Florida and Kentucky growers form strategic alliance with OTA

Seeking to elevate their influence on national organic policy, the Florida Organic Growers and the Organic Association of Kentucky have joined the Organic Trade Association’s Farmers Advisory Council, according to a release. 

The two farmer-governed organic associations represent some 1,500 organic farmers in Florida, Kentucky, across the Southeast and around the country. Their participation in the Farmers Advisory Council will “boost their influence on national organic policy and help the trade association to more effectively advocate for the needs of all organic producers by expanding its geographic reach and increasing its representation of under-served farming communities,” the release said.  

The Farmers Advisory Council was formed by OTA in 2013, and for more than decade it has provided a voice for organic farmers and fostered substantive two-way communication between OTA and organic producers and ranchers, while providing a network to share relevant and timely information to growers, said the OTA.

“As momentum for the next Farm Bill builds, and other important organic issues come to center stage, the input from the Florida Organic Growers and the Organic Association of Kentucky will help us greatly in our understanding of the key issues and needs for organic producers in those areas, and strengthen and enrich the voice of the OTA. We heartily welcome the two organizations to FAC, and look forward to their participation and involvement,” Tom Chapman, CEO of the OTA, said in the release.

Besides FOG and OAK, the diverse participating organizations in FAC include CCOF Inc., Georgia Organics, National Latino Farmers and Ranchers, Montana Organic Association, Organic Egg Farmers of America, Oregon Tilth Certified Organic, Organic Valley/CROPP Cooperative, Pennsylvania Certified Organic, Tilth Alliance of Washington, and Western Organic Dairy Producers Association. 

“Florida Organic Growers and OTA have a long and fruitful relationship,” said Ramkrishnan Balasubramanian, executive director of FOG. “We know that as a member of the Farmers Advisory Council and through our connections and relationships with organic producers not only in our state but also in the Southeast region, we can inform OTA of the issues that matter most to them so we can work together to influence changes that will benefit the organic industry.”

With the new partnership, the Organic Association of Kentucky seeks to increase its support of transitioning farmers.

"With steady growth in demand for organic produce, grains and protein across our region, the Organic Association of Kentucky knows this new partnership will support the interests of organic and transitioning farmers in Kentucky, providing meaningful access to policy discussions and resources, and expanding opportunities for small organic farms to thrive, here at home and across the country,” said Brooke Gentile, executive director of OAK.   

The new alliance with OTA now opens the opportunity for FOG and OAK members to join OTA under its Farmstead Membership category. This membership category makes full OTA membership available for $50 per year to organic farmers whose annual income from organic sales is less than $250,000. Farmstead Membership farmers get the full benefits of an OTA membership, including the right to vote in OTA's annual board of directors election, the release said.