Established in 2011, Rodale Institute’s Organic Stewardship Awards honors research scientists, farmers, and business leaders who are leading the movement towards an organic planet. Here are the past winners.

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2023

Gene Kahn

Cascadian Farm

In 1971, Gene founded Cascadian Farm, in Washington’s North Cascades. For over 30 years he grew the operations from a “back to the land” farm to a major producer and buyer of thousands of acres of Organic fruit and vegetable crops for processing. In 1992, Gene was appointed to USDA’s first NOSB and served as the Crop Committee Chair for 5 years.

Over the years, Gene partnered with Welches’, National Grape Cooperative and the General Electric Pension Trust to finance the growth of the company. In 2000, Gene and his partners sold their interest in the company to General Mills Inc.  Gene stayed with General Mills until 2010, as their first VP, Global Sustainability Officer and additionally led the Company’s Foundation in developing a hunger abatement program in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In 2010, Gene served as the Senior Advisor Agricultural Development at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Subsequently, he worked on market development and consumer acceptance of Biofortified foods for IFPRI’s HarvestPlus Program in Nigeria, Mali, DR Congo, Uganda, Zambia & India.

Gene currently lives and farms on Whidbey Island in NW Washington State.

Mark Lipson

At USDA HQ (2010-14) Mark was policy advisor to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary for organic and sustainable agriculture. He led the Department-wide Organic Working Group, and co-led the “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” Initiative. His portfolio covered crop insurance, conservation, food safety legislation and a wide range of other issues.

At Organic Farming Research Foundation (1995-2010) Mark created the Foundation’s Policy Program and instigated federal policy and funding for organic farming research and extension. The resulting Farm Bill programs have since dedicated over $500 million to dedicagrated organic science and education.

At CCOF (1985-93) Mark founded its statewide office and had a central role in the foundations of organic certification as we know it.

At Molino Creek Farm since 1983, Mark brought dry-farm organic tomatoes to global fame and he continues to be actively engaged on the land.

He is currently a pro-bono staff affiliate at the UC Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology, nursing the seedling of an Organic Policy Studies program. Mark also consults on food policy strategies as Pacific Plate Organics.

Chellie Pingree

United States Congress

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree represents Maine’s 1st District and is a national leader in climate policy. Living on the offshore island of North Haven, Chellie has been recognized for her leadership in helping coastal communities address threats to their future. In Congress, Chellie is an advocate for advancing federal policy to better support the blue economy and sustainable fisheries and protect our oceans. In the 117th Congress, Chellie was named Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies. As Ranking Member of the Subcommittee in the 118th Congress, she continues her focus on addressing the climate crisis, creating good-paying jobs, and fostering equity. Chellie also serves on the House Agriculture Committee and the House Appropriations Subcommittees on Agriculture and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies.

2022

John Reganold, Ph.D.

Washington State University

Dr. John Reganold is currently Regents Professor of Soil Science and Agroecology at Washington State University. He spearheaded the development of the first undergraduate 4-year major in Organic and Sustainable Agriculture at Washington State University and has spent almost 40 years bringing a blend of innovative research and teaching on sustainable farming systems into the mainstream of higher education and food production. He has more than 200 published works, and his research has measured the effects of organic, integrated, and conventional farming systems on productivity, financial performance, and environmental quality on five continents.

Elwood Richard

NOW Foods

Elwood Richard, founder of NOW Foods, passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer in April 2017, but is remembered for his significant impact on the natural products industry through the decades. In 1962 Elwood opened the natural health food store The Health House, which later became the Chicago chain The Fruitful Yield. Elwood founded NOW Foods in 1968 and later co-founded the NNFA (NPA) Standards Committee. Elwood led NOW through decades of growth, but never wavered from his belief that good health should be available to everyone, not just the affluent. Elwood also founded the Natural Health Research Institute, an organization committed to informing consumers, scientists, the media, and policymakers on the importance of a healthy diet. Elwood Richard was honored with numerous awards in the Natural Food industry over the years.

