Let the Organic Trade Association know by March 30 who’s made a difference
Who has inspired you in your organic journey? Who has been a mentor, a teacher, a trailblazer for you? The Organic Trade Association wants to know.
The association is now accepting nominations for its annual Organic Leadership Awards. These three prestigious awards -- Growing the Organic Community Award, Organic Farmer of the Year Award, and Rising Star Award -- recognize organic visionaries, activists and entrepreneurs who have made a significant difference to organic agriculture, industry and trade.
Past winners include organic pioneers who have devoted their lives to reforming America’s food system, organic farmers who are carving the path for more farmers to enter the organic chain, and organic innovators who are ensuring that organic continues its path forward.
“The upward trajectory of organic has been possible because of hard-working and visionary individuals throughout the organic supply chain,” said Laura Batcha, CEO and Executive Director of the Organic Trade Association. “We are thrilled to recognize these dedicated change-makers, and to help others hear their inspirational stories.”
The Growing the Organic Community award recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to growing the organic industry via work in such areas as consumer education and marketing, new market development, public relations, standards development, advocacy, and research.
The Organic Farmer of the Year award recognizes a professional farmer who has made significant contributions to supporting and advancing organic agriculture and trade at the farm level. These may include increasing the amount of land under organic management, expanding the number of farmers using organic practices, or advancing organic agriculture through farm policy advocacy, community education or innovative land stewardship and technical practices.
The Rising Star award recognizes an emerging leader who is relatively recent to the organic trade yet has already distinguished themselves professionally by performing with great energy and enthusiasm in pursuing advancements to policy, programs, initiatives, or the development of new products, categories or markets that promote the growth, sustainability, or influence of organic agriculture and trade.
Candidates must have demonstrated skills, innovation, personal commitment, leadership and vision to grow organic agriculture or the organic sector. In addition, they must have achieved identifiable and lasting changes to promote and protect organic agriculture and trade, and have inspired others to advance the cause as well. The 2020 nominations are due Monday, March 30. This year the Awards will be presented as part of Organic Week on Monday, June 8, at the Wharf Intercontinental Hotel in Washington, D.C. Selection criteria and nomination forms are available online.
The Organic Trade Association’s Annual Organic Leadership Awards were established in 1997. Awardees are nominated by their peers and chosen unanimously by the Organic Trade Association’s Board of Directors. A summary of past honorees is featured on the Organic Trade Association website. //
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. OTA is the leading voice for the organic trade in the United States, representing over 9,500 organic businesses across 50 states. Its members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers' associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. OTA’s Board of Directors is democratically elected by its members. OTA's mission is to promote and protect ORGANIC with a unifying voice that serves and engages its diverse members from farm to marketplace. The Organic Trade Association does not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, national origin or ancestry, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation or military status. Persons with disabilities who require alternate means for communication of program information can contact us at info@ota.com.
