July 1, 2007- June 30, 2008
In an effort to save valuable resources, OTA published an abridged Annual Report to showcase the association's fiscal year highlights (e-mail membership@ota.com to receive a hard copy of the report). A summary of OTA's fiscal year accomplishments can be found here.
2007/2008 Year in Brief
OTA delivers value to its diverse membership
OTA secures organic provisions in the US Farm Bill
OTA advances organic standards
OTA fights restrictions on organic labeling
OTA represents organic in Canada
OTA promotes organic to trade and consumer press
OTA connects organic businesses
OTA educates about organic production
OTA grows the market for US organic exports
Organic industry ramps up support for OTA’s agenda
Additional 2007/2008 highlights
OTA delivers value to its diverse membership
OTA welcomed 430 new members and served a total of 2046 members over the course of the fiscal year. Over 50% of OTA trade members are small businesses. OTA delivers value to all members by staying ahead of the issues and trends that affect organic trade and taking action on their behalf.
Membership by Country
United States: 1767
Canada: 167
Mexico: 8
Outside North America: 103
| Business Sector Membership |
Membership by Business Activity |
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Trade Members by Gross Annual Organic Revenue
OTA secures organic provisions in the U.S. Farm Bill
Securing provisions favorable to organic production and the funding necessary to support them have been central to OTA’s legislative agenda in the U.S. OTA’s diligence paid off as the U.S. Congress passed a Farm Bill quintupling the amount of mandatory spending on organic programs. OTA’s efforts influenced 30 provisions directly related to organic production and trade in the bill. These gains strengthen the National Organic Program, encourage farmers to choose organic methods, and provide organic farm businesses better access to programs that will help them run their businesses more effectively. During OTA’s Policy Conference and Hill Visit Day, OTA members learned about the legislative process and visited 28 Congressional offices to present OTA’s recommendations on funding for organic agriculture in appropriations.
OTA advances organic standards
OTA attended all National Organic Standards Board meetings over the year, and submitted comments based on member input for diverse issues such as genetic engineering, leafy greens, grower group certification, and a proposal for a “naturally raised” claim. OTA developed an organic textile standard as one of four partners in the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) International Working Group. GOTS defines the production, processing, manufacturing, packaging, labeling, exportation, importation and distribution requirements for all organic fibers in order to provide a credible assurance to the end consumer. Over the year, a revised version of GOTS was published, and a logo and licensing system were adopted. OTA also participated in the NSF International Joint Committee on Personal Care Organic Standards, an ANSI-accredited process that will result in a national standard for 70+% “made with organic ingredients” products.
OTA fights restrictions on organic labeling
OTA has been fighting a state-by-state campaign that challenges organic farmers’, processors’ and retailers’ right to tell consumers that their products are produced without the use of practices that are prohibited in organic. While this challenge is on its face aimed at dairy product labeling, the labeling proposals if adopted will likely affect any product in the U.S. that communicates the absence of materials prohibited in organic—commonly referred to as “absence claims” (e.g., produced without the use of GMOs, grown without pesticides, etc.). The campaign has been active in Pennsylvania, Utah, Ohio, Kansas, Missouri, and Indiana. OTA worked with its members to prepare background information, mobilize grassroots activity, and provide testimony at public hearings. OTA filed lawsuit against the state of Ohio as a court of last resort to protect members labeling rights. A decision from the federal judge is currently pending.
OTA represents organic in Canada
OTA in Canada continued its key role in the development of Canada’s standards and regulations, through participation on the Canadian General Standards Board Committee on Organic Agriculture, Agriculture Canada's Organic Value Chain Roundtable, and the Organic Federation of Canada. OTA also supported equivalency agreements between Canada and the US and European Union organic programs, via OTA’s equivalency task force and the organic importers advisory committee to government.
OTA in Canada hosted the All Things Organic™ pavilion at the Ethnic & Specialty Food Expo in Toronto; and began writing Canada’s best-practices guide Organic Retailing Practices. OTA continued to work with Agriculture Canada on expanding the world’s first Harmonization System codes to track organic imports, and partnered with Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada to bring in point-of-sales market data.
OTA promotes organic to trade and consumer press
OTA remained the leading source for information on organic agriculture and production. A sampling of the many media sources who published articles using information from OTA included ABC News, Associated Press, Business Week, The Chicago Tribune, CNN Money, Forbes.com, MSNBC, San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.
OTA also maintained a strong media presence in Canada, promoting the industry and protecting organic product integrity, through popular media such as the Globe & Mail, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, CanWest Global, National Post, CTV's Canada AM, The Western Producer and Canadian Health & Lifestyle magazine.