Carmen Fernholz

Carmen Fernholz is a family farmer from Madison in western Minnesota. In the 1980s, Carmen worked at the Minnesota state legislature and helped secure start-up funds for organic certification. He helped lead the Organic Growers and Buyers Association, an organic certification organization which laid the foundation for the national organic standards. Carmen has spent much of his career organizing farmers through various organizations, including the Organic Farmers Agency for Relationship Marketing (OFARM), the University of Minnesota, and most recently, the Perennial Promise Growers Coop. Carmen was the first grower to market a certified organic perennial wheat MN Clearwater under the Kernza trademark and has received numerous awards within the organic industry. However, he considers one of his most rewarding achievements as that of helping a young neighbor family transition to organic production.

Jeff Moyer

Rodale Institute CEO

Jeff Moyer is a world-renowned authority in organic agriculture. His expertise includes organic crop production systems with a focus on weed management, cover crops, crop rotations, equipment modification and use, and facilities design. Jeff is perhaps most well-known for conceptualizing and popularizing the No Till Roller Crimper for use in organic agriculture. His vast experience and knowledge regarding organic farming has provided the media with a reliable source and perspective for information on current agricultural issues.

Jeff has been on staff at Rodale Institute for over 44 years. He spent over 30 years as Farm Manager/Director, was appointed as Executive Director of the Institute in September 2015, and became CEO in September of 2019. Jeff was project leader on the highly acclaimed Organic No-Till project and is the author of two books on this subject: “Organic No-Till Farming – Advancing No-Till Agriculture Crops, Soil, Equipment” and “Roller/Crimper No-Till – Advancing No-Till Agriculture.”  He is a past chair of the National Organic Standards Board and currently sits on the boards of Regenerative Organic Alliance, the Soil Health Institute and advisory board of The Real Organic Project.  Jeff is a founding board member of Pennsylvania Certified Organic and past Founder and Board Chair of The Seed Farm, a new farmer incubator project.

2021

Denise O'Brien

Denise O’Brien is a farmer and community activist from Atlantic, Iowa. She is the co-founder of Women Food and Agriculture Network and past Chair of the Board of Directors for Pesticide Action Network of North America. Denise also helped found and served on the board of Sustainable Iowa Land Trust, an organization that helps establish beginning farmers and uses easements to preserve land for food production in Iowa. She currently serves on the board of the Iowa Organic Association, is the Chair for the county Democratic Party and is an Assistant Soil and Water Commissioner. O’Brien served as an Agriculture Advisor in Afghanistan from 2011 to 2012 and used that experience to deepen her knowledge of women farmers on an international level. She has farmed with her husband, Larry Harris, for 45 years and maintains seventeen acres of the original Harris farm, 5 of which are in certified organic fruit and vegetable production incorporating a high tunnel and greenhouse for starter plants as well as turkeys. Denise loves the physical and mental challenge that organic vegetable production offers her aging body.

Don Bustos

Don Bustos is a family farmer from Northern New Mexico, farming land that has been in his family since the Spanish Land Grant of 1598. He was one of the first farmers in New Mexico to receive organic certification and has been certified for over 20 years. In addition to farming his family land, Don is a co-director of the American Friends Service Committee’s New Mexico Program, where he focuses on training beginning farmers and developing farmer networks throughout the state. Don served on the USDA’s Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) board and was the chair of the Western SARE board from 2011-2013. He also serves on the board of the New Mexico Acequia Association and is a former board member of the Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture. Don played a lead role in developing the vision and raising the funds for the Santa Fe Farmers Market Complex, considered one of the top farmers markets in the country.

Jay Feldman

Beyond Pesticides

Jay Feldman is a founder and Executive Director of Beyond Pesticides with a 40-year history of working with communities nationwide on toxins and organic policies and practices, addressing agricultural, lawn, and landscape management practices that maintain ecological balance, enhance biodiversity, and eliminate toxic chemical use. Jay has successfully fought to remove from the market hazardous pesticides and helped draft pivotal local, state, and federal organic law. In 2010, he was appointed to the National Organic Standards Board where he served as chair of the Crops Committee. Jay is a past chair and board member of Earth Share, and currently serves on the standards board of the Real Organic Project and the executive committee of the National Organic Coalition. Prior to his founding Beyond Pesticides in 1981, he served as the Health Programs Director of Rural America, an advocacy group for rural areas and small towns. Jay has a Masters Degree in urban and regional planning with a focus on health policy from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and a B.A. from Grinnell College (IA).

