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Annette Danzier, a resident of Salinas, California, made news in May when she pulled her son out of the local elementary school due to concerns over the use of pesticides in nearby strawberry fields. Danzier joined hundreds of thousands of others in sending a petition to the Environmental Protection Agency to block the use of methyl iodide, citing concerns that the fumigant is toxic and can cause cancer. The petition came on the heels of 38 California State legislators requesting the EPA to take methyl iodide off the shelf, pending further study. Strawberries are a $2 billion industry in California, where 90% of the nations’ crop is produced by 500 farmers. The California Strawberry Commission backs the use of methyl iodide, claiming it is more environmentally friendly than a previous product when used with respirators, tarps over the plants and additional restrictions around schools. But one farmer has taken a different route. Jim Cochran, co-proprietor of Swanton Berry Farm, north of Santa Cruz, has been growing organic strawberries for more than 25 years, rotating fields and covering plants to achieve sweet fruit at high yields. But Cochran doesn’t stop there. He is as concerned with labor rights for workers as he is with the quality of the food he produces. Cochran sought out the AFL-CIO to employ contract farm workers with guaranteed wages and benefits. How does he compete with the “big boys?” He relies on sales from loyal customers at farmers markets and on produce managers who help educate the public about what he is trying to achieve. In April the Natural Resources Defense Council awarded Cochran with a Growing Green Award, naming him 2011 Food Producer of the Year for his efforts to promote sustainable agriculture, which he does with no grants or government subsidies.

GUEST: Jim Cochran, co-proprietor of Swanton Berry Farms, winner of Growing Green Award by NRDC

Find out more at www.swantonberryfarm.com and www.rootsofchange.org.