Lundberg Family Farms

Lundberg Family Farms, based in Richvale, California, United States, is a farm that produces rice and rice cakes. They also market organic foods. It is family owned and they have been committed to organic farming, especially rice products. It was the first business to produce and market a brand of organic rice in the United States. Today it is one of the United States' top brands of organic products, with 14000 acre under management.[1]

History

Albert and Frances Lundberg, the grandparents of the current Lundbergs, traveled west to Richvale, California, in 1937 from Nebraska, seeking their fortunes out west after the Great Depression. In Nebraska they had farmed wheat and corn, but they found that their 40 acre of hard clay in California were better suited for rice. Since the beginning they have been early pioneers in ecologically sound agriculture. While Albert Lundberg's neighbors were burning leftover rice stalks, for example, Albert devised a way to plow those stalks back into the field as fertilizer. Because of this early focus, the Lundbergs were the first American farmers to market a brand of organic rice products. In order to accomplish this, Albert's sons Wendell, Eldon, Harlan, and Homer had to build their own mill and establish a company which they called Wehah Farm, after their initials.[2]

The Lundbergs have grown from 40 acre to their current 14000 acre since their inception.

Business model

Lundberg Family Farms is uncommonly large among organic farms. It is also vertically integrated (meaning that the systems for producing, handling, and distributing their products is also owned by Lundberg Family Farms), as many corporate agribusinesses are. It owns about 5000 acre and contracts for another 9000 acre. Around 70 percent is farmed organically, but the company calls the remainder "eco-farmed", which means that it is farmed with pesticides and fertilizers that are carefully chosen for minimal environmental damage. On the eco-farmed portion they use one insecticide, eight selected herbicides, some conventional fertilizers, and fewer cover crops. The conventional methods mean less labor and less cost, allowing the company to compete in conventional markets.[2]

The company is still owned by the Lundberg family.

Sustainability

The Lundbergs have been consistently recognized for their efforts in sustainability. In 2004 Lundberg Family Farms was awarded the Green Power Leadership Award by the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States for offsetting 100% of its power with wind energy certificates, making it one of the largest purchasers in California and the first organic food manufacturer to do so.[3]

The company is currently a member of the EPA's Green Power Partnership where it is listed as the only agribusiness running on 100% green power.[4][5]

External links

• Lundberg Family Farms official website
• Wall Street Journal Top Small Workplaces 2008 "This organic-rice-products business has been family owned for 71 years -- and is set on keeping things that way. But Lundberg Family Farms -- formally known as Wehah Farms Inc. -- also offers employees who aren't family members the chance to build long, fulfilling careers."
• Google books - Case study of Lundberg Family Farms
• Draker Labs - Case study of Lundberg Family Farms electricity use "By shifting demand patterns, the farm leaves room to export electricity during the times of the day where the utilities pay the highest rates."