2020

Tyrone B. Hayes, Ph.D.

University of California, Berkeley

Dr. Tyrone B. Hayes received his Bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in 1989 and his Ph.D. from the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley in 1993. After completing his Ph.D., he was hired as an Assistant Professor at UC Berkeley in 1994, promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2000, and to full Professor in 2003. Hayes’ research focuses on developmental endocrinology with an emphasis on the role of endocrine-disrupting contaminants, particularly pesticides. He is interested in the impact of chemical contaminants on environmental health and public health, with specific attention to environmental justice and healthcare disparities.

Katherine DiMatteo

Katherine DiMatteo provides organizational management, and policy and regulatory consulting services to the organic sector.. She recently served as interim executive director of Pennsylvania Certified Organic and was formerly the executive director of the Organic Trade Association from 1990 to 2006. Katherine was instrumental in shaping the outcome of the U.S. National Organic Program standards and the U.N. Codex Guidelines for organically produced foods. She currently serves on the Fairtrade America Board of Directors and the Advisory Board of Protect Our Breasts. Katherine was a founding member of the Climate Collaborative and now serves on its management board. Previously she served as the president of IFOAM-Organics International Board of Directors and was a founding member of The Organic Center’s Board of Directors.

The Lundberg Family

Lundberg Family Farms

Lundberg Family Farms leads with a longer view of family, food, and organic farming. Albert, Frances, and their four sons—Eldon, Wendell, Harlan, and Homer—saw how the Dust Bowl stripped the land of its topsoil in the 1930’s. When they moved to California, they decided to work in partnership with nature, becoming pioneers of organic farming. Since 1937, the Lundbergs have been growing healthy, great-tasting rice while tending to soil, air, water, and wildlife as carefully as their crops. In addition to farming organically, Lundberg Family Farms offsets its operations with 100% renewable energy, is ENERGY STAR certified, and maintains TRUE Zero Waste certification. It’s all part of Lundberg’s mission to nourish, conserve, and innovate for a healthier world.

2019

Jennifer Taylor, Ph.D.

Lola’s Organic Farm

Jennifer Taylor, Ph.D. is owner of Lola’s Organic Farm in Glenwood, Georgia and Associate Professor, coordinator of Small Farm Programs/Sustainable Agriculture Systems at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU). At FAMU she developed the Statewide Small Farm Program, a sustainable development program that focuses on education, training and technical assistance for underserved small farm populations. Dr. Taylor served on the National Organic Standards Board for 5 years and currently serves as Board member on the Organic Farmer’s Association Governing Council and Policy Committee, IFOAM-NA, US Food Sovereignty Alliance, and Georgia Organics.

Philip Landrigan, M.D., MSc.

Boston College

Philip Landrigan, M.D., MSc. is a pediatrician, public health physician, and epidemiologist. Specializing in the health of children and the effect of toxic chemicals on their brains and nervous systems, Dr. Landrigan has fought tirelessly against industry pressure for widespread reform in the field of environmental toxins. In the 1990s, Dr. Landrigan’s research concluded that children are uniquely susceptible to the effects of agricultural pesticides, contributing to the passage of the Food Quality Protection Act in 1996. He is the author of numerous publications on the interactions between environmental toxins and pediatric health, and currently serves as the Director of the Global Observatory on Pollution and Health at Boston College.

Governor Tom Wolf

Pennsylvania

Governor Tom Wolf has served as Governor of Pennsylvania since 2015. In 2018, Governor Wolf outlined a six-point plan to strengthen Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry and make Pennsylvania the nation’s leading organic state. During the course Governor Wolf’s tenure, Pennsylvania has overtaken Washington as the second leading state for organic sales and increased the number of organic farms in the state by eighteen percent. Governor Wolf pledged to help organic producers capture a larger share of the market, raise public awareness among producers of the opportunities in the organic sector, and work with USDA on organic branding and marketing standards to improve visibility. The Governor’s plan also includes continuing transition assistance to organic farmers undergoing the required three-year transition period.

