PCO’s 17th Annual Meeting Thursday, February 6, 2014 The Penn Stater Conference Center • State College, PA 16801 www.paorganic.org Sponsors and Contributors Catoctin Creek Distilling Co. Common Ground Farm Custom Co-Pak Dairy Marketing Services, LLC Del Grosso Food, Inc. Frankferd Farms Food Gardens by Grace Harney and Sons Tea Corporation Julie Hurst Keystone Food Products Knouse Foods Cooperative Lady Moon Farms Heritage Poultry Management Services / Laurel Grove Allen Matthews McGeary Organics Mother Earth LLC Organic Valley Oyler’s Eden Valley Farm PASA Phillips Mushroom Farms Seedway Shiloh Farms / Garden Spot Distributors Anna Smith Soergel Orchards Spiral Path Farm Steigman Enterprises Tait Farms Upstate Niagara Cooperative Theresa Shay TriYoga Trickling Springs Creamery Uncle Matt’s Organic
Transcript
PCO’s 17th Annual Meeting
Thursday, February 6, 2014The Penn Stater Conference Center • State College, PA 16801
www.paorganic.org
Sponsors and Contributors
Catoctin Creek Distilling Co.
Common Ground Farm
Custom Co-Pak
Dairy Marketing Services, LLC
Del Grosso Food, Inc.
Frankferd Farms Food
Gardens by Grace
Harney and Sons Tea Corporation
Julie Hurst
Keystone Food Products
Knouse Foods Cooperative
Lady Moon Farms
Heritage Poultry Management Services / Laurel Grove
Allen Matthews
McGeary Organics
Mother Earth LLC
Organic Valley
Oyler’s Eden Valley Farm
PASA
Phillips Mushroom Farms
Seedway
Shiloh Farms /Garden Spot Distributors
Anna Smith
Soergel Orchards
Spiral Path Farm
Steigman Enterprises
Tait Farms
Upstate Niagara Cooperative
Theresa Shay TriYoga
Trickling Springs Creamery
Uncle Matt’s Organic
About PCO
1
Annual Meeting Agenda4:30 to 6:15pm
Pennsylvania Certified Organic (PCO) is a membership-based non- profit organizationthat educates and certifies growers, processors and handlers of organic crops, wild crops,livestock and livestock products in Pennsylvania and adjoining states. PCO is a USDA-accredited organic certifying agency and is also accredited under International StandardsOrganization (ISO) Guide 65.
PCO was founded in 1997 by a group of farmers who believed Pennsylvania’s organiccommunity needed its own certification organization. We offer individual assistance inunderstanding and meeting organic standards. We also hold informational meetings andeducational workshops throughout the state and organize forums where producers canshare their expertise.
PCO serves more than 600 organic farmers, processors, handlers, distributors and bro-kers, including those involved in produce and grain crops, dairy, poultry, mushrooms,maple products, beef and value-added operations. PCO provides certification services inthe greater mid-Atlantic region of the U.S., including Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, NewJersey, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and the District ofColumbia. In addition to U.S. organic certification, PCO certifies products for export toCanada, Europe, and Asia.
4:30pm Call to Order- Phil Coles, PresidentApproval of Minutes — Kathy Soder, Secretary
4:35 – 4:45pm Presentation of Annual Report — Leslie Zuck, Executive Director
4:45 – 4:55pm Presentation on Strategic Plan — Strategic Planning Subcommittee and/or Leadership Team memberOther Business
4:55 – 5:00pm Meeting Adjourned — Phil Coles, President
5:00 – 5:05pm Introduction to Seth Goldman
5:05 – 5:40pm Keynote Presentation by Seth Goldman
5:40 – 5:50pm Questions
5:50 – 6:15pm AwardsPresentation of the 2013 PCO Award Recipients Board, Committees & Volunteer Recognition
Note: If you were presented with an award, please stay after the meetingfor a brief photo.
PCO Staff (Left to right) Front row: Matthew Kelterborn, Certification Specialist; Lee Rinehart, Director of Education andOutreach; Amanda Birk, Staff Inspector; Adam Seitz, Certification Specialist; Penny Zuck, Certification Specialist; JohannaMirenda, Policy Director; Sabine Carey, Materials Specialst; Marissa Pyle, Certification Specialist/Compliance Manager;Sandie Elder, Office Manager.
