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CapitalPress.com
October 30, 2015
People & Places
Distributor is an organic pioneer
David Lively of the
Organically Grown
Co. helped shape
industry’s rise
Established 1928
Board of directors
Mike Forrester ..........................President
Steve Forrester
Kathryn Brown
Sid Freeman .................. Outside director
Mike Omeg .................... Outside director
Corporate ofﬁ cer
John Perry
Chief operating ofﬁ cer
Western
Innovator
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
EUGENE, Ore. — As or-
ganic entrepreneur David
Lively has discovered, there’s
occasionally an upside to be-
ing widely mocked.
In the ﬂ edgling years of
the Organically Grown Co.,
which Lively helped launch
in the late 1970s, the idea of
a food wholesaler devoted to
organic produce was derided
as a “hippie idealistic trip.”
“Nobody was interested in
what we were doing,” he said.
“I was literally laughed at.”
While it’s not pleasant to
have one’s dreams subject-
ed to ridicule, Lively learned
that the seemingly ludicrous
concept gave the Organically
Grown Co. an open ﬁ eld in
which to operate.
“The commercial distrib-
utors considered organic a
complete joke,” he said. “We
had a pretty good run at it
without any competition.”
In all fairness, the 1970s
organic food scene as de-
scribed by Lively was fairly
laughable: There was “almost
no market” for organic pro-
duce while growers ﬁ ercely
competed for existing sales
channels, he said.
Farmers were overproduc-
ing some vegetables while
grocers were facing shortag-
es of others, so a handful of
growers decided to push for
a “coordinated marketing ef-
fort,” Lively said. “There was
too much chaos in the market.”
Capital Press
David Lively
Occupation: Vice president
of sales and marketing at
Organically Grown Co.
Age: 62
Family: Two grown children
Hometown: Eugene, Ore.
David Lively, vice president of sales and marketing for the Organically Grown Co., helped launch the
produce distribution company to better coordinate sales among organic farmers. The company now
has $150 million in annual revenues.
Organically Grown Co.
originated as a farmers’ co-
operative in Eugene, Ore.,
aimed at improving agricul-
tural practices but then shifted
to preventing “gluts and holes
in production,” he said.
John Eveland, co-owner
of Gathering Together Farm
in Corvallis, Ore., remembers
that the ﬁ rm initially consist-
ed of little more than a small
warehouse and a truck.
Even so, it offered growers
improved efﬁ ciency over their
previous approach to market-
ing produce, he said. “Every-
body was selling $100 worth
out of the back of their truck.”
Such cooperation was key
to the success of small organ-
ic farms, which could not eco-
nomically deliver fruits and
vegetables to grocery stores
on an individual basis, said
Larry Lev, an Oregon State
University agricultural econ-
omist who studies local food
systems.
By pooling their resources,
the growers could consolidate
shipments and deliver them
more effectively, Lev said.
“Collectively, they can get
more done,” he said. “They
can ﬁ ll the gaps in the food
system.”
Even so, the cooperative’s
early years were “ deﬁ nitely
rough,” even as it converted
into a for-proﬁ t company and
opened its ﬁ rst facility in the
early 1980s, Lively said.
When the cooperative con-
verted to a marketing ven-
ture, Organically Grown Co.
was intended to free up time
for growers such as Lively
and his brother, Tom, so they
could spend more time farm-
ing and less on making deliv-
eries and collecting payments.
However, Lively eventu-
ally became more involved in
the cooperative’s operations
in various capacities.
He helped other farmers
with problems they were ex-
periencing in the ﬁ eld but
later moved into managing
supplies and shipping. Lively
now serves as vice president
of sales and marketing.
“We were pretty ﬂ uid with
what we were doing,” Lively
said. “We have people who
just want to get it done.”
The company’s role also
changed over time as it be-
gan distributing produce from
growers who weren’t found-
ing members of the cooper-
ative, sourcing organic fruits
and vegetables from Califor-
nia and elsewhere to supply
customers year-round.
Organically Grown Co.
lost money for several years
but became proﬁ table as the
baby boomer generation be-
gan earning middle-class in-
comes and wanted to support
an alternative food system.
Lively describes the phe-
nomenon as “hippies who cut
their hair and got jobs.”
“That’s when the market
Education: After graduating
from Cortez High School in
Phoenix, Ariz., he stud-
ied writing, social work,
business and marketing
at several colleges and
universities
Capital Press Managers
Mike O’Brien .............................Publisher
Joe Beach ..................................... Editor
Elizabeth Yutzie Sell .... Advertising Director
Carl Sampson ................Managing Editor
Barbara Nipp ......... Production Manager
Samantha McLaren .... Circulation Manager
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EO Media Group
dba Capital Press
An independent newspaper
published every Friday.