2018

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Mas Masumoto

Masumoto Family Farm

Mas Masumoto, a third-generation farmer growing organic peaches, nectarines, and raisins on his 80-acre farm south of Fresno, California. He is the award-winning author of eleven books, including Epitaph for a Peach, Wisdom of the Last Farmer, and Changing Season. “I’m honored to be part of the Rodale ‘family of pioneers’ as we all work to build a healthy world,” says Masumoto. “I share this award with all those who have worked the soil and organic peaches, nectarines and raisin grapes on our family farm, including all the life above and below the ground—I live in their shadow of wisdom and excellence.” In 2013, President Obama appointed Masumoto to the National Council on the Arts.

william liebhardt

William Liebhardt

William Liebhardt, a soil scientist who has dedicated himself to better understanding various farming systems and their impact on soil fertility, is a former Director of Research at Rodale Institute and the former director of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program at the University of California, Davis.

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Arran Stephens

Nature’s Path

Arran Stephens, founder and co-CEO of Nature’s Path, has helped shepherd the growth of the organic movement for more than fifty years. Nature’s Path utilizes 5,500 acres of regenerative farmland, has earned Zero Waste Certification for all three of its factories, and continues to advocate for agricultural practices that go beyond USDA Certified Organic. “I’m honored and humbled to be named an Organic Pioneer,” says Stephens. “My father taught me to always leave the soil better than you found it. I will be satisfied if my life’s work inspires others to do something for our threatened planet—for all generations to come.”

2017

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Tom Beddard

Lady Moon Farms

Tom Beddard founded Lady Moon Farms in 1988 with his wife Christine on five acres in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. Lady Moon Farms was a founding member of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) with Christine acting as the founding secretary and Tom as the founding President of Pennsylvania Certified Organic (PCO). Lady Moon Farms is now one of the premiere organic vegetable growers in the country with over 2,400 acres and more than 200 full-time employees, providing produce year-round with farms in Florida, Georgia and Pennsylvania.

yvon chouinard

Yvon Chouinard

Patagonia

In the early 1970’s, Yvon Chouinard founded Patagonia. Spending 140 days a year in the natural world, Chouinard learned early in his life the seriousness of the environmental crisis—and he brought this knowledge to bear on his work. In the late 1980’s he instituted Patagonia’s earth tax, pledging 1 percent of sales to the preservation and restoration of the natural environment. In the 1990s, Chouinard encouraged Patagonia to consciously reduce the environmental footprint of its products and activities. Chouinard, either independently, or with Patagonia helped co-found with others the Fair Labor Association, One Percent for the Planet, the Textile Exchange, the Conservation Alliance, and the Sustainable Apparel Coalition. More recently Yvon started Patagonia Provisions to have a direct impact on our food system through regenerative organic agriculture.

dr. kathleen delate

Dr. Kathleen Delate

Iowa State University

Delate is a Professor at Iowa State University with a joint position between the departments of Horticulture and Agronomy, where she is responsible for research, extension and teaching organic agriculture. She was awarded the first faculty position in Organic Agriculture at a land-grant university in the United States in 1997. She has a B.S. in Agronomy and an M.S. in Horticulture from the University of Florida, and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Ecology from the University of California-Berkeley. She has farmed organically in Iowa, California, Florida, and Hawaii. In 2014 she spent her sabbatical studying organic farming in Italy with a few of their 48,000 organic farmers.

2016

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David Bronner

Dr. Bronner's

David is the CEO of Dr. Bronner’s, the top-selling natural soap manufacturer and organic body care and food producer in North America. Dr. Bronner’s established themselves as pioneers in the natural products industry when, in 2000, they became one of the first body care brands to formulate with hemp seed.

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Dr. Warren Porter

Environmental Toxicologist at University of Wisconsin, Madison

Warren Porter is a renowned environmental toxicologist from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, studying low-level pesticide exposures in food and water. A landmark five-year study conducted by Dr. Porter and his team at the University of Wisconsin concluded that combinations of commonly used agricultural chemicals in concentrations that mirror levels found in groundwater, can significantly influence immune and endocrine systems as well as neurological health in animals.