Back row: Leslie Zuck, Executive Director; Robert Yang, Quality Systems Manager; Joshua Brock, Technology Coordinator;Liz Amos, Staff Inspector; Lia Sandoval, Administrative Staff Assistant; Kyla Smith, Certification Program Director; DianaUnderwood, Director of Operations; Heather Donald, Assistant Certification Specialist.
Not Pictured: Rebecca Robertson, Outreach Specialist; April Fix, Public Relations Coordinator.
Advisory Board AwardWe wish to recognize the following outgoingboard member for the important work she hascontributed to our organization.
■ Kathy Soder, Board Secretary
Outstanding New Organic ProducerFor attentiveness throughout the certificationprocess, innovative management, and dedicationtoward creating and maintaining a successfulorganic plan.
■ The Young FamiliesYoung Crest Farm, Kodru Dairy, & Young ContractingAntwerp, Governour, and Theresa, New York
“Farming has always been in our blood. One wayor another we’ve been involved with dairy andcrops,” says Tommy Young. While Tommy, hisbrother, Andrew, and their nephew, Adam, maybe new to organic certification, they been farm-ing with “just manure and hay” since they couldwalk. Tommy and Andrew, along with their 2brothers and 4 sisters, grew up on a small dairyfarm in Governeur, NY, where their 72-year olddad still takes 100 acres of square bale hay off theland by himself. Tommy credits his dad alongwith his eldest brother, Jimmy, who has beenorganic dairying for 20+ years, as his inspirationto farm organically. Tommy farms 57 acres ofhay and corn , although he is planning to adddairy soon too. Adam farms 212 acres of hay,pasture, and corn with 35 dairy cows. Andrewfarms 140 acres of hay, pasture and corn with 40dairy cows and 25 heifers. While they all havetheir own farms, they are constantly helping eachother and working together. Adam, Andrew andTommy are dedicated organic farmers withstrong family ties to the organic community.Hats off to the Youngs.
Going the Extra AcreFor sharing knowledge and expertise with fellowfarmers and the organic community. Great sys-tems are built on collaboration.
■ Alyson and Terry IngramThrelkeld Farm DairyBrandy Station, Virginia
A smart man learns from his mistakes, Terrylikes to say, but a wise man learns from the mis-takes of others. “I’ll never claim to be a wise man,but I’m at least a smart man. Once you experi-ence what it’s like to farm organic, your eyesopen to how abundant nature is. I am blessed tosee it every day. I feel privileged to be able to farmthis way.” Terry and his wife, Alyson, their twosmall children, Terry’s parents, and his brother,live on and work the farm where Terry was bornand raised. The Ingrams milk about 220 cows ontheir 100% grassfed, organic dairy. “I have gottenmuch more in tune with feeding the soil, and Ican actually see the return on that effort. I havegrass when other people don’t, because healthysoil retains water so much better.” Terry credits alot of the farm’s success to his mother, Boo, andhis brother, Rush. “They’ve supported myefforts, and we all live right here on the farm. It’sgreat to raise my kids like this with their grand-parents and uncle around them.” Terry and fam-ily have welcomed numerous visitors to theirfarm for the many field days they have hostedand openly shared their farming practices so oth-ers can learn from their mistakes and successes.
2013 Award RecipientsKeynote Presentation
Seth Goldman Co-founder, President, and “TeaEO” of Honest Tea, a PCO-Certified organic beverage company
2 3
Seth will discuss trendsin organic marketingand share some insightsfrom his innovative andentrepreneurial history.Seth and co-founder Barry Nalebuff recently published a business book in comic format, Mission in a Bottle: The Honest Guide to Doing Business Differently— And Succeeding. The book shares personal insights and lessons about scaling amission-driven business in a profit-driven world. Mission in a Bottle will be available for purchase, with author proceeds donated to the Rodale Institute.
Terry Ingram
Organic Research and EducationFor furthering the cause of organic farmingthrough research and education.
