Organic food is back. First it was for hippies. Then it was for wealthy foodies. Now it’s hitting the mainstream with many every day supermarkets having an organic aisle. In just a few short centuries, we’ve come full circle from all organic farming (there were no other options), to chemically dependent factory farming, back to organic. Organics may be a little more expensive, but there is a growing population that is willing to pay a premium for food that they consider healthier, more humane, and better tasting. Organic Valley is a cooperative between 1201 farmer-owners that allows small organic farmers to combine their growing power and sell products on a scale that is usually reserved for industrialized farming operations. Yes, it’s true. One Day, One Job finally has a post for the aggies out there (although Organic Valley also has plenty of opportunities for people with a non-agricultural background).

“At Organic Valley, our philosophy and decisions are based on the health and welfare of people, animals and the earth. In today’s world, in order to make a difference, companies need to think differently. Since our first seven farmers started working together in 1988, we’ve been doing just that.” That pretty much sums up why we think Organic Valley is a great place to start your career. If you want more detailed information on their products, organic farming, or how they started, you can visit their web site. A google search will also turn up myriad articles and websites that go into more detail about Organic Valley and their accomplishments. Wikipedia also has an entry on Organic Valley.

As good as Organic Valley’s general website is, their employment site is hindered by the applicant tracking system that it is built on. Not only is the site slow, but it’s a bit confusing (and sometimes stops working). It also doesn’t let us link to individual jobs. We don’t want you to go through the pain that we did going through Organic Valley’s job listings, so we’ve picked out the jobs that appear to be the most appropriate for entry-level applicants. The exciting news is that there are a lot of them. New college grads should be well qualified for any of the following positions: Inventory Associate II, ERP Setup Associate, Sustainability Program Manager, Logistics Support Specialist, Sales Services Coordinator, Graphics Designer, California Hauling and Quality Coordinator, Regional Farmer Relations Representative, Farmer Communications Coordinator, and Product Development Technologist.

Almost all of these positions are based out of La Farge, Wisconsin, and there’s a wide range of fields represented – from accounting to marketing to agriculture. We did our best to make sense of the job descriptions, but they were a little unclear, so give them a good look before you apply.

We don’t want to end this post on a sour (like non-organic milk) note, because Organic Valley truly does look like an awesome place to work, so we’ll highlight a few of the perks that come with working for them. Organic Valley employees get to participate in the Kickapoo (yes, that’s the real name) County Fair. Blue jeans and t-shirts are appropriate attire. And shoes are optional, yes, optional, in the Summer.

Note: On April 24th we revisited entry-level jobs at Organic Valley.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

• The Organic Valley Home Page
• Jobs at Organic Valley
• Organic Valley’s Culture
• The History of Organic Valley
• Organic Valley’s Mission
• Frequently Asked Questions About Organic Valley and Organic Food
• Organic Valley in the New York Times (2005)
• Organic Valley in the Seattle Times (2004)
• Organic Valley’s Ranking by the Cornucopia Institute

Do you eat organic?

We've identified Organic Valley as having career opportunities in the following categories:

• accounting
• agriculture
• all employers
• marketing
• organic
• Wisconsin

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