The collection is arranged in six series: HOOSIER ORGANIC MARKETING ENTERPRISE/EDUCATION (HOME), INDIANA ORGANIC PEER REVIEW PANEL, NATIONAL ORGANIC STANDARDS BOARD (NOSB), ORGANIC CROP IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION (OCIA), NATIONAL ORGANIC MARKETING COOPERATIVE FEASIBILITY STUDY (NOMCFS), and SUBJECT FILE. The collection documents Bowman's involvement in the development of state organic accreditation standards in Indiana, her efforts to educate growers and the public about organics, and her activities promoting organics on regional and national levels.
The HOOSIER ORGANIC MARKETING ENTERPRISE/EDUCATION (HOME) series includes administrative materials, correspondence, versions of the certification standards and materials list the organization developed, a resource “Green Book,” newsletters, news clippings, materials related to a proposed state organic growers cooperative (Indiana Certified Organic Network or ICON), and records for the annual Indiana Horticultural Congress the organization sponsors. Also included are materials relating to the HOME bulletin board service, an early computer information network.
The INDIANA ORGANIC PEER REVIEW PANEL includes administrative and meeting materials, public comments on Indiana's proposed organic certification law, research on international organic certification programs in other states and countries, and certifier surveys.
Included in the NATIONAL ORGANIC STANDARDS BOARD (NOSB) series are meeting materials, draft recommendations of the Board and public comments, and records for a violations and enforcement group on which Bowman served.
The ORGANIC CROP IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION (OCIA) series documents Bowman's tenure as vice-president and legislative liaison, board member, and Inspector Accreditation Committee chair of OCIA International, and president and secretary of the state chapter, through meeting minutes and materials, correspondence, and committee records. Her work with the OCIA United States Legislative Task Force is also documented.
The NATIONAL ORGANIC MARKETING COOPERATIVE FEASIBILITY STUDY (NOMCFS) documents efforts to develop a farmer-centered and operated marketing organization and includes meeting materials, correspondence, surveys, and copies of the study's newsletter. Also documented are efforts of the Telecommunications Subcommittee to encourage the organic community to use the newly emerging internet as another organizing tool. Included in this series is a small quantity of records of the Organic Farmers Marketing Association (OFMA), which was created as a result of the study, and its non-profit arm, the Organic Farming Information and Education Foundation (OFIEF).
The SUBJECT FILE includes materials on topics of concern to Bowman, including genetically modified organisms, pesticides, and farm workers' rights, the proposed Final Rule of the National Organic Program, and the work of the various sustainable agriculture organizations in Indiana with which Bowman worked, as well as her involvement with the Organic Certifiers Council (OCC) of the Organic Trade Association and its Government Affairs Council.
