under their obligations.

Beat 4 attempted to increase resilience by increasing physical infrastructure but they neglected two key aspect of that quality of resilience: maintenance and lack of match between infrastructure and skills of staff. Physical infrastructure does not contribute to resilience when poor maintenance, or its’ corollary, shoddy construction, is permitted. It was permitted because developing and maintaining the infrastructure was not within the skill set of the Beat 4 staff.

One recent grant that has provided a stimulus to the cooperative is a $75,000 grant from Heifer International to purchase cows for their members. Enacted 10 years ago it has tripled their membership and brought significant financial success to its members. The program is one that as it builds on itself, continues Building Assets23 for its members. The cooperative initially bought enough heifers for their 23 Building assets: A systems ability to accrue physical assets that provide a lasting value exceeding monetary assets or knowledge assets. In this instance it is the cumulative assets of the bulls and heifers that propagate and generate more income over the years that farmers continue to keep them within the cooperative.

members to have 5 heifers and a bull to continue breeding within the cooperative. New heifers must be given back to the cooperative once they are old enough to be bred and given to another member to continue the cycle. Their cows are Black Angus and bulls that are born are for the farmer to use as they will. Often these bulls will be sold once they reach enough weight for the market and the money goes back to the farmer. The sale of the bulls often goes to pay for feed for their remaining cattle and building more infrastructure on their farms.

Though the heifer program has increased their membership, there have been farmers who only wanted to raise cattle which is strictly against their guidelines. Since they began the Heifer project, members have had to be proactive to ensure that new, or prospective members, are willing to contribute vegetables to the cooperative as well.

Steering the Boat: The functions and formulas of a board. Jessica Fox has been the president of Beat 4 cooperative for 6 years. She says that she, “I don’t rely on my own know how, I rely on rules of order” from the rule book she brings to board meetings. This helps keep things consistent when problems come up. Her time on the board is based has relied on nominations and ballot votes when her term is up. The positions on the board are given by nomination and vote, then the newly elected member pulls numbers one through three to determine if they will retain their seat for one, two, or three years. This is a model for periodic transformation24, creating consistent turn-over of management within the board. They have annual board meetings to elect new members and provide an opportunity to change rules. The affair is usual informal with a potluck dinner and time to socialize afterwards. It is a yearly meeting, while also providing an opportunity to celebrate.

One thing that Jessica Fox hopes to change in the next board meeting is the exclusion of surrounding counties. She realizes that by restricting the amount of farmers involved in Beat 4, they’re having to make sacrifices. Right now they have approximately 35 members by Jessica’s count, and those 35 members aren’t producing the kind of volume that the cooperative needs to support itself. Often, Jessica and John Williams (the market manager) have to make due by ordering produce from outside the cooperative. This both uses up the limited funds of the cooperative and places a strain on both Jessica and John to fulfill the orders.

In order for farmers to become members of the cooperative there is a process they must follow. Often people respond to ads that are posted once a month in the local paper to attend their monthly membership meeting, or they come in by word of mouth. Either way there is an interview process with existing members to explain why they want to become part of Beat 4. Most often it is during this process that potential members can determine if Beat 4 is the right cooperative for them. Furthermore there are dues that must be paid through the year and you don’t become an official member or receive the benefits of the heifers from the cooperative until you have participated for six months. Fees include a yearly $25 membership fee and a contribution of one bushel of produce every day you sell at the market. Membership also enables you to use their pea sheller for free, where non-members must pay $3 a bushel.

Meeting Demands of the Market. When Jessica orders from outside of the cooperative for extra vegetables she does the best she can to only order as much as her customers will buy. She does this by 24 Periodic transformation: A systems capacity to plan for changes in its management or business structure to avoid dictatorships or gridlocks. In this instance the board plans in periodic transformation with the end of each board member’s term. This could be as much as three years, or as little as one.

posting an ad in the paper with her phone number asking people to pre-order items. She takes these orders over the phone and strategizes with the grower for that amount. The cooperative does not maintain a website that could be used for this purpose so all orders are made over the phone. She and John have hopes of using the certified kitchen to process extra produce that comes in. Until then, whatever comes in that surpasses her customer demand becomes waste. The cooperative doesn’t bring in much extra money each year after electricity, repairs and taxes. If Jessica can expand the coverage area of the cooperative, she stands the chance to bring in enough growers to provide the basis for an expansion of their market.

One such expansion is the connection to local schools which John Williams has been working hard to create. Less than a quarter of a mile from the farmers market sits the high school where students have recently begun to build raised beds and produce some vegetables. The super intendant of the school has interest in working with the cooperative, but with the limited amount of produce that Beat 4 can supply, the school simply can’t leave their foodservice contract. For the school to be able to purchase from Beat 4 the cooperative would need to provide items like flour, salt, milk and other base items that the school requires. Additionally, the growers would need to change the kind of produce they grow.

Right now, most members grow staples for the area like tomatoes, purple hulled peas, squash, zucchini, and sweet corn. These crops are primarily summer crops and wouldn’t be available during the spring and fall when schools are in session. This is a large barrier for members who tend to be set in their ways, reluctant to grow something different and at a different time. It will take this kind of Conservative Flexibility25 to make the shift to provide for schools and larger institutions. If they were willing to make the shift, the cooperative stands to prosper from the partnership.

