Genevieve Albers is the compliance manager at Traditional Medicinals, Inc. She serves on the CCOF Board.
It was good luck that brought me here, and I’m so thankful. I have a great position at a company I love. Traditional Medicinals is a member of the CCOF North Coast Chapter, so I initially started attending meetings and soaking up the wisdom I heard there. I never missed a meeting.
Eventually, my predecessor, Andrea Davis-Cetina, moved across the country, and the North Coast Board Representative position opened up. After the chapter held an election, I was surprised to find that I’d been elected, even though I didn’t know I was nominated. That’s how I came to be here. Every day since then, I’ve considered it a privilege.
Theoretically, I represent farmers and operators in the North Coast region (Sonoma, Napa, and Marin counties) to the board, and I represent the board to the chapter membership. I try to do that to the best of my ability, but the meaning it holds for me goes deeper than that. I feel like I carry the weight of responsibility for the generations that farmed before there was any distinction between “conventional” and “organic.” I would like to do right by the memory of those farmers and stewards of the land.
Almost everybody on the planet is only a generation or two removed from farming. If you aren’t intimately connected to the land now, your great grandparents had a victory garden, or maybe your uncle still farms in the old country. That common bond feels very vital and very important. Farmers are my heroes.
Organic is something I’m pretty evangelical about with my family and friends. I’m not shy about why it’s important to support your local organic farmers and buy organic foods. I strongly believe in it. The more organic farms and farmers I meet and visit around the world, the more I believe. Seeing the incredible dedication of the CCOF staff is humbling. I am very proud of the work that CCOF does and honored to be part of their mission.