Organic Processing Magazine is excited to welcome a new member to our Editorial Advisory Board— Jessica Walden, technical specialist at Quality Assurance International (QAI). Walden has over a decade of experience in organic certification in the United States and abroad, including working as a IOIA-accredited inspector and a reviewer and certification officer for the Australian company, the National Association for Sustainable Agricultural, Australia (NASAA). In her current role as technical specialist, Walden reviews inspection reports, serves as a member of the Policy Team and offers technical support to QAI staff and clients.

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) recently honored Larry Jacobs and Sandra Belin of Jacobs Farm/Del Cabo with the 2007 Organic Farming Leadership Award, and Howard-Yana Shapiro of Mars Incorporated/ Seeds of Change with the 2007 Organic Leadership Award. (From left to right in photo: Nancy Shapiro, Howard-Yana Shapiro, Caren Wilcox, Sandra Belin and Larry Jacobs.)

They were selected for their innovation in farming practices, their extensive work to educate farmers on organic conversion and for being pioneers in their fields.
Jacobs and Belin are most widely known as innovators of organic production in the Baja California area of Mexico. Combining a keen sense of the marketplace (winter vegetables), with a sense of social change, a collaboration of small growers resulted in the formation of a now legendary company.

Howard-Yana Shapiro is global director of plant science at Mars, Inc., as well as the VP of agriculture/R&D and the original founder of Seeds of Change, the pioneering company that made organic seed available to the organic farming world. In his role, Shapiro is responsible for plant genetics, water conservation, the sustainability/production models for the agroecology, agroforestry and agroeconomics of cacao and other key crops.

Wolf & Associates, Inc., founder and president Bill Wolf announces the addition of partner and senior associate Katherine DiMatteo and the formation of a new partnership, Wolf, DiMatteo + Associates. The company has more than 100 years of combined experience consulting with clients in all sectors of the organic industry. Wolf, DiMatteo + Associates has a network of global professionals that work with manufacturers and organizations from field to table to help products and projects reach the marketplace.

Protected Harvest, a nonprofit environmental farming group, recently received an $800,000 Targeted Watershed Grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to establish a dairy certification program to reduce nutrient contributions in the Chesapeake Bay. The Protected Harvest project will work to develop and certify the use of sustainable production standards for milk produced on enrolled farms. The end result is a sustainable, market-driven strategy that will generate significant nutrient and sediment load reductions to Chesapeake Bay tributaries.

Elan and Natural Flavors announce the appointment of Jeff Rakity as national sales manager. Jeff brings a wealth of experience in sales of flavors and flavor ingredients, with a particular strength in the organic Industry. Rakity has 20 plus years experience in the industry, starting with Felton International and most recently Moore Ingredients as director of sales and marketing. Rakity will be spearheading the sales of organic and conventional vanilla for Elan, and natural and organic flavors for Natural Flavors.