Summary Information
Anne Schwartz Papers 1983-1999
Mss 1161
2.6 cubic feet (2 records center cartons and 2 archives boxes)
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Papers, 1983-1999, of Anne Schwartz, organic farmer and activist, documenting her work developing organic standards both nationally and in Washington State, her work with numerous organic and sustainable agriculture organizations including the Organic Farmers’ Associations Council (OFAC), Organic Foods Production Association of North America (OFPANA), Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (SAWG), the Washington Toxics Coalition (WTC), and the Washington Organic Certification Advisory Committee, as well as her work on environmental and livestock issues. Included are administrative records, board meeting minutes and materials, committee files, correspondence, and reports.
Forms part of the Organic and Sustainable Agriculture Collection.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss01161
Biography/History
Anne Schwartz was born in 1954. Arriving in the Skagit Valley of Washington from out east in 1975, Schwartz enrolled as a pre-veterinary medicine student at Washington State University (WSU) in Pullman, from which she graduated in 1979. Her work on a dairy farm in Sedro-Woolley and her interest in agricultural systems, soil erosion, and involvement with food co-ops led her to pursue organic farming. In 1979 she established Blue Heron Farm, an organic farm she operated with her husband, Michael Brondi. At the same time, she began working for Cascadian Farm in Rockport as General Farm Manager.
Schwartz became involved with various sustainable agriculture organizations in the Pacific Northwest and served as board member (1979-present), executive committee member (treasurer, 1980s; secretary, 1980s-1990s), president (14 years), and vice president (current) of Tilth Producers Cooperative (now known as Tilth Producers of Washington). She started the Upper Skagit Farmers’ Market, and served as president of the market association in 1985 and 1986. During the 1980s and 1990s she was involved with the Western Alliance of Organic Certifiers (WAOC) and the Western Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (WSAWG). Schwartz was also involved with the Organic Farmers’ Associations Council (OFAC), a non-profit educational consortium of organic agriculture groups across the country. Originally formed at the end of 1989 as part of the Organic Foods Production Association of North America (OFPANA), OFAC became an autonomous organization early in 1991 and served both as a growers’ communication network and as a national constituency group.
Schwartz served on the Citizens’ Advisory Committee (1989-1990) for the state Department of Ecology on Agricultural Pesticides and Nutrient Strategy. She also served on the Organic Advisory Board for the Washington State Department of Agriculture and was active in writing and lobbying for passage of the Organic Food Labeling Act. She served on the boards of the Washington Toxics Coalition (1988-1993), the Permaculture Institute of North America (1984-1986), and the steering committee of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coordinating Council (1990s). She was also active in both the Governmental Affairs/Legislative Council (1991-1996) and the Livestock Committee (1995-1996) of the Organic Foods Production Association of North America (OFPANA, later renamed the Organic Trade Association (OTA)). As co-chair and then chair of the Livestock Committee, she testified at NOSB meetings on behalf of livestock growers.
In addition, Schwartz became a volunteer firefighter (1982-present), and she and her husband trained as emergency medical technicians (1984-present), an essential occupation in rural Washington. Schwartz grows berries, vegetables, and many varieties of hardy bamboo at Blue Heron Farm, which also offers community supported agriculture (CSA) shares.
Schwartz is currently involved with the Organic Agriculture Systems program at Washington State University (WSU) in Pullman, which in 2008 became the first university in the United States to offer a major and a certificate in organic farming. She serves on the advisory board for the Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources at WSU (1989-present), and was involved with establishing a demonstration farm on campus. Her other work at WSU includes serving on the Kitchen Cabinet to the Dean of the College of Agriculture (2005-present), the organizing board for the Center for Environmental Research, Education and Outreach (2010-2011), and the National Board of Advisors to the Dean of the College of Agriculture, Human and Natural Resources (CAHNRS, 2012-present). She serves as co-Vice President of Tilth Producers of Washington, which works closely with the Washington Sustainable Food and Farming Network (WSFFN) and other nonprofit organizations. In January 2014, she was presented with the 2014 Steward of Sustainable Agriculture award by the Ecological Farming Association in recognition of her longstanding work on behalf of organic and sustainable agriculture.
Scope and Content Note
The papers document Schwartz’s involvement in the policymaking process for environmental legislation, organic certification on the national level and Washington State, organic livestock standards, and mobilization around the effects of international trade agreements on domestic agriculture. A folder of documents from the World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial meeting and protests in 1999 documents the relationship between food activism and other political movements. Records relating to Washington Tilth Producers, an organic growers’ organization with which Schwartz has been involved for many years, are largely represented by phone logs related to its Legislative Committee (found in the OFAC series). Records for the Washington Organic Certification Advisory Committee, on which Schwartz served, consist primarily of an information packet on the Organic Labeling Act prepared for an Alliance of Organic Food Certifiers meeting, and include sample forms for inspection reports and materials registration.
The collection includes records from several sustainable agriculture and environmental organizations with which Schwartz was involved (usually as a board member), and is organized in five series: ORGANIC FARMERS’ ASSOCIATIONS COUNCIL (OFAC), ORGANIC FOODS PRