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GOURMET NEWS NOVEMBER 2014 www.gourmetnews.com GENERAL NEWS 4 State Agricultural Directors Meet in Burlington, Vermont for NASDA Annual Meeting The 2014 National Association of State De- partments of Agriculture Annual Meeting was held in Burlington, Vermont on the shores of Lake Champlain from September 10-13. Each year, the event brings together agriculture officials from throughout the United States to discuss key national policy issues, network with agricultural stakehold- ers and explore local agricultural practices. The theme of this year's conference, hosted by NASDA President and Vermont Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, Charles Ross, was Ag Literacy. Ross said this is a "pivotal period" for American agricul- ture. "Less than 2 percent of the population makes a living farming or ranching," said Ross. "Given this divide, the opportunity for misunderstanding is immense … We must work together to create a culture of what I like to refer to as 'Ag Literacy,' an ap- preciation and understanding of where food and fiber comes from and how farming and ranching work." Organic Trade Association Executive Di- rector and CEO Laura Batcha told the Na- tional Association of State Departments of Agriculture at this year's meeting that or- ganic farming is in all states, and that state directors of agriculture who care about jobs and vitality should care about organic. Or- ganic is no longer a niche industry, said Batcha, noting that the organic sector re- ported over $35 billion worth of sales last year, a new record. Batcha spoke at an OTA-hosted organic breakfast for the state agriculture directors. Batcha pointed out that the 2014 Farm Bill provides the tools to expand organic agriculture, and urged the state agricultural officials to get the word out to their con- stituents to take advantage of these new tools to increase organic production and meet growing demand for organic, both here and abroad. Export opportunities for organic are robust, and all states have something to offer to satisfy the global ap- petite, said Batcha. Batcha said that organic agriculture, with its transparency and its goal to educate the public about the origin of its food and non- food products, is in sync with Ross' goals, observing that organic consumers are in- creasingly seeking out more information about where their food comes from and how it was raised. For more information on this year's NASDA Annual Meeting or to keep up-to- date on information regarding the upcom- ing 2015 meeting, visit www.nasda.org/ 9381/6458/19542.aspx. GN USDA to Launch First Ever Study of Ranched Bison Industry in the United States The USDA's National Animal Health Moni- toring System recently launched Bison 2014, the first-ever national study of the U.S. ranched-bison industry. This initiative is intended to increase knowledge and un- derstanding about the characteristics, health and management practices and chal- lenges facing bison operations in the United States. "Bison 2014 represents a major coopera- tive effort to identify the needs of our pro- ducers and to help target resources to help our industry continue to grow," said Bruce Anderson, President of the National Bison Association. To collect the data for the study, the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service will send all U.S. ranched bison producers a questionnaire and materials describing the study. Producers are asked to complete and return the questionnaire within two weeks. Bison 2014 is being conducted as a result of discussions between the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and representatives of the U.S. bison industry, including the National Bison Association. NAHMS obtained input from bison pro- ducers and other in- dustry stakeholders to define the most criti- cal information needs of the industry. This input was used to de- velop the Bison 2014 study objectives. The objectives of the study include pro- viding a baseline de- scription of the U.S. bison industry, in- cluding basic characteristics of operations, such as inventory, size, and type, as well as describing current U.S. ranched-bison industry production practices and chal- lenges, such as identification, confinement and handling, animal care, and disease testing. The study also aims to describe health management and biosecurity prac- tices important for the productivity and health of ranched bison and to describe producer-reported occurrence of select health problems and evaluate potential as- sociated risk factors. The Bison 2014 study will be conducted by NAHMS under its designation as a sta- tistical unit under the Confidential Infor- mation Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act. By law, all information collected dur- ing the Bison 2014 study will be used for statistical purposes only and will be treated as confidential in accordance with CIPSEA guidelines. Bison 2014 results will be pre- sented only in an aggregate manner. GN Three Organic Visionaries Receive 2014 Organic Leadership Awards at Baltimore Ceremony A pioneer and tireless teacher of the or- ganic way for more than 40 years, an or- ganic farmer dedicated to making his farming operation a compelling example of a better way to farm, and an environmental engineer who triggered an organic revolu- tion in the mattress and bedding industry were recently honored by the Organic Trade Association for their visionary work that is transforming organic farming and trade. The awards were presented on Sep- tember 17 at a ceremony in Baltimore, Maryland. "These outstanding visionaries have made invaluable contributions to demon- strating how organic practices can change our world for the better," said Laura Batcha, OTA's Executive Director and CEO. "We are excited to honor these three indi- viduals who were nominated by their peers and chosen unanimously by OTA's Board of Directors." The OTA's honorees included Marty Mesh, Executive Director of Florida Certi- fied Organic Growers and Consumers, who received the Growing the Organic Industry Award; Doug Crabtree, Farmer and Organic Farm Trainer from Vilicus Farms, who re- ceived the Organic Farmer of the Year Award; and Barry A. Cik, Technical Direc- tor for Naturepedic Organic Mattresses who received the Rising Star Award. Mesh was honored for his contributions over a span of 40 years to organic agricul- ture. In 1973, he started growing organic produce and helped start a co-op so that people could purchase organic food. After attending the University of Florida, he founded Bellevue Gardens Organic Farm. For 25 years, working with his hands in the soil, he learned the methods that would later become organic standards. He also worked with other farmers to create a cer- tification program to differentiate organic products in the marketplace. In 1989, he helped form Florida Certified Organic Growers & Consumers Inc. and has served as its executive director since 1995. FOG's certification arm, Quality Certification Services, now certifies over 900 farm and handling operations in the United States and abroad. Growing up on a conventional managed farm in Ohio, Crabtree eventually became not only a passionate advocate of organic farming, but a steward helping others be- come organic farmers. Earning a B.S. in Agricultural Economics from Purdue Uni- versity and a Masters in Plant Science at South Dakota State University, he first worked with an investment firm interested in organic farming. This experience con- firmed that organic farming was not just economically viable but also economically advantageous over conventional farming. He subsequently served as an independent organic inspector for five years, gaining perspective on the challenges facing or- ganic farmers, and later joined the Montana Department of Agriculture in 2001 as Or- ganic Certification Manager. Honored for his work as the founder and Technical Director of Naturepedic Organic Mattresses, Barry A. Cik has demonstrated a lifelong interest in preserving the envi- ronment for all future generations. A pro- fessionally trained environmental engineer, Cik combines his passion for improving consumers' quality of life with his technical knowledge. The Organic Trade Association is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. OTA is the leading voice for or- ganic trade in the United States, represent- ing over 6,500 organic businesses across 49 states. Its members include growers, ship- pers, processors, certifiers, farmers' associ- ations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. For more information on OTA and on the Organic Leadership Awards, visit www.ota.com. GN

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