Blog posts by Shawna Rodgers
Written by Shawna Rodgers on Monday, May 2, 2022
In 2018, the CCOF Foundation hosted an intimate lunch at Natural Products Expo East. About six blocks from the trade show floor in Baltimore, a quiet but confident teenage girl stood in front of longtime organic industry professionals and told them her story. That girl was Shannon Good, who received a grant from the CCOF Foundation to support her studies in organic agriculture. Adults, many of whom were three or more decades into their careers, were moved to tears as Good shared how the funding she received from the CCOF Foundation allowed her to save some of her family’s dairy cows and…
Written by Shawna Rodgers on Monday, April 18, 2022
CCOF Foundation Visionary supporter Driscoll’s recently announced new partners to advance their sustainability goals pertaining to field plastic. Driscoll’s announced the launch of their Agricultural Plastics Innovation Challenge, an initiative that aims to stimulate new recycling processes and the development of alternatives to commonly used field plastics.
Think Beyond Plastic works to support businesses to achieve the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. The 17 goals support one another, often addressing both food access and environmental health issues. This initiative…
Written by Shawna Rodgers on Monday, April 11, 2022
Prima Wawona has continued its investment in organic with its support of the CCOF Foundation as a Champion-level supporter in 2022.
Prima Wawona, one of the nation’s leading organic stone fruit producers, has supported our 501(c)(3) charitable arm, the CCOF Foundation, in advancing organic through education and grantmaking. Headquartered in California’s Central Valley, Prima Wawona recognized organic tree fruit as an underrepresented item in retail and sought to meet the industry’s demand. Each season, Prima Wawona increased its organic supply to match the growing consumer demand. When it…
Written by Shawna Rodgers on Monday, February 28, 2022
CCOF Foundation Champion and longtime organic farming advocate Earl Herrick and the team at Earl’s Organic Produce are quite accustomed to changing with the times. Having launched his business in San Francisco in 1988, Earl Herrick, along with the rest of the organic industry, has watched the pace at which organic has grown over the last 40-plus years. CCOF and Earl’s have grown side by side in many respects, supporting simultaneously the growth of organic supply chains and the integrity of organic farming practices as a core business principle.
In a December 2021 statement, the company…
Written by Shawna Rodgers on Tuesday, February 22, 2022
Photo taken by Liz BirnbaumThe CCOF Foundation has stewarded farmers in their transition to organic practices and certification since our founding in 2002. Over the last 20 years, we have provided hundreds of farmers with financial and community support, technical assistance, and market access to help them create successful organic businesses. In 2020, through a partnership with Anheuser-Busch, the CCOF Foundation supported over 100 farmers and awarded $500,000 to farmers who were transitioning from conventional to organic agriculture across the United States. Farmers used grant funding to…
Written by Shawna Rodgers on Monday, February 14, 2022
The name “Javier Zamora” is well-known on the central coast of California. With his powerful voice, Zamora has never been shy about sharing his story of immigrating to the western United States and starting his own organic farming business with the support of the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA) and CCOF. With his business certified by CCOF since 2012, Zamora continues to give back to the community through mentorship, advocacy for organic, and of course, generous sharing of his operation’s flowers and strawberries.
Patagonia, a longtime CCOF Foundation Champion…
Written by Shawna Rodgers on Monday, January 31, 2022
Picture taken by Liz BirnbaumA question that drives Paicines Ranch’s Globetrotter Foundation and its #NoRegrets Initiative is “What will we tell our grandchildren?” Much in the same way an apple tree, with proper care and attention, can produce fruit season after season, we humans can support the health and sustainability of our own descendants for generations to come. Success requires respect for the laws of nature, attention to detail, and a commitment to protecting our environment through organic and regenerative farming practices.
The Globetrotter Foundation and CCOF share common values…
Written by Shawna Rodgers on Monday, January 10, 2022
This past December, CCOF celebrated Assemblymember Robert Rivas as our 2021 Organic Champion. At the Earthbound Farm’s Farm Stand, CCOF Foundation supporters and other organic professionals gathered to honor the work of Assemblymember Rivas.
