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June Profile :

Co-operating to Preserve Our World      

Consumer's Co-op, Litchfield, Minn.

By Ryan Conatti

In an 1880 edition of the Litchfield News-Ledger locals read about how Litchfield was “an unimproved waste, inhabited only by wild beasts…”  Today, thanks to companies like Consumer’s Co-op, the once wild land has been cultivated, sown, cropped and protected.

“We have to be very strong about environmental responsibility and show that we care about what happens in our area,” says Craig Bulan, manager.

According to Bulan, the company supports local farmers and industry in a variety of ways. It has purchased and cultivated land to create a 22 acre research plot.  Here, seed developers and chemical companies can create better products, and growers can learn about new varieties of plants as well as how to protect them, effectively and environmentally. 

Through a bi-annual on-site training process with the Litchfield Fire Department employees develop risk management skills and practice emergency procedures.   They also keep all chemicals separated so that they are easy to contain in the case of a flood or a fire.

With a clay bottom ditch and an emergency shut off system it is virtually impossible for chemicals to escape the property, no matter what problem occurs.  “Taking precautions and aiding in the development of new crops and safer products like Consumer’s Co-op does is the best way to ensure the health and continued success of the land we all depend on,” says Bulau. “Developments such as these can help turn any ‘unimproved waste’ land into a flourishing, fertile farming community.”