■ The Ranck FamiliesCharvin Organic FarmMifflin, Pennsylvania
Charlotte and Elvin Ranck and their son anddaughter-in-law Michael and Krystal operate a180-cow organic dairy and crop farm on 1,000acres in Juniata County. After years of conven-tional farming Elvin had the opportunity toobserve a biologically managed farm and the soiltilth thereof and so began his inspiration to paycareful attention to the life of the soil. Elvin andfamily have been farming organically since 1987,are grateful for the healthier crops, healthier ani-mals and healthier environment such practicesafford, and are eager to share their knowledgewith others. “While we don’t have all the answersto all life’s problems in organic farming, we’velearned and mastered a few things along the wayand would like to pass that along to other peo-ple.” From soil consulting, hosting field days,and conducting seed trials to collaborating onresearch projects, the Ranck families play animportant part in furthering organic agricultureresearch and educating the organic community.In addition to their domestic pursuits, Elvintravels to Africa several times a year to do min-istry work and agriculture education. Manythanks to the Rancks for their great work.
Sustainability AwardFor furthering the sustainability of farms, fami-lies, communities, and the environment.
■ Annemarie and Samuel YoderGreen Alchemy FarmKutztown, Pennsylvania
Annemarie and Samuel Yoder VMD are passion-ate about and have been integrally involved ineducating, facilitating and promoting renewableenergy and sustainable living much of their lives.After several years of academic and veterinaryventures, they returned to Samuel’s family farmto found and build from scratch Silver MapleVeterinary Clinic while working toward theirlife-long goal of self-sufficiency. Toward that endthey began operating an organic farm, growingmost of their own food, generating most of theirelectricity from solar photo voltaic and wind,and powering cars and tractors with biofuels. In 2005, Samuel and Annemarie founded the Pennsylvania Renewable Energy and SustainableLiving Festival, the first original green festival inPennsylvania. Samuel has spoken widely at ener-gy and organic farming organizations and hassucceeded in promoting a widening perceptionof green issues in the mid-Atlantic States. In2010, Annemarie and Samuel started GreenAlchemy LLC, an organization driven to sup-porting self-empowerment of the individual andthe local community, producing organic beefand sunflower oil, and conducting “on farm”experimentation on topics from organic parasiteprevention to organic sunflower production.Samuel and Annemarie are happy to Live whatthey Preach!
Staff’s ChoiceFor special dedication to the organic certificationprocess and use of innovative practices.
■ Eli and Floyd SummySalisbury, Pennsylvania
Eli and Floyd Summy farm 260+ acres of hay andpasture, and milk about 30 cows. They are con-scientious organic farmers inside and out, withwell managed fields, healthy animals, anddetailed paperwork. They consistently call thePCO office should they ever have a questionregarding compliant practices and materials andhave thus been free from any issues of concernand notices of noncompliance for many years.“Floyd and Eli are extremely thoughtful, sincereand open people who enjoy talking about organ-ics,” commented a recent organic inspector. Thesame inspector noted that when she arrived foran unannounced inspection Eli was in the mid-dle of spreading manure but was not phased at allby the interruption. Instead, he was willing tospend as much time as needed to answer all ques-tions and he recognized the importance of unan-nounced inspections and residue testing fororganic integrity.
4 5
2013 Award Recipients (continued)
Inspector’s ChoiceFor excellent management, thorough records,positive attitude towards the inspection processand exceptional effort in creating and maintain-ing a successful organic plan.
■ Mary Jane and Bill YoderMar-Bil Jersey FarmMeyersdale, Pennsylvania
Mar-Bil Jersey Farm has been in Bill Yoder’sextended family since the 1700’s, and his grand-father built their big red barn nearly 100 yearsago. Now Bill milks 45 organic Jersey cows withhelp from his wife, Mary Jane, and the twoyoungest of their six children. Bill and Mary Janemanage their 150-acre farm exceptionally welland keep very detailed records. From 1999–2003the Yoders extended their management skillsbeyond their own farm to facilitate the set up ofa 20-cow model dairy farm in Mongolia with avision of putting into practice principles of mod-ern dairying that they knew would work andwere unknown in Mongolia. The model farm hassince been replicated many times throughout thecountry and has played a significant part in rev-olutionizing the Mongolian dairy industry. TheYoders are now training a farm manager to carefor their operation in Pennsylvania while theytake another two-year trip abroad to Asia to pro-vide missionary care and visit their Mongolianvillage.
Annemarie and Samuel Yoder
2013 PCO Hall of FameFor continuous, extraordinary dedication of time and energy to furthering the mission of Pennsylvania Certified Organic.
