Benefit Dinner Raises Over $100,000
for Organic Farming Research
Annual event highlights OFRF grantmaking success,
honors local agricultural leader

(Santa Cruz, Calif.) – The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) received record financial support from leaders of the Northern California organic food and farming community in association with its 13th Annual Fall Organic Harvest Benefit Reception & Dinner. Held September 27th at the Lark Creek Inn in Larkspur, California, the event raised more than $100,000 for organic farming research and information programs. OFRF highlighted the success of its grantmaking and honored long-time Marin County Agricultural Commissioner Stacy Carlsen.

At the event OFRF Executive Director Bob Scowcroft announced early findings of a study examining the organization’s impact on the organic farming community. “Of the researchers interviewed, nearly seventy percent changed the way they taught agricultural courses or advised farmers based on their research conclusions. Nearly eighty percent used their OFRF grants as ‘seed money’ to win additional funding for their projects,” said Scowcroft.

OFRF grants were shown to leverage significant additional resources for organic farming research. For example, five grant recipients leveraged additional funding of over $3.4 million to conduct major research programs on related organic topics, an excellent return on OFRF’s investment of $109,032 awarded to these individuals. The full results of OFRF’s grantmaking impact study will be made available to the public in January.

Whole Foods Market co-hosted the event, as it has since 1993, and was the lead sponsor with a contribution of $15,000 to support OFRF’s work meeting the information needs of organic family farmers. “Whole Foods Market and the Lark Creek Inn have helped OFRF build a fall tradition with this event and raise much-needed funds to support organic research and education projects across the country,” said Scowcroft.

"Whole Foods Market is proud to sponsor OFRF, whose work underscores our own company’s commitment to helping spread the values and opportunities of organic agriculture and production. Through their work with supporting on-farm organic research and providing an informational resource for organic farmers and policy makers, OFRF is providing a unique and very valuable service that no one else is doing. The fact that OFRF can accomplish all they do with a small but dedicated and proficient team is nothing short of extraordinary,” said Margaret Wittenberg, Whole Foods Market vice-president of communications and quality standards.

Smucker Quality Beverages, Petaluma Poultry, Horizon Organic Dairy, Albert’s Organics, United Natural Foods, Inc., Newman’s Own Organics, New Leaf Community Markets, Spectrum Organic Products, SunRidge Farms, Bonterra, Sage Marketing, Pacific Cheese Company and Jungle Products joined Whole Foods Market in sponsoring the event. Altogether, these underwriters helped OFRF raise ten percent of its 2005 operating budget through this event.

Long-time Marin County Agriculture Commissioner Stacy Carlsen was honored at the event for his dedicated support for the development of organic farming in the region. Among his extensive accomplishments, Carlsen has served on the California Organic Food Advisory Board, and participated in the drafting and implementation of the California Organic Foods Production Act, which served as a model for subsequent national legislation. In 2000, Carlsen developed Marin Organic Certified Agriculture (MOCA), a USDA accredited program and the nation’s first local governmental organic certification agency.

In a brief address over dinner, Carlsen stated, “There is a missing part of the puzzle in our efforts toward sustainability, and that is the culture of farming. Culture is our next emphasis—the farm family, farm history and traditions, and the power of that combination in terms of protecting the land.” He highlighted new efforts in Marin county to recognize farmers for their environmental stewardship.

An all-star team of Bay Area chefs served up seasonal, organic and farm-fresh fare to the more than 120 attendees, in keeping with OFRF’s mission and the philosophy of the participating chefs. Coordinating chefs John Mitchell and Adam Smith of Whole Foods Market were joined by culinary luminaries Charles Phan of Slanted Door, Tracy Des Jardins of Jardinière, host chef Michael Otsaka of the Lark Creek Inn, and pastry chef Nicole Plue of Julia’s Kitchen at COPIA. Bonterra, Lolonis Winery, Coturri Winery and Organic Vintners provided fine organic wines to accompany the feast.

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The Organic Farming Research Foundation was founded in 1990 to foster the improvement and widespread adoption of organic farming practices. To that end, 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 systems; and to educate the public and decision makers about organic farming issues.