sept-2017

62 63 ambitious,and far-reaching.It is a reflection of the dedication,integrity,and creativityof the sector that we serve,and of our unwavering commitment to lead the organic sector to newunprecedented levels of achieve- ment. “The opportunities for the organic industryhave never been greater. For ourAssociation to lead organic stakeholders–farmers,processors,handlers,retailers –to greater financial profitability,to greater political influence,and to a greater role as the example of agricultural excellence in protecting the environment and producing the highest and safest qualityproducts, OTAis looking 15 years into the future and defining its vision. “In 15 years,we believe the growing demand in the organicmarket will continue to outpace supply.This widening gap between supplyand demand for organic products sets the stage for a critical era in the growth of organic.With our leadership,the organic supply chain canwork together to deliver on the promise of organic to agriculture,the environment,and the public. “Our vision of an organic industry in 2030,includes market growth,acreage growth,and farming profitabil- ity-all healthyand in balance.Demandwill be higher, acreagewill meet the demand,organicpenetration in themarket will be deeper,and the influence of organic will be greater.” BVM: What is your membership?Are there different tiers of membership?Are there anyassociatemembers fromdifferent industries? Howdo you communicate with themembership? Batcha: “Our members represent the entire organic supplychain,and include growers,shippers,processors, THE ORGANIC TRADE ASSOCIATION certifiers,farmers’associations,distributors,importers, exporters,consultants,retailers and others.Our mem- bers are diversified--fromsmall organicproducers to major growers,from local family-run organicopera- tions to nationwide companies. “One of our strongest assets as an organization is the diversityand breadth of our membership.Between September 2015 and September 2016,we expe- rienced our highest growth inmembership in five years,with a total of 216 organic farmers and organic businesses joining,spurred by the growing interest at all levels of the supplychain in the booming organic sector,and the need and desire to be a part of a net- workof engaged organic stakeholders. “The formation of our FarmersAdvisoryCouncil has continued to swell the numbers of businesses and operations represented byus.TheOrganicTradeAsso- ciation’s FarmersAdvisoryCouncil is a broad coalition between the trade association and organic farming organizations spread across the countryand across