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Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association celebrates 40th anniversary
The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association is celebrating its 40th anniversary.
Lauren Ketcham, communications coordinator with OEFFA, says the organization has covered a lot of ground over the past four decades.
“We really were part of the movement to create an organic label and a federal organic program,” she says. “We started with just a handful of members and in the time since we were founded there’s been such a sea change and it’s pretty exciting to look back and see where we fit in to all that progress.”
She tells Brownfield this year’s conference theme – Just Farming: The Path Before Us – sets the tone for the future of the organization.
Ketcham says OEFFA will continue to address justice and diversity in the food system.
“We thought that acknowledging the roots of agriculture and considering the ways in which injustice continues to permeate it is essential for us forging a path forward to a healthier food system,” she says. “Rather than this just being a theme for this year’s conference, I think it sets a tone for some of the issues we want to tackle moving forward.”
She says a top priority for the organization moving forward is to continue offering programs for beginning and early-career farmers to improve the food system.
Ketcham spoke to Brownfield at OEFFA’s 40th annual conference in Dayton, Ohio. Attendees were able to network and attend workshops, keynote sessions, and a trade show with nearly 100 exhibitors.
The conference kicks off a year-long celebration.
Audio: Lauren Ketcham, Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association
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