Dear CCOF Members and Supporters,
It is with great pleasure and honor that I write to you as CCOFu2019s new CEO. Since assuming the role in January, Iu2019ve been continually inspired by CCOFu2019s many accomplishments over 2018, which you helped make a reality. Iu2019m no stranger to the strength of CCOFu2019s incredible membership of organic farmers, professionals, and supporters, and Iu2019m excited to harness the power of this unique community to continue laying the path to an organic future.
You helped us lay bricks in our organic path by enabling us to help 7,898 students and teachers get funding for organic education, get 383 members engaged with influencing policies for organic, and provide organic certification for 3,731 organic farmers and businesses.
One of our most exciting projects in 2018u2014which will carry over into 2019u2014was publishing the CCOF Foundationu2019s Roadmap to an Organic California: Benefits Report. This groundbreaking report reviewed over 300 scientific studies to analyze how organic agriculture impacts the United States, finding that organic provides evidence-based solutions to the nationu2019s complex challenges.
The second part of the project will convene diverse agricultural stakeholders to set forth a comprehensive menu of policies for expanding organic to at least 10 percent of Californiau2019s farmland by 2030. As the nationu2019s leader in organic, California has the opportunity to utilize organic as a strategy for increasing public health and prosperity while paving the way for other states to benefit from organic agriculture. The Roadmap to an Organic California: Policy Report will be unveiled at the beginning of 2020 at CCOFu2019s 2020 Annual Meeting in Sacramento on February 18 and 19.
How will you join us along the path to an organic future in 2019? If, like us, youu2019re driven to continue growing organic, consider joining us to work toward this goal together. Join your local CCOF chapter, get certified by CCOF, or . This all starts with our membership and our supporters, and we couldnu2019t do it without you.
Read our 2018 annual report for all the details on what you helped us accomplish in 2018.
Many thanks,
Kelly Damewood
CEO