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David Vetter

Farmer and Owner of Grain Place Foods

David Vetter is a farmer and owner of Grain Place Foods in Nebraska. The Vetters are among the first in their region to be certified organic farmers. David’s father began to adopt organic farming methods in the early fifties when he began to question the science and ethics of the emerging agricultural technologies of the late 1940s and early 1950s. Sixty years later, their farm near Marquette, NE has grown into Grain Place Foods, a family business that helps steward other local farms in their journey toward organic production.

2015

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Rachel and Andy Berliner

Amy's Kitchen

Andy and Rachel Berliner are the co-founders of Amy’s Kitchen, the nationís leading source of organic and non-GMO convenience food. All Amy’s products, from soups and sauces, to burritos, pizzas and whole meals, are made with organic ingredients, are non-GMO, and do not contain hydrogenated fats. Amyís remains a privately held, family-owned business and is one of the few remaining U.S. companies to craft its own recipes, source its own ingredients, and make its products in-house.

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Mike and Terra Brownback

Spiral Path Farm

Mike Brownback and Terra Brownback have owned and operated Spiral Path Farm, a certified organic vegetable farm in Perry County, PA since 1978. They are both first generation farmers. The first 15 years on farm were spent with a farrow-to-finish hog operation, with grains/hay crops, before transitioning to organic vegetable farm in 1994.

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Dr. Don M. Huber

Professor Emeritus at Purdue University

Dr. Huber’s agricultural research the past 55 years has focused on the epidemiology and control of soilborne plant pathogens with emphasis on microbial ecology, cultural and biological controls, nutrient-disease interactions, and physiology of host-parasite relationships. He is internationally recognized for his expertise in the development of nitrification inhibitors to improve the efficiency of N fertilizers; interactions of the form of nitrogen, manganese and other nutrients in disease; herbicide-nutrient-disease interactions; techniques for rapid microbial identification; and cultural control of plant diseases.

2014

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Chris Ely

Applegate

Chris is the co-founder of Applegate, the nation’s leading brand of natural and organic meat products. Chris is a member of the Non-GMO Working Group, whose goal is to increase the supply of Non-GMO feed in the U.S. and address the regional infrastructure needed to store and distribute this feed. Chris is also on the board of the Organic Trade Association.

cynthia daley

Dr. Cynthia A. Daley

California State University Chico Agriculture Teaching and Research Center

Dr. Daley created a pasture-based, organic dairy program at the California State University Chico Agriculture Teaching and Research Center in 2007 to support the growing organic dairy industry in the western region. She is also involved in a national consortium of researchers working to bring a variety of educational materials and research bulletins online at E-organic, an important source of information for transitional and experienced organic producers.

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Steven McDonnell

Applegate

Stephen is the founder and CEO of Applegate, a leading producer of organic and natural meat sold throughout the U.S. Stephen’s primary focus is on the misuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture and its impact on public health. Stephen has funded documentary films as a means to raise public awareness about important issues around food. He has sponsored a series of “Meat Hackathons” for prototyping innovative solutions to challenges in the way meat is produced, processed, distributed, sold, and consumed.

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George Siemon

Organic Valley

One of the nation’s foremost organic agriculture advocates for nearly two decades, George Siemon is best known for his leadership in organizing farmers and building market support for organic agriculture. In 1988, George joined a group of family farmers in Wisconsin to found the Cooperative Regions of Organic Producer Pools (CROPP), which has grown to become the largest organic farming cooperative in North America. George was instrumental in developing the national standards for organic certification.

2013

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Dr. David Pimentel

Professor Emeritus at Cornell University

David Pimentel has invested his talents in studying the fields of energy, biotechnology, invasive species, land and water conservation, and environmental policies. In the past, Dr. Pimentel worked with Rodale Institute on the Farming System Trial, resulting in the 2005 publication “Organic and Conventional Farming Systems: Environmental and Economic Issues.”

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Robert M. Quinn

Kamut

Bob Quinn started Montana Flour & Grains in 1983 to sell his own grain directly to whole grain bakeries. The business soon expanded beyond his own farm and became a viable market opportunity for many other farmers. In 1984, he started selling organic grain. In 1986, Bob planted his first organic certified crop on his own farm. By 1989, the entire farm was organic. He works closely with Montana State University personnel testing cropping systems as well as different crops, including dryland vegetables for local markets grown without irrigation.