OTA’s public relations and marketing outreach presented consumers reliable and compelling coverage on the latest organic news. OTA reached an audience of millions through its partnership with Taste for Life on the buyorganic! Organic Harvest Month and Earth Day issues, the award-winning Go Organic! for Earth Day™ campaign, and The O’Mama Report e-newsletter.
OTA connects organic businesses
OTA lived up to its reputation as the premiere gathering place for the organic industry to do business during its eighth annual All Things Organic™ Conference and Trade Show. All Things Organic™ brought in 12,000 attendees, and hosted 600 organic exhibitors. The launch of a Key Buyer Program attracted over 175 buyers with volume purchasing responsibility eager to make a deal. Visitor statistics showed that 81% of attendees plan to purchase products as a result of attending the show. All Things Organic™ also celebrated the largest conference ever, drawing over 2,800 participants from both conventional and organic sectors. Additional program offerings included dynamic culinary demonstrations, a student developed organic fashion show, and social events that showcased the spirit of the organic business community.
Year round, prospective buyers were driven to members products through OTA’s The Organic Pages Online™. Search engine optimization efforts resulted in 13 keywords, including “organic products,” “organic ingredients,” and “organic textiles,” moving up in Google searches and greatly increasing the visibility of members.
OTA educates about organic production
OTA established an affiliated charitable non-profit, the Organic Agriculture and Products Education Institute (“Organic Institute”). The mission of the Organic Agriculture and Products Education Institute is to educate about the attributes, benefits, and practices of organic agriculture today for better environmental and personal health tomorrow. The Organic Institute shares OTA’s vision that organic products become a significant part of everyday life, enhancing people's lives and the environment. Visit www.theorganicinstitute.org.
OTA grows the market for US organic exports
OTA received $350,000 from the United States Department of Agriculture Market Access Program to enhance programs for US organic exporters. With this funding, OTA hosted a Foreign Buyers' Mission at All Things Organic™ where companies selling US organic agricultural products met one-on-one with buyers from Singapore, Thailand, Dubai, and South Korea; and expanded the Organic Export Directory to include Simplified and Traditional Chinese languages. Building on the success of past years, OTA also augmented its Canadian citrus campaign to highlight the nutritional benefits of US organic citrus through the placement of hundreds of television spots and point-of-sale materials across Canada. OTA’s export initiatives produced results in excess of performance measures established by USDA for the export of US organic products.
Organic industry ramps up support for OTA’s agenda
OTA’s 2008 Annual Fund campaign raised more than $630,000 to help fund OTA’s public policy and public relations activities. Over 230 companies donated money to support OTA’s work.
In 2009, OTA will continue to work to raise the profile of organic agriculture and products among policymakers and the public, and to maintain growth in organic sales across all sectors, in all markets.
Additional 2007/2008 highlights from OTA’s accomplishments in public relations and marketing, business promotion, education and networking; and public policy and standards:
HowToGoOrganic™.com
With nearly 5,050 visits per month, totaling over 40,000 per year, HowToGoOrganic™.com continued to provide timely resources for new, transitioning, and existing organic producers and processors. Over 2,700 resources are now listed on HowToGoOrganic™.com.
Section 606
When OTA noted that a majority of comments posted on the USDA web site regarding the interim final rule for Section 606 were not representative of the organic industry position on the subject, OTA staff mobilized an all-out effort and made hundreds of individual phone calls to OTA members, reminding them to submit comments regarding the rule. Thanks to OTA member participation, the number of public comments on the USDA site jumped by over 300%.
Comments
OTA submitted a wide array of comments to various governmental agencies on issues important to OTA’s diverse membership such as genetic engineering, leafy greens, grower group certification, and a proposal for a “naturally raised” claim.
Taste for Life
OTA partnered with Taste for Life on its buyorganic! Organic Harvest Month and Earth Day issues. buyorganic!, a consumer magazine dedicated to organic products, practices, and standards is distributed in more than 1,500 retail accounts, and reaches more than 1 million consumers looking for the latest in organic products and news.
Go Organic! for Earth Day™ campaign
The Go Organic! for Earth Day™ campaign, an award-winning project of OTA, MusicMatters, and Earth Day Network, captured a prestigious second place PRO Award in the category of Best Retail/Co-Marketing Campaign. 3,500 national retailers and 40 organic manufacturers participated in the 2008 Campaign.
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
OTA named Laura Batcha Director of Marketing and Public Relations. Batcha has been a member of the natural and organic business community for over 15 years.
Member Communities Evaluation
OTA conducted an important assessment of how members participate in the Association through the Member Forum and Task Force system. An impressive 661 members completed the survey.
Member Profiles
OTA launched a Member Profiles section of the OTA website for companies seeking additional exposure for their business and to highlight how OTA membership is helping them to achieve their goals. There were 22 interesting, inspiring, and creative submissions.
View OTA's FY07 Annual Report.