■ Bob EberlyEberly PoultryStevens, Pennsylvania
Bob Eberly has been involved with the organic food movement since the 1980s and has showndedication to PCO’s mission from the time of its inception in 1997. A charter member ofPCO, Bob has served as Board President, Board Member, and Standards Committee Mem-ber. Bob is “very pleased to see how organic has gone from small niche markets to a main-stream growing part of agriculture.” Until June 2013 Bob served as the President of EberlyPoultry, an organic and specialty poultry business, family owned and operated since 1947.After the June sale of Eberly Poultry to Wise/Kosher Poultry and new formation of PA FarmProducts, Bob began taking steps toward retirement. Eberly, and now PA Farm Products, takegreat pride in their passionate tie to the organic movement, as members of the PennsylvaniaAssociation for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA), the Organic Trade Association (OTA), andPCO. PCO extends a hearty thanks to Bob for his countless hours of volunteering and his fer-vent dedication to organic and sustainable agriculture.
Check out these great workshops atPASA’s Farming for the Future Conference
PCO certified members and board members share their knowledge
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7
8:30am Improving Soil Health with Cover CropsCharlie White, Penn State Extension
8:30am The Best Disease Resistant Varieties for High Quality Organic ApplesJim Travis, Apple Tree Vineyard & Farm
4:10pm Team Raw Milk: A Case Study of Collaboration & CooperationEdwin Shank, The Family Cow
1:30pm Integrated Pest Management in the Natural OrchardSara Baldwin, Oyler’s Organic Farm
3:10pm Testing Cover Crop Mixtures on the FarmCharlie White, Penn State Extension; Wade Ebenshade, Summit Valley Farm;Dan DeTurk, Dan-De Farm; Abram Bucky Ziegler, Paradise Valley OrganicFarm
Outstanding Organic ProducerFor exceptional commitment to high qualityorganic production, promoting organic productsand supporting the integrity of organic goods inthe market.
■ Ruby and David TroyerMeadow View DairyLindenville, New York
David says, “In all farming you need to stop andthink…give it a lot of effort. Put your heart intoit. It’s a lot of responsibility, especially in theorganic world and with that comes accountabili-ty.” When looking at David and Ruby’s 165-acreexemplary dairy farm, it is clear that they take theresponsibility quite seriously. From their detailedrecordkeeping and maps to their grazing rotationand forage planning, the Troyers’ conscientiousmanner shines through. Their hard work ofreclaiming land that had been conventionallycrop/vegetable farmed for 50 years is certainlypaying off with rewards of increased soil fertilityand organic matter, improved animal health, andaugmented dry matter yield — from 500lb peracre in their first year to 2ton per acre just 4 yearslater! In addition to all the soil and yield benefits,David and Ruby appreciate the safe environmentin which their family can live and learn. Their 5boys are very much a part of the farm. When adriver told the well behaved boys that they werelittle angels, they replied, “Oh no — we are farm-ers!” That brought a smile to David’s face. Inrecounting the story later, David said, “that’s anavenue of sustainability that I can look at.”
Outstanding New Organic ProcessorFor attentiveness throughout the certificationprocess, innovative management and dedicationtoward creating and maintaining a successfulorganic plan.
■ Perdue AgribusinessSalisbury, Maryland
Due to delays in approval legalities we were unableto print a biography of Perdue Agribusiness.
6 7
2013 Award Recipients (continued)
The Certification Committee aids the PCO certification staff by reviewing applications withwhich the staff has a conflict of interest. The certification committee makes a recommenda-tion to the PCO certification director on those matters and does not make certification deci-sions.
The Education and Outreach Committee sponsors and supports educational activities forgrowers, producers and consumers that promote learning, understanding and awareness oforganic agriculture. The committee also works with the PCO staff to develop and implementeducational programs, develop marketing materials, and coordinate events.
The Finance Committee is chaired by the treasurer. Its purpose is to identify and seek outsources of funds, recommend dues schedule to the Board, prepare an annual budget, overseeinsurance and tax matters.
The Standards Committee works with staff to develop recommendations for new andrevised certification policies and procedures.
PCO Volunteers attend events on behalf of PCO, write articles for the newsletter, provideoffice support or otherwise provide volunteer support to the organization.
If you are interested in joining a committee please sign up at the registration table orcontact Lia Sandoval at 814-422-0251 or [email protected]
