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Rodale is a non-profit.

Many conventional farms live off subsidies. They're not necessarily any more sustainable.

(I'm not from the US so can only speak of local farms. I believe its the same in the US, based on stuff I've heard and read, but don't believe random internet comments)

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I don't know anything about Rodale or their sustainability but in this case a non-profit, in the U.S., is a tax code distinction. It doesn't mean they don't generate a profit, it just sets rules on what they're allowed to do with it, among other things.

I don't have any 1st hand experience with this, but my friend is in finance, and he is doing pro bono work for a non profit. One thing he mentioned to me that struck him was that this company invested money in areas with high risk. He said it wasn't so much about money in some cases, but the mission of the company. So I can see how being a non profit can change some things.

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