The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has been advocating for organic food and farming for more than two decades. I have worked alongside many pioneers and have seen organic farming grow from a fledgling movement available to few, into a $40 billion a year industry. Despite years of double-digit growth, the number of certified organic farms in the U.S. is struggling to keep pace with soaring consumer demand.

Thirty years ago when I started in the organic produce industry, it was called a trade—a cottage industry whose participants had no inkling of what it would become today. There was no formal way to cool and ship product, no salad mix, and a handful of apple varieties. We spent hours on the phone trying to get a purchase order and celebrated when we did. We waged an uphill battle to establish credibility in a market that asked for quick and easy and didn't want to know where food came from.  We were determined to overcome the obstacles of logistics and naysayers.

After many years of dialog, there is a proposed research and promotion check-off program designed just for ORGANIC. All that’s needed now is YOUR comment to USDA supporting this game-changing initiative.