Organic Advisory Council seeks members

• Seats open on Organic Advisory Council

Seats open on Organic Advisory Council

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Wisconsin’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) announced via press release Tuesday, Feb. 7, that nominations are open for four seats on the Wisconsin Organic Advisory Council and must be submitted by Monday, March 19.

The release calls for potential members who are “interested in the future of organic agriculture in Wisconsin and are willing to do their part to help it grow.”

The Wisconsin Organic Advisory Council meets quarterly to guide the development of organic education and marketing opportunities as well as provide input on state and federal policy that affects organic agriculture. The Council consists of 12 people who represent organic production, processing, marketing and purchasing opportunities in Wisconsin.

“I encourage those interested in serving the organic agriculture industry to nominate themselves or another qualified individual to serve on the Wisconsin Organic Advisory Council,” said Mike Powers, Administrator of the Agricultural Development Division. “DATCP is seeking nominations for an organic farmer, an organic business, an organic certifier and an ‘at-large’ representative.”

Nominees will be evaluated by a nominating committee and approved by the DATCP secretary and board. Selected representatives will begin serving at the July 2012 meeting of the Wisconsin Organic Advisory Council. Each member serves a three-year term and may serve more than one term.

“Wisconsin ranks second in the nation in the number of organic farms and ranks first in the nation in the number of organic dairy farms,” added Laura Paine, DATCP’s Organic and Grazing Agriculture Specialist. “The Wisconsin Organic Advisory Council works on behalf of this rapidly growing portion of Wisconsin’s agricultural economy.”

Application materials are available at www.organicadvisorycouncilinfo.gov.

For more information, contact Paine at 608-224-5120 or laura.paine@wi.gov. Those interested can also connect with DATCP on Twitter at twitter.com/widatcp or Facebook at facebook.com/widatcp.

Tags: outdoors, agriculture, wisconsin, business, food