Jim & Moie Crawford, Hagerstown, PA

Jim and Moie Crawford produce some 40 crops on 95 acres and market them through the successful co-op they formed in 1988. While they had been farming organically for many years, the Crawfords had found that adequate profits eluded them. With four other southern Pennsylvania farmers, they formed the Tuscarora Organic Growers Cooperative, now one of the most innovative and successful co-ops in the country. Today, the co-op is comprised of more than 20 producers. In one decade, sales increased tenfold, to more than $1 million in 2003.

On their own farm, the Crawfords pamper their soils with composted manure and mushroom soil from southeast Pennsylvania. The manure comes from their 250 hens, as well as from local chicken farms. They use a complex rotational system and beneficial insects to help manage pests and disease. The Crawfords run an organized apprentice program to help growers get started, (more than 20 current farmers got their start at New Morning Farm), host field days for local growers and continue to work with the co-op to promote sustainable growing practices and fair returns for produce.