Title: Cecilia Bowman Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1988-2004

Creator:

• Bowman, Cecilia, 1953-

Call Number: Mss 1159; PH 6729

Quantity: 3.2 cubic feet (3 records center cartons and 1 archives box) and 82 transparencies

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Papers, 1988-2004, of Cecilia “Cissy” Bowman, organic farmer, educator, writer, speaker, and consultant, documenting her activities as an advocate for organic agriculture in Indiana and her involvement with Indiana Certified Organic (ICO), Hoosier Organic Marketing Education (HOME), and the Indiana Organic Peer Review Panel. Her leadership roles in various sustainable agriculture organizations, including the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA) International, the Organic Farmers Marketing Association (OFMA), the Organic Trade Association (OTA), and attendance at meetings of the National Organics Standards Board (NOSB) are also documented. Also included is the transcript of an oral history interview with Bowman from 1994.

Note:

Forms part of the Organic and Sustainable Agriculture Collection.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss01159

Cecilia “Cissy” Bowman was born in 1953. She attended Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis from 1971-1974, and studied psychology and home economics. She began gardening organically in 1973, and in 1983 established Center Valley Organic Farm in Hendricks County, Indiana. A grant from the Center for Science in the Public Interest funded a feasibility study on the market for organic food in Indiana, which in turn identified a viable market, but also the need for certification standards and education for growers, consumers, and retailers. In 1991-1992 Bowman founded Hoosier Organic Marketing Enterprises (HOME), which served Indiana growers as a private certification program, based on the organic standards and materials list of the Indiana chapter of the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA). By 1994, Bowman and HOME President Val Carr created a Hoosier Organic Marketing Enterprises standards and materials list (for growers under the $5000 annual income exemption) that complied with USDA regulations for private certifiers. Hoosier Organic Marketing Enterprises dissolved by the end of 1994. Renamed Indiana Certified Organic (ICO), the farmer owned and operated organization became a USDA and ISO 65 accredited public certifying agency. Bowman served as founder and CEO of ICO until 2010. In 2012 it became known as Ecocert ICO.

HOME's sister project, Hoosier Organic Marketing Education (also known by the acronym HOME), established in June 1993 as a non-profit organization and funded by a value-added grant by the Indiana Commissioner of Agriculture, provides education on organics in the form of information and workshops, and also co-sponsors the annual Indiana Horticultural Congress. In 1995 it became a membership organization open to the public. Bowman has served as president of the organization since its inception. It works in concert with ICO to provide education on production and marketing of organics.

The Indiana Organic Agriculture Board was established by Senate Bill 214 in 1990. As part of the Indiana Organic Production Law (1993), an Organic Peer Review Panel (PRP) was established. Composed of nine members appointed by the Governor and representing processors/handlers, distributors, farmers, and consumers, as well as the Commissioner of Agriculture and the State Chemist, the panel served in an advisory capacity to establish criteria for certifying agents applying for organic accreditation. A system to deal with complaints was also established. Designed to ensure consumer confidence in the organic label, the PRP also offered the opportunity for public input at its meetings. Bowman served as a PRP member from 1993 to 2008; and as chairperson from 1997 to 1999.

During the same period, Bowman worked with the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA) in various leadership roles. For the OCIA Indiana chapter, she served as secretary (1990-1991) and president (January 1992-July 1993, 1994-1996); and for the OCIA International organization, she served as vice-president (July 1993-January 1994); vice-president and legislative liaison (1994-1995); member of the board of directors (1994-1995); and chair of the OCIA Inspector Accreditation Committee (1994-1995).

Bowman also served on the steering committee of the National Organic Marketing Cooperative Feasibility Study in 1995, coordinated by Eric Ardapple Kindberg, of the Ozark Small Farm Viability Project. Funded by a USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grant, the study examined the costs and benefits of a national marketing cooperative for organic products. In 1996, the Organic Farmers Marketing Association was created as a result of the study. Later the OFMA became the Organic Farmers Agency for Relationship Marketing.

In addition to appointments with these organizations, Bowman also served on boards and committees for numerous other environmental and sustainable agriculture organizations, including the Organic Farmers Marketing Association (vice president, 1998-1999), the Indiana Sustainable Agriculture Association (board member, 1995-1998), and the Citizens Action Coalition (board member, 1995-1999). She also attended nearly all meetings of the National Organics Standards Board (NOSB) from 1993-2000, contributed public comments, and closely followed the activities of the board.

Bowman operated Center Valley Organic Farm until 2012, and currently operates Center Valley Organics as an independent consultant.

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.