This is a prime example of the need for either expansion into other counties, or to bring new farmers into their cooperative. Most of their farmers are aging and their desire to make innovative changes is dwindling. Inspiring a new generation of farmers may be the only hope for the future.

Beat 4: New Generation. John Williams has hopes that Beat 4 will be renewed by a younger generation. Right now there is a church group that has asked to use the raised beds left behind by Beat 4’s youth years ago. They haven’t begun working the ground yet, but the woman leading the youth group has high hopes for bringing the children there. This connection could bring a whole group of youth who could again grow produce to then sell in the farmers market. They also have the option to use the credit union like the youth before them, if they choose to use the asset within their community.

Another youth group voicing interest in farming in Macon are the high school students that operate the high school’s garden. Many of them have spoken with John Williams about how they, “think they would like to be farmers someday” as they’re learning the value of growing their own food. So far these two groups are the greatest hope for a younger generation taking on the mantle from Beat 4. Redundancy26 25 Conservative Flexibility: A system’s ability to retain useful tools and lessons from the past while integrating innovation to change with larger system it is within. In this instance it is imperative for the members of Beat 4 to innovate and produce the kind of supply needed by the school or larger purchasers in the future in order to expand their outreach.26 Redundancy: The system’s ability to repeat itself in succession. In Ecology this is the plants ability to re-seed itself and continue to propagate through a meadow or forest. If there are too few of a plant, it will eventually become overcrowded by more dominant plants. In this instance it is Beat 4’s Youth who represent the hope for redundancy, and until existing members can foster more involvement by younger generations, there is no indicator that the cooperative will continue past its current membership.

is a key element of any resilient system and Macon seems to be short on it, for now. Jessica Fox made it clear that the cooperative has always found a way to keep going. Over the years when they ran out of funding they would hold a dance or fundraiser, “always finding a way” through their challenges. It is unclear how they will move through this challenge though.

While the cooperative needs new members, they are also looking to bring a new generation of shoppers. Many of their customers are older and with limited income. In hopes of expanding their customer base Beat 4 has gone to great lengths to provide EBT and WIC programs as well as a credit card machine so they aren’t limited to cash transactions. It is a challenge to attract customers to the market as supply is often inconsistent and hours fluctuate. Moreover they face the same challenge as many farmers markets of having a limited variety of products. Beat 4 provides primarily fresh vegetables, but until they can offer milk, grains, or other staple foods many people will continue to go to larger markets that offer variety and convenience. Time is a precious commodity of younger generations who often have children and don’t have the time that retired residents have. This is something that John Williams is well aware of and he hopes that they can bring more young people in to buy their produce. He realizes that they are challenged with the cultural palate of younger residents. Many people would prefer to buy processed, salt filled, convenient foods either because they like them or they don’t know how to prepare fresh vegetables. This is another reason that Beat 4 is working to provide a commercial kitchen, so that they can prepare foods and also provide cooking and canning classes for people that don’t know how to use their produce.

Into the future. Beat 4 has built many Assets over its remarkable history that are key to the success and future of the current day Beat 4. Members are able to leverage the tools and concepts that were the basis and building blocks of the past. Their community center and farmers market stand to be renewed as commercial and meeting centers for farmers around Macon. Until they can find a way to leverage those spaces, it is unclear what will become of the buildings. Moving forward it is a matter of inclusion and innovation that will spell the biggest successes for Beat 4. Inclusion of a new generation’s ideals and practices and innovations in farming, seasonal planting, and technology. With many older farmers in the cooperative reluctant to change their ways, it reduces their ability to institute conservative flexibility27 as the ability to innovate and incorporate new ideas in reduced.

Their board and internal structure are well suited to rotate members, though only being able to make significant changes to the rules and regulations of the cooperative limits their capacity to respond to change with great speed or efficiency. This limits their capacity to innovate with new opportunities or to include new concepts that could support the cooperative moving forward.

The age of their members is also of concern as noted above, for without a new generation to take over operations it is unclear who will continue the work of the last 40 years. Their new Heifer program and the desire to expand their membership to include other counties does offer opportunities to expand their capacity and perhaps increase redundancy. If Beat 4 can expand to incorporate larger customers like the Macon High School it could profit greatly as most of their customers are of an older generation. The consistency of a purchaser like the high school and the variety of products they require would also enable them to expand the offering for other customers.

27 Conservative flexibility: The system’s ability to conserve traditional knowledge while incorporating innovative changes.

As Beat 4 President remarks though, “we will always find a way.” The history of Beat 4 says they will continue to show resilience, but changes in Beat 4 augur differently. Longtime member Larry Miller has since focused believes that the cooperative was losing focus and wasn’t attracting or engaging the youth like they used to. He has since continued the summer program for youth out of his own home, though he continues to work with the cooperative, attending Beat 4 meetings and renting their coolers to store milk for the children.

Beat 4, like many mature organizations, is in the K phase of the adaptive cycle. This holding pattern, as we observe from ecological resilience research, cannot last. No system can remain still. Beat 4 will either recreate itself to expand, or through lack of funding and initiative fall apart.