Organic Produce Trail Blazers Receive OTA's Leadership Awards at Expo East

By Melody Meyer

A pair of pioneers in the fresh organic produce community were honored by the Organic Trade Association last week. Israel Morales Sr., of JV Farms Organic was awarded the “Organic Farmer of the Year Award” and Lynn Coody, of Organic Agsystems Consulting, was honored with the “Growing the Organic Community Award.”

OTA's annual Leadership Awards

Both accepted their awards surrounded by family and over 250 industry peers as part of OTA’s annual Leadership Awards.

Morales is recognized throughout the organic world as a true steward of the land.  His commitment to soil health, habitat diversity and reducing or eliminating organic pesticide led him to develop an innovative farming system that uses conservation tillage beds and provide cover crops on 80 to 90 percent of his acreage during the winter fallow.

Israel Morales Sr., of JV Farms Organic with his family

Surrounded by friends and family Morales told the crowd, “When we started out more than 30 years ago, I was farming 800 conventional acres and the biggest organic crop was one acre, and most were a half or quarter acre. 

“Today, there are thousands and thousands of organic acres!  The broccoli was small and full of aphids. Now organic broccoli is beautiful and clean.  Why?   Because we are using the natural resources. It’s so important to use the resources we have. We aren’t inventing anything - everything is already here.”

Israel Morales Sr. accepting the “Organic Farmer of the Year Award”

Morales credited basic resources for his success in growing organically.  “One of the resources we have is the ecological system or the microbes- just don’t kill them! They’re a great resource and they are right here, “he said. “Another resource is water, there are a lot of places short of water and we put more nutrients in the water than we need to. We need to save and take care of all the resources we have, and we can do that in a sustainable way. Organic farming is a very important way to do that.”

The spry Morales closed his remarks with, “I’m 74 and when people ask me when will I retire, I say, ‘I will retire when nobody wants to learn. But if there is one person who wants to learn, I will teach them!”

Lynn Coody accepting the “Growing the Organic Community Award”

Lynn Coody has been a crucial voice for organic since the 1970s.

Coody was instrumental in the passage of Oregon’s Organic Food Law in the late 1980s and served as technical advisor to Kathleen Merrigan during the drafting of the federal Organic Foods Production Act. 

Today, she is the principal consultant at Organic Agsystems Consulting, focusing on education, standards development, management of quality systems for organic certification, advocacy and research.

Many in the organic community recognize Coody as a woman of vision, courage and know-how. She is viewed as a core expert with values based on integrity and transparency, as well as good science.

Lynn Coody, Organic Agsystems Consulting

Coody told the audience, “Recognition for the “Growing the Organic Community Award” is a very special joy to me because it represents my personal goal of supporting the work of the others.  When I meet people and they ask me what I do, I tell them my job is making my dreams come true.”

Coody went on the cite examples of how her dreams have come true.

“I asked,

Coody said her journey has been made easier by the people she works with.  “The joy of this path has been working with the creative and innovative environments with incredibly thoughtful and dynamic colleagues.  “she said.   “There is still a lot to do and I hope all of you will continue to dream on and dream big. Make your organic dreams come true!”