Organic and Sustainable Agriculture Publications (M2014-006)

Acquisition Information

Presented by Cecilia Bowman, Clayton, Indiana, June 5, 2013. Accession Number: M2014-005

Processing Information

Processed by Julia Wong, January 2014.

Mss 1159	Series: Hoosier Organic Marketing Enterprises/Education (HOME)
Box   1 Folder   1	Articles of incorporation, 1994
Box   1 Folder   2	Bulletin board service, 1994-1995
Box   1 Folder   3	Certification standards and materials list, 1994, 1995 Note: See also “Indiana Certified Organic, 1995-2003” under the Subject File series for a later version of this list.
Box   1 Folder   4	Correspondence, 1993-2003
Box   1 Folder   5	Employee contracts, 1994
Box   1 Folder   6	General, 1993-1997
Box   1 Folder   7	Grants, 1994-2002
Box   1 Folder   8	Green Feet Organic Enterprises, 1994
Box   1 Folder   9	Indiana Certified Organic Network (ICON), 1995
Box   1 Folder   10-11	Indiana Horticultural Congress, 1992-2000, 2003
Box   1 Folder   12	News clippings, 1991-1995, undated
Box   1 Folder   13	Newsletter: HOMEVOICE, 1994-1995
Box   1 Folder   14	Organics on the Road “Green Book,” 2003
Box   1 Folder   15	Reports, 1993-1995
	Workshops/presentations
Box   1 Folder   16	1995-1996, 1999
Box   1 Folder   17	Earth Day, 1990-1999
	Series: Indiana Organic Peer Review Panel	⇧
Box   1 Folder   18	Articles of incorporation and by-laws, 1997
Box   1 Folder   19	Background information, 1989-1993
Box   1 Folder   20	Bowman appointment, 1994-1996
Box   1 Folder   21	Financial, 1999
Box   1 Folder   22	Guidelines, 1997, undated
Box   1 Folder   23	ISO/IEC Guide 65 Assessment, 1990-1999, undated
Box   1 Folder   24-28	Meetings, 1996-2000
	Organic certification
Box   1 Folder   29	Cooperative agreements between federal and state agencies, 1999
Box   1 Folder   30	Indiana proposed organic standards, 1996, 1999, undated
Box   1 Folder   31	Public comments, 2000
Box   1 Folder   32	Other countries
	Other states
Box   1 Folder   33	California, 1989, 1993
Box   1 Folder   34	Louisiana, 1995, undated
Box   1 Folder   35	Michigan, 1992, 1997, 2000
Box   1 Folder   36	Minnesota, 1990, 1999
Box   1 Folder   37	Miscellaneous, 1989, 1992-2001
Box   1 Folder   38	Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA), 1993-1996
Box   1 Folder   39	Texas, 1988, 1994-1998
Box   1 Folder   40	Organic certifier surveys, 1998-2000
	Series: National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) Note: See also National Organic Program under Subject Files series.	⇧
Box   1 Folder   41	Bowman nomination, 1994, 1999-2002
Box   1 Folder   42-43	Draft recommendations and public input, 1991-1993
Box   2 Folder   1-6	Draft recommendations and public input, 1994-1999
Box   2 Folder   7	Enforcement Task Force (violations group), 1999-2000
Box   2 Folder   8	Livestock Committee, 1993-1995
Box   2 Folder   9-11	Meeting materials, 1994-1999, 2001
	Series: Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA)	⇧
Box   2 Folder   12	Annual general membership meetings (AGMM), 1994-1996, 1998-1999
	Certification
Box   2 Folder   13	Application, 1994
Box   2 Folder   14	Standards, 1994-1996
Box   2 Folder   15-18	Chronological file, 1993-1995
Box   2 Folder   19	Complaint vs. Mexican American Fruit Company, 1995
Box   2 Folder   20	Correspondence, 1993-1997, 2003
Box   2 Folder   21	Executive Committee meeting and conference call minutes, 1994
	Indiana chapter
Box   2 Folder   22	Articles of incorporation and by-laws, 1988, 1995
Box   2 Folder   23	Certification Committee, 1993-1995
Box   2 Folder   24	Correspondence, 1990-1998
Box   2 Folder   25	Evaluation, 1994
Box   2 Folder   26	General, 1990-2001
Box   2 Folder   27	Surveys, 1991
	Newsletters
Box   2 Folder   28	OCIA Communicator, 1994-1997
Box   2 Folder   29	OCIA Internal, 1991
Box   2 Folder   30	United States Legislative Task Force (USLTF), 1993-1994