Capital Press (ISSN 0740-3704) is
published weekly by EO Media Group,
1400 Broadway St. NE, Salem OR 97301.
Periodicals postage paid at Portland, OR,
and at additional mailing ofﬁ ces.
really took hold,” he said.
Organically Grown Co.’s
clientele, which originally
consisted of small food-buy-
ing clubs and grocery coop-
eratives, now includes major
national grocery chains. Its
revenues have grown from
$100,000 a year to $150 mil-
lion.
“The company is a force,”
said Eveland, the organic
farmer, noting that it has none-
theless stayed true to its origi-
nal values. “It isn’t just about
making money, it’s about do-
ing it with a conscience.”
Lively was pivotal in en-
abling the distribution compa-
ny’s growth and prominence
while retaining strong ties
with the agricultural com-
munity, Eveland said. “He’s
been a formidable force in
that company and the whole
organic industry.”
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Nevada students see, touch agriculture
By SARAH HAUCK
The Record-Courier
GARDNERVILLE, Nev.
(AP) — Two chickens ran
away from their pens, and a
young dairy cow pulled from
her owner’s grasp during a
break at Ag in the Classroom
at Scarselli Elementary School.
The Douglas County Farm
Bureau-hosted traveling pro-
gram brought feathers, hooves,
tractors and stingers to show
students how agriculture inﬂ u-
ences their lives every day.
“A lot of the younger chil-
dren don’t realize what’s in
their own backyards,” District
English as a Second Language
teacher Anissa Rose said. “It is
great to see what goes on be-
hind the scenes. This program
brings the sights, the smells, the
sounds of everything that’s out
there, right here to these kids.”
Students from DHS’s FFA
brought their projects of chick-
ens, sheep and goats to share
their purpose within Carson
Valley agriculture with the ele-
mentary students.
Being part of the district for
a decade, Rose enjoyed seeing
several familiar faces Friday on
the ﬁ eld of Scarselli Elementa-
ry School.
“I love seeing the older kids
running the programs,” she
said. “I see three kids here to-
day that I’ve known since they
were in elementary school. See-
ing them as representatives of
this program is heartwarming
to me. This and FFA are just an-
other example of the opportuni-
ty for success the district is able
to provide for our students.”
For a 4-H member, Ag in
the Classroom is a time to share
with his peers how products
from cows help ﬁ ll grocery
store shelves.
Lander Smith, 12, shared
with students his Belted Gallo-
way calf, Theo.
“I am a talker, so I love this,”
Lander said. “I like seeing kids
learn, and look at the animal up
close. I also like seeing them
get their questions answered.”
Lander’s mom, Julene
Smith, thinks programs like
4-H and Ag in the Classroom
are a way for kids that don’t live
on a ranch like her son Lander,
to get hands-on experience.
“Watching them cringe
when they ﬁ nd out Jell-O
comes from cows is my favor-
ite part of this,” the Carson City
resident said. “Plus, this shows
kids that the food in the grocery
store has to come from some-
where before it ends up on the
shelves. We help teach them
that there has to be ranchers
and farmers to get that food to
them.”
Ag in the Classroom takes
over an elementary school in
the district bringing exhibitors
from bee keepers, to noxious
weed experts to cowboys to
To Place Classiﬁ ed Ads
share with students the impor-
tance and presence of agricul-
ture in their area.
Farm Bureau President
Woody Worthington said the
program works directly with
curriculum requirements, so
students aren’t just playing
with farm animals for the day.
“We are working with
Teri White (Douglas County
School District Superinten-
dent) directly to ensure what
we bring to the kids is beneﬁ -
cial,” he said. “We want to be
able to get ag into classrooms,
just like the name says. We are
a future for these kids. That’s
why it is so important to intro-
duce kids to agriculture and
ranching and farming.”
Oregon residents worried about ‘gold rush’ for pot land
“It’s a perfect storm that
has created a lot of tension
and potential for violence in
what used to be nice neighbor-
hoods,” Fairbanks said.
Jim Reiland, who also lives
in the Applegate Valley, said
he and his neighbors are not
personally opposed to the le-
galization of marijuana in Or-
egon. But the marijuana grows
seem to be going in with little
regulation or concern over im-
pacts to the surrounding com-
munity.
“A lot of us have pretty sig-
niﬁ cant plantations right next
door,” he said.
During all of September
and October, neighbors are
putting up with skunk-like
odors as the marijuana plants
mature and become ready for
harvest, Reiland said.
