CCOF Chapters

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As a CCOF member, you have the opportunity to help shape the future of organic by helping your chapter organize local events to promote and educate consumers, advocate for organic research and programs, and reach out to educational institutions. Chapters help CCOF members maintain successful organic businesses by providing speakers at chapter meetings, networking opportunities with potential buyers, and connections to farming organizations and resources. Chapters are made up of certified and other members, who are essential to the basic functions of CCOF. Most chapters meet a few times per year and engage in topics important to their region/sector. If you would like to get involved in your CCOF chapter, contact your chapter leader from the list of chapter contacts to find out about chapter meetings and activities.

What chapter do I belong to?

All CCOF certified clients automatically become members when they get certified. Members belong to one of 14 chapters based on their geographic region. All CCOF certified processors belong to a single chapter regardless of location.

To see which chapter you belong to, check your client code, which can be found on your organic certificate. The first two letters of the client code correspond to your chapter (see abbreviations below). If you have an ME (Mendocino) or HT (Humboldt-Trinity) in your client code, you are in the HT-ME chapter. If you have a PR (Processor/Handler) code and you are located in California or Mexico, you are a member of both your regional chapter (based on the physical location of your operation) and the PR chapter. If you have a PR (Processor/Handler) code and are located outside CA or Mexico, you are a member of the PR chapter only.

If you have any questions about which chapter you belong to, contact us. Do you have questions about your certification? Contact your Certification Service Specialist.

At-Large Chapter (AL) – All certified farmers and ranchers located outside of California and Mexico
Big Valley Chapter (BV) – Contra Costa, Merced, San Joaquin, and Stanislaus counties
Central Coast Chapter (CC) – Alameda, Monterey, San Benito, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and San Francisco counties
Fresno-Tulare Chapter (FT) – Fresno, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Mono, and Tulare counties
Humboldt-Trinity-Mendocino Chapter (HT-ME) – Humboldt, Del Norte, Trinity, Mendocino, and Lake counties
Kern Chapter (KE) – Kern County
México Chapter (MX) - All certified clients located in Mexico
North Coast Chapter (NC) – Marin, Napa, and Sonoma counties
North Valley Chapter (NV) – Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Yuba counties
Pacific Southwest Chapter (PS) – Desert Valley, Imperial, South Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties
Processor/Handler Chapter (PR) – Processors, Handlers, Packers, Retailers, Brokers, Private Labelers, and Restaurants
San Luis Obispo Chapter (SL) – San Luis Obispo County
Sierra Gold Chapter (SG) – Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, and Tuolumne counties
South Coast Chapter (SC) – Santa Barbara, Ventura, and North Los Angeles counties
Yolo Chapter (YO) – Colusa, Sacramento, Solano, Sutter, and Yolo counties

 

Your CCOF client code is located near the bottom left of your organic certificate. The first two letters indicate your chapter affiliation.


How can I get involved with my chapter?

Ready to be a part of your chapter? Attend a meeting! Chapter meetings are announced on CCOF’s calendar, through our newsletter, and through emails to members of the chapter holding the meeting. Sign up for the CCOF newsletter to receive notification of chapter meetings.

For those interested in leadership positions, please read through the chapter leader positions and responsibilities and get in touch with your chapter contact to find out when the next election is scheduled. Serving as a chapter board representative involves a higher time commitment than the other positions and requires attendance to quarterly board meetings. Read more about the duties of this position in the board representative job description. Chapter contacts are listed on each individual chapter webpage.

CCOF has also created a guide to holding elections for current chapter leaders looking for assistance. 

For more information, please contact CCOF.