	Series: National Organic Marketing Cooperative Feasibility Study (NOMCFS)	⇧
Box   2 Folder   31	Correspondence, 1995
Box   2 Folder   32	General, 1994-1996
Box   2 Folder   33	Mailing lists, 1995
Box   2 Folder   34	Meeting materials, 1995-1996
Box   2 Folder   35	Newsletter: Organic Organizer, 1995-1998
Box   2 Folder   36	Organic Farmers Marketing Association (OFMA), 1995-2001
Box   2 Folder   37	Correspondence, 1996-1999
Box   2 Folder   38	Organic Farming Information and Education Foundation (OFIEF), 1997, 2001
Box   2 Folder   39	Steering Committee, 1995
Box   2 Folder   40	Subcommittees, 1995-1996 Note: Fiber, Finance, Dairy, Egg, Telecommunications.
	Surveys
Box   2 Folder   41	Consumer
Box   2 Folder   42	Organization
Box   2 Folder   43	Producer
Box   3 Folder   1	Producer (continued)
Box   3 Folder   2	Work contracts, 1995
	Series: Subject File	⇧
Box   3 Folder   3	Aquaculture, 1998
Box   3 Folder   4	Article drafts, circa 1990?
Box   3 Folder   5	Business opportunities (residue testing in organics)
Box   3 Folder   6	Center Valley Organic Farm and CSA, 1989-2002
Box   3 Folder   7	Chicago Farmers' Market, 1997
Box   3 Folder   8	COAP speech, undated
Box   3 Folder   9	Codex Alimentarius Commission, 1996, 1998-1999
Box   3 Folder   10	Conferences
Box   3 Folder   11	Correspondence, 1990-2003
Box   3 Folder   12	Faxes, 1994 Fall
Box   3 Folder   13	From legislators, 1990-1991, 1994, 1998-1999
Box   3 Folder   14	Educational handouts, 1992, 2000-2003
Box   3 Folder   15	Independent Organic Inspectors Association (IOIA) sample forms, 1994
Box   3 Folder   16	Genetically modified organisms (GMOs), 1997, 1999, undated
Box   3 Folder   17-18	Harvey, Arthur case, 2002-2004
Box   3 Folder   19	Indiana Certified Organic (ICO), 1995-2003
Box   3 Folder   20	Dygard inspection report, 1999-2000
Box   3 Folder   21	Indiana Organic Growers Association
Box   3 Folder   22	Indiana Sustainable Agriculture Association, 1992-1995
Box   3 Folder   23	Kindberg, Eric Ardapple, 1991-1996 Note: Includes copy of Soil Fertility for Organic Farmers by Eric and Beth Ardapple Kindberg, 1991.
Box   3 Folder   24	Mailing lists
Box   3 Folder   25	National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture (NCSA) Organic Meetings, 1998-1999
	National Organic Program (NOP)
Box   3 Folder   26-27	First final rule, 1997-2000
Box   3 Folder   28	National List (materials), 1997, 2000, 2002
Box   3 Folder   29	Proposed rule and comments, 1997-1998
Box   3 Folder   30-31	Public hearing, Ames, Iowa, 1998 February 18
Box   3 Folder   32	News clippings and magazine articles, 1989-2002
Box   3 Folder   33	Oral history interview, 1994
Box   3 Folder   34	Organic Foods Production Act, 1993-1996
Box   3 Folder   35	Organic Livestock Committee, 1991, 1998
Box   3 Folder   36	Organic Trade Association (OTA), 1994-1998
Box   3 Folder   37-38	Organic Certifiers Council (OCC), 1994-1999
Box   3 Folder   39	Pesticides, 1990, undated
Box   3 Folder   40	Pesticides Trust project, 1996
	Presentations
Box   3 Folder   41	Ball State University (BSU) workshop, 1995 February
Box   3 Folder   42	Snack Food Association (SFA) Corn Tech seminar, 1998
PH 6729	Slides, circa 1990s Physical Description: 35 mm color  Scope and Content Note: Images for presentations, including farmworkers in the fields, workers and farm machinery, plants in a greenhouse, produce and poultry prep work, other farm scenes, and retailer displays.
Mss 1159 Box   3 Folder   43	Research papers, 1989, 1993-1994, undated
Box   3 Folder   44	Social justice and agriculture, 1998-1999
Box   3 Folder   45	Speech notes, 1994-1995, undated
Box   4 Folder   1	State Organic Program conference, 1998
Box   4 Folder   2	Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Technical Committee, 1999
Box   4 Folder   3-4	White Violet Center for Eco-Justice, 1993-1999, 2002
Box   4 Folder   5	Working notes, undated