But worse than that, Rei-
land said marijuana growers
have little regard for the com-
munity and long-time resi-
dents.
“Growers are not bad peo-
ple, but they don’t have the
same commitment to the area,”
he said. “They’re just looking
at it as an opportunity to make
a boatload of money in a hurry.
Their issue is getting it grown
and getting it out.”
With Southern Oregon in a
drought, many rural residents
don’t believe wells on rural
residential and woodland re-
source lands should be tapped
for high-intensity marijuana
grows. They think marijuana
growers should instead obtain
legal water rights and use wa-
ter from irrigation districts.
The residents are also wor-
ried about woodlands being
cleared for marijuana plants,
and they say grow lights and
industrial fans are disturbing.
They have called on Jack-
son County ofﬁ cials to devel-
op more regulations governing
marijuana grows.
Rural resident Cathie Sa-
bados said she lives within
100 yards of a medical mari-
juana grow. Cars come up and
down the driveway at all hours
of the day and night, ﬂ ashing
their lights and honking to be
let into the grow site, which
is guarded by eight to 10 dogs
that bark constantly.
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on “Submit an Event.” Calendar
items can also be mailed to Capital
Press, 1400 Broadway St. NE,
Salem, OR 97301.
Points, is a preventive system
for the control of health-threat-
ening biological, chemical and
physical food hazards during
food processing. This is a com-
prehensive workshop designed
for those individuals responsible
for implementing and manag-
ing a HACCP system in a food
manufacturing facility.
Wednesday-Friday
Nov. 4-6
southern Nevada, breaking down
barriers within the local food
movement and making important
connections in the local food
chain.
Convention Center, Spokane,
Wash. 206-632-7506.
Wednesday-Saturday
Nov. 11-14
Washington Farm Bureau 2015
Annual Meeting & Trade Show, Ya-
kima Convention Center, Yakima.
Saturday, Oct. 31
Tuesday-Thursday
Nov. 3-5
Mail Tribune
MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) —
Many residents in rural Jack-
son County say their peaceful
way of life is being threatened
by people grabbing up land for
marijuana grows.
“We’ve got a little gold
rush going on. People have
their minds set on proﬁ t and
getting fabulously rich,” said
Rich Fairbanks, who lives in
the Applegate Valley near a
marijuana grow with plants as
tall as small trees.
He said marijuana growers
are buying up rural residential
sites with water and power,
displacing homebuyers and
using up scarce well water.
Ore.
UMPQUA
NATIONAL
FOREST
Area in
detail
Applegate
Valley
region
5
Grants
Pass
Riv
Rogu
By VICKIE ALDOUS
er
Ashland
N
ROGUE RIVER
NAT’L. FOR.
KLAMATH
NAT’L. FOR.
5
96
Alan Kenaga/Capital Press
Calendar
National FFA Convention & Expo,
Kentucky Exposition Center,
Louisville, Ky.
Tuesday-Thursday
Nov. 3-5
Practical Food Safety & HACCP
Workshop, Idaho Water Center,
Boise, 208-364-6188. HACCP or
Hazard Analysis Critical Control
UC-Davis Produce Safety Work-
shop, University of California-Davis
campus. This 2½-day workshop is
an integrated approach to building
a foundation of awareness and
improved understanding of the
current scientiﬁ c basis for produce
microbial safety systems and
preventive controls.
2015 Weed Conference,
Wenatchee Convention Center,
Wenatchee, Wash.
Saturday, Nov. 7
Worm Bin Composting Work-
shop, 10 a.m.-noon, OSU Exten-
sion ofﬁ ce, Eugene. Pre-registra-
tion by Nov. 3 is requested. Cost is
$40, which includes a worm bin and
worms.
Tuesday, Nov. 10
Nevada Governor’s Conference
on Agriculture, Culinary Academy
of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas,
Nev. Conference highlights
include local food successes in
Tri-State Grain Growers Con-
vention, Davenport Grand Hotel,
Spokane, Wash.
Thursday-Friday
Nov. 12-13
Oregon Water Law Conference,
Hilton Executive Tower, Portland.
Friday-Sunday
Nov. 13-15
Tilth Producers of Washington
2015 Annual Conference, Spokane
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Friday, Nov. 20
Agri-Business Council of Oregon
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Index
California .............................. 10
Dairy .................................... 13
Idaho ...................................... 9
Markets ............................... 16
Opinion .................................. 6
Oregon .................................. 7
Washington ..........................11
Correction policy
Accuracy is important to Capital
Press staff and to our readers.
Friday-Saturday
Nov. 27-28
If you see a misstatement,
omission or factual error in a
headline, story or photo caption,
please call the Capital Press
news department at
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