FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Bob Scowcroft, 831-426-6606

OFRF Hires First Assistant Executive Director,
Jonathon Landeck

Santa Cruz, Calif (May 15, 2003) - The Board of Directors of the Organic Farming Research Foundation is pleased to announce that, effective April 28, 2003, Jonathon Landeck has assumed the newly created position of Assistant Executive Director. Born and raised in the fruit belt of southwest Michigan, Jonathon earned degrees in forestry (B.S.) and agricultural & extension education (Ph.D.) from Michigan State and a masters degree in soil science from Texas A&M. He was a Fulbright grantee during 1988-89 conducting research on soil management in the highlands region of Guinea in West Africa.

Jonathon Landeck brings a blend of U.S. and international agriculture experience to his new role as Assistant Executive Director of the Organic Farming Research Foundation. During the past 20 years, Jonathon has applied his knowledge and experience in program administration, technical training, monitoring and evaluation, and fund-raising to a variety of institutional settings. For the past five years, based in Washington DC, Jonathon was an agriculture and environment program and training specialist for the Peace Corps and agronomist for the Famine Early Warning System project, focusing on environmental conservation and food security issues in Africa. During 1992-97, Jonathon assisted and directed the international/global program of the Rodale Institute, an organic agriculture research and education organization located in eastern Pennsylvania.

Jonathon has also worked as a county-level agriculture program leader for Cornell Cooperative Extension in New York State and a crop and soil science staff specialist in conservation tillage at Michigan State University. Jonathon is married to Kathryn Mintz and together they have raised two talented daughters, Ellen and Alice.

"Jonathon is as comfortable out in the fields talking soil fertility and weather patterns as he is working out of an office promoting organic agriculture to a national audience," said Bob Scowcroft, OFRF’s Executive Director. “His administrative experience working with a wide range of people and cultures will complement OFRF’s role as the leading voice for America’s organic farmers. We’re very excited to have him on board,” he added.

Some of Jonathon’s early priorities at OFRF will be: to manage our 2004-5 budget process; facilitate the creation of an OFRF Communications Department; coordinate the construction of our second five year plan; and, to co-manage the day to day operations of the Organic Farming Research Foundation.

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The Organic Farming Research Foundation’s purpose is to foster the improvement and widespread adoption of organic farming practices. Our mission is: to sponsor research related to organic farming; to disseminate research results to organic farmers and to growers interested in adopting organic production practices; and to educate the public and decision makers about organic farming issues.

OFRF was founded in 1990 by certified organic farmers to fund organic research and education projects and make the resulting information available to others. Since that time, OFRF has awarded 204 grants totaling more than $1,200,000. OFRF employs nine full- and part-time staff and is located in Santa Cruz, California. In addition to grantmaking, OFRF maintains active Policy, Technical and Information Services programs. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-deductible organization. Our 2003 budget is $1,100,000. OFRF is the nation’s primary nonprofit resource for organic production and farmgate demographic information, and a leading voice for organic farmers. For more information on the Organic Farming Research Foundation, please contact OFRF at: info@ofrf.org or visit our web site at: www.ofrf.org.