No matter how busy we are coaxing vegetables out of the ground and nurturing animals we try to donate our time and energy for the collective betterment of society. Our cause will be no surprise to you: the value of organic foods to the health of humans and of Mother Earth. This time of the year, we give our time to the various organizations that strive to forward our values.
Ann, John, and I have rotated through leadership positions in several non-profit organizations over the years, and I donated 15-20 hours a week for five years to the federal government with my stint on the National Organic Standards Board. John and I have each been officers of the Organic Association of Kentucky (OAK), whose mission is to not only help organic farmers be better farmers, but also to educate consumers about the value of eating organic foods. OAK also administers CSA vouchers for UK, LFUCG, and several private companies, so their employees have access to certified organic foods as a wellness benefit. One program unique to OAK is the transition trainer program. If a farmer is interested in organic production, OAK will send a mentor farmer out to their farm to help decipher the organic regulations, advise them on where to find necessary inputs, and invite them to various educational events hosted by OAK. Where else, other than the sustainable agriculture movement, will you find business people that help others do what they do, in the name of the common good? OAK has moved from the early days as a volunteer organization to now having a full time staff supported by grant funds and private donations.
I have also served on the board of the Organic Farming Research Foundation. OFRF funds research projects for the betterment of organic farmers, lobbying Congress to direct research dollars to organic systems research commensurate with the percentage of organic food consumption in this country. With the increase in organic food sales increasing at a double digit pace, funding is woefully behind. Because of my involvement there, I was invited by the Organic Trade Association (OTA) to participate in a “fly-in” to Washington DC to visit key lawmakers and ask for increased funding for organic research that keeps pace with consumer demand. Without naming names, some offices showed more interest than others. But I’ve done this kind of work a time or two, and I can tell that lawmakers are more interested in organic farming and foods all the time.
Another reason I was asked to participate in the fly-in was to leverage my status as former Chair of the NOSB to ensure that the National Organic Program, a regulatory arm of the USDA, is fully funded in light of the deregulatory climate in DC. Organic farmers and handlers voluntarily submit to a strict set of federally mandated regulations, to set ourselves apart from the numerous confusing and misleading food labels in the marketplace. The organic community has worked hard for what we got and get anxious when there is chatter about deregulation. Thankfully groups like OTA, OFRF, and many others have a strong presence on Capitol Hill.
Winter is considered meeting season in the farming community, so OAK will be mapping out field days on various farms around the state, and we will gather for the two-day annual OAK conference in Frankfort, sharing what we know and building partnerships with like-minded organizations. The diversity of people invited to speak brings rich conversations about food, food hubs, food security, food ignorance, food deserts, food economies, good food as medicine. You can check out some of the consumer-oriented resources on OAK’s website. Hearing how people in other regions have structured incentives and built models to enhance the economies around local foods informs the work of local food policy coordinators here at home. Kentucky is blessed with lots of amazing people doing amazing work in developing a vibrant local food economy here in the Bluegrass.
There is always more to do, and maybe you can help. Come to the OAK Conference, and you will be inspired by the energy of the farmers to do something to further the cause. Poke around the OAK, OFRF, or OTA websites and see how hard we are all working to bring good food to more and more people. In this season of giving, maybe you’ll be inspired to give them a financial vote of confidence. When you invest yourself in this way, you will begin to look at food more reverently. Lastly but most importantly, the best thing you can do to support local food this time of year is: go to the farmers market, no matter how bad the weather. We and several other farms and producers will be there with the healthy, farm-produced foods you and your family rely on. If that’s not possible, order online!
As we are beginning to think about the 2026 growing season, spring lambing, turkey hatching, firing up the greenhouses, and lining up help for deliveries and working at the farmers market booth, we will always find time to help the organizations that push our mission forward. Knowing what we know about the relationship between food and human health, how can we not? I’m sure glad there are several groups out there that work in this area. Knowing what you know about the value of organic eating, maybe you can get involved too. –Mac Stone