“This is a critical time for organic. ‘The Future of Organic’ will be all about moving organic forward, and working together to advance organic priorities,” said Laura Batcha, CEO and Executive Director of OTA, in the press release. “In these 72-hours, we’ll work on solutions for the complex issues surrounding organic food and farming, focus on continuous improvement in organic, and celebrate organic leaders. And we can’t wait to again see our members in person!”
The event is themed “The Future of Organic” and is offering an opportunity to help advance organic policy priorities and to protect the future of organic. Activities include the Member Day workshops, Conference Day, Advocacy Day, and the annual Congressional reception. Plus, for the first time ever, OTA’s Leadership Awards Dinner and Annual Membership meeting will take place during Organic week.
One highlight: The exclusive debut during the Conference Day of an in-depth study by Edelman to benchmark and analyze trust in the Organic seal, both in the U.S. and in other key markets. The study builds on Edelman’s Trust Barometer, which for 21 years has surveyed upwards of 30,000 consumers in 28 countries, posing a series of questions to track trust in and credibility of government, businesses, NGOs, and media. The findings will be presented by Ambassador Darci Vetter, former Chief Agricultural Negotiator and Deputy Under Secretary of Agriculture, and now Senior Advisor at Edelman Global Advisory. Vetter will detail the results of the project and offer insights on how to employ the findings to advance organic.
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“The information gained from this analysis will inform our organic promotion efforts globally and fill a crucial gap in understanding consumer perceptions and trust of U.S. organic products,” said Batcha. “The outcomes also will shape our association’s ongoing consumer promotion efforts in foreign markets and enable us to better target foreign consumers. It will help us build for the future.”The three days include:
- Day 1, Monday Jan. 31, is Member Day. This day features sector council and task force in-person working sessions, meetings with federal agencies and departments, interactive sessions to plan for the next farm bill, and more. The day will be capped off with an event supporting Organic PAC.
- Day 2, Tuesday Feb. 1, is Conference Day. The 2022 conference will feature, in addition to the Edelman report, keynotes on the issues making news in organic from members of Congress, agency chiefs and other policy and industry influencers. The day ends with a networking reception and the Organic Dinner Celebration.
- Day 3, Wednesday Feb. 2, is Advocacy Day. A day of Congressional and agency visits. Members will work in small teams to attend hundreds of pre-scheduled meetings across Capitol Hill and then toast a full day of advocating for organic during the association’s annual Congressional Reception, attended by trade association members, lawmakers and agency officials.