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Alice Waters

Chez Panisse

Alice Waters, chef, author, and the proprietor of Chez Panisse, is an American pioneer of a culinary philosophy that maintains that cooking should be based on the finest and freshest seasonal ingredients that are produced sustainably and locally. In 1996, Wates’s commitment to education led to the creation of The Edible Schoolyard at Berkeley’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School. Waters is Vice President of Slow Food International, a nonprofit that promotes and celebrates local artisanal food traditions in over 130 countries.

2012

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Carla Castagnero

President of AgRecycle, Inc.

AgRecycle, Inc. is a composting operation headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is one of the oldest composting companies in the United States. AgRecycle is also the largest source-separated composting enterprise in Pennsylvania. As co-founder, Carla is an authority on composting and recycling and conducts numerous educational lectures and speaking engagements on the topic.

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Tom Harding

Lehigh Valley Growers Association, The Brice Institute

With over 40 years in certified organic agriculture and handling, Tom Harding Jr. has extensive experience in organic regulations, certification, and policy. He has worked in +120 countries, with several different cropping systems. His organic production experience includes crops, livestock, fisheries, forestry. Tom is the Founder and First President of OCIA International, Founder and President of Institute for Alternative Agriculture, Foundering Member and President of Organic Trade Association, Vice President and President of IFOAM World Board, and Presidential Appointment of US Trade Representative of TEPAC.

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Kathleen Merrigan

Deputy Secretary of USDA

Kathleen, in her service at the USDA, has managed the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food effort to highlight the critical connection between farmers and consumers and support local and regional food systems that increase economic opportunity in rural America. In 2009, she became the first woman to chair the Ministerial Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

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Kim Tait

Co-founder and Owner of Tait Farm Foods

In 2011, Kim testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry on the role that specialty crops and organics play in agriculture, and the opportunities posed for those industries on the next Farm Bill.

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Dr. John Teasdale

USDA Agricultural Research Service Scientist

John’s research focus has been on sustainable agriculture and he was the founding Research Leader of the Sustainable Agricultural Systems Lab, which was created to address the complex, systems-level research needed to define sustainable agriculture.

2011

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Drew and Joan Norman

One Straw Farm

Drew and Joan Norman run the largest certified organic farm in the state of Maryland. Theyíve been stewarding the land at One Straw Farm since 1985, pioneering organic practices with equal parts grit and grace, and building understanding and loyalty in their local community and beyond. The farm is USDA Certified Organic by the Maryland Department of Agriculture and has been certified organic since 1986. In 2010, One Straw Farm became Food Alliance certified as well. The certification of One Straw Farm sets a precedent for other market gardeners and CSA operations in the eastern United States.

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Dr. Richard Harwood

Former Director Rodale Research Center

Working side-by-side with Bob Rodale, Harwood pioneered the organic principles of the Institute and was instrumental in the conception and development of the Farming Systems Trial project. Dr. Harwood has worked for 40-plus years in agricultural research, teaching and development, nearly evenly divided between international and domestic assignments. His research has been focused within a holistic framework of sustainable production systems and the food systems of which they are a part. Dr. Harwoodís organic research at Rodale Institute evolved into a focus for the past 19 years on crop production ecology and on carbon (organic matter) and nitrogen stocks and flows, with their efficient recycling as building blocks for sustainable production.

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David Mattocks

Fertrell

David E. Mattocks is renowned in the organic movement. He served as president of Fertrell, the oldest producer of organic fertilizer in the U.S. David has also conducted many educational seminars across the United States and Canada for organic and conventional growers alike, as well as consulting for many horticultural and turf specialists.

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Maurice Small

Action Hero

Maurice Small has been called a visionary, a food broker, an educator, a friend of worms and an action hero throughout his more than twenty years of creating excellent soil, growing delicious food and cultivating young leaders in Northeast Ohio. Some of his most compelling and exciting work is currently taking place in collaboration with the Mayor of Youngstown, Ohio as they envision and create urban garden spaces within a city that has lost industry and jobs over the years. These efforts include a transformation of urban land into productive green spaces, training initiatives focused on youth entrepreneurial and leadership development, and the creation of a marketable product that will attract commerce to depressed areas.

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