CCOF’s Organic Champion Award, which has recognized organic industry leaders and pioneers such as Melody Meyer and Karen Klonsky, was designed to honor the lifelong work and commitment of its honorees to the organic agriculture movement. Assemblymember Robert Rivas is named the recipient of CCOF’s 2021 award.
Raised in Paicines, where his…
Written by Shawna Rodgers on Monday, November 8, 2021
Sixteen years ago, an accident ended the short and blossoming life of Casey Burke. Burke, a leader in Biodynamic farming of wine grapes, is survived by his brother Ted Burke. Ted manages the much-beloved Shadowbrook restaurant near CCOF’s headquarters in the greater Santa Cruz, California area. The restaurant, which sits alongside the river in quaint Capitola, is known for serving high-quality ingredients from local and organic producers. Ted is committed to supporting educational causes, and his support generously includes the CCOF Foundation. Sixteen years after the untimely passing of…
Written by Shawna Rodgers on Monday, October 4, 2021
With eight of their locations now CCOF certified, FreshPoint joins CCOF’s multinational membership in creating a world where organic is the norm.
FreshPoint, a division of Sysco, is an advocate for supporting local supply chains. The benefits of locally grown produce include fewer carbon emissions required for food travel, fewer preservatives required to maintain produce integrity over a long-distance journey, and preservation of North American farmland and biodiversity. What’s more, FreshPoint shares CCOF’s belief that organic should not be a food of privilege. Quoted from its…
Written by Shawna Rodgers on Monday, September 20, 2021
Join the CCOF Foundation for a casual and informative conversation with Michigan State University student and CCOF Foundation Future Organic Farmer grant recipient Shannon Good on September 30, 2021! Register on Eventbrite to receive a link to this special conversation.
During our time with Shannon, we will hear more about her journey to become an organic dairy farmer by age 16, the transition of her family’s operation from conventional to organic dairy production, and her current studies at Michigan State University.
Many thanks to all our CCOF Foundation supporters who have funded…
Written by Shawna Rodgers on Monday, September 13, 2021
If you’ve been reading our blog for a while, you likely know that CCOF envisions a world where organic is the norm. We believe there is room for everyone at the organic table, with different communities across the world being served by local organic growers. While we seek to create an organic world, there is no place like home. We are grateful to growers like Lakeside Organic Gardens for their decades of dedication to the organic movement and would like to join in celebrating their 25th anniversary this year!
Longtime residents of California’s Pajaro Valley (about half an hour from CCOF’s…
Written by Shawna Rodgers on Monday, September 13, 2021
Consumer education is a powerful tool. Research indicates that more than 85 percent of U.S. households buy organic, and yet there is still marketplace confusion about why organic is healthier for eaters, farmers, and environments.
Most farmers don’t have an extra hour in the middle of their day to be a guest on a podcast, host a webinar, or create infographics to share on their social media platforms. Groups like Kitchen Table Advisors and other third parties make consumer education more accessible for organic farmers, but CCOF and its Foundation are still looking for additional avenues to…
Written by Shawna Rodgers on Monday, August 23, 2021
Plant People, an organic hemp, CBD, and mushroom supplement company, shares CCOF’s vision of a world where organic is the norm. They are a Certified B Corp; they are climate neutral, and they incorporate charitable giving as an inherent part of their business model. As if that wasn’t cool enough, they also plant a tree for every product sold. “Plant People is unlocking centuries of botanical intelligence to create unique and innovative formulas that reconnect us to our true nature. After traumatic spinal injuries, [co-founder Gabe Kennedy and CEO Hudson Gaines] found [their] way back to…
Written by Shawna Rodgers on Monday, August 23, 2021
In the current issue of Certified Organic, CCOF announced our new grant opportunity for small-scale Salinas Valley farmers on the path to becoming organic farm owners. More specifically, grantees will be implementing regenerative practices that have been the hallmarks of organic production for decades, including crop rotation, cover cropping, mulching, composting, and other soil-building practices.
At the helm of this new grant opportunity is the Rustic Canyon Family, a Michelin-starred restaurant group with a history of community giving and philanthropy. The announcement of this grant…