21st Annual Benefit Luncheon
Thursday, March 8, 2018
City National Grove of Anaheim, Anaheim, California
We are thrilled to announce our keynote speaker, Debra Eschmeyer, Vice President of Communications & Community Affairs, Danone North America.
As Executive Director of Let's Move!, Debra led First Lady Michelle Obama's work to help America raise a healthier generation of kids. During her tenure as Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition Policy, she advised the Obama Administration on food, agriculture, and nutrition issues. An organic farmer and recipient of the James Beard Foundation Leadership Award in 2011, Debra will share her infectious vision for changing the way we eat and think about food and organic farming.
As the Farm Bill debate continues, OFRF has been working to ensure that the voices of organic farmers, and those that support organic farming, are being heard by members of Congress. With several key programs that support organic farming without permanent funding, it is vital that members of Congress hear from constituents about the importance of supporting organic agriculture in the upcoming Farm Bill.
As the demand for organic berries continues to grow, OFRF-funded research on the berry industry has had long lasting and widespread impacts—especially in California. This new report includes a review of OFRF-funded berry research, along with recommendations for future investment. Our goal is to continue to strengthen and expand investment in organic berry production.
A new series of videos is now available from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) on organic farming topics, ranging from healthy soil to pasture management. The first video in the series provides an overview of organic agriculture and the assistance NRCS offers to organic and transitioning farmers and ranchers.
Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) has joined the growing bipartisan effort to increase funding for the USDA Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI). As a co-sponsor of the Organic Agriculture Research Act (HR 2436) Rep. LaMalfa joins fellow Agriculture Committee member, Congressman John Faso (R-NY), California Congressman David Valadao (R-CA), and 50 other Members of Congress who have signed on to support the bill. 
Dean McIlvaine of Twin Parks Organic Farm in Wayne County, Ohio, has operated an 850-acre organic grain farm since 1985. He grows organic corn, soybeans, spelt, oats, wheat, rye, clover, and has recently expanded into a rotating cow and calf grass fed beef operation to add to the farm’s diversity. Dean markets the farm’s products nationally and internationally. His father Dale purchased the farm in the mid-70’s and farmed conventionally until Dean transitioned it to an organic operation—following his college dream and his personal beliefs that organic food is healthier and better for the environment.
The American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America (Tri-Societies) collectively represent more than 12,000 individual members around the world. Last week the societies held an International Annual Meeting in Tampa, Florida to discuss Managing Global Resources for a Secure Future. Overall, the goal of the meeting is for the scientific societies to build collaborating partnerships in the agronomy, crops, and soils science fields for the advancement of agricultural knowledge. OFRF, along with many organic researchers from around the world, attended the meeting to showcase how organic agriculture can play a key role in managing global resources for a secure future.
OFRF will host an Organic Poster Session at the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture’s (PASA) winter conference being held February 7 - 10, 2018 at the Penn Stater Conference Center in State College, PA. We invite the submission of research abstracts for posters to by December 20, 2017. 
How do farmers increase long-term soil health on their operations? This was the question at the center of the workshop held by OFRF on October 30th at the California Small Farm Conference in Stockton, California. The panel of speakers included Joanna Ory and Mark Lipson of OFRF and Joji Muramoto from UC Santa Cruz. The speakers discussed the characteristics of healthy soil and practices that growers can use to build healthy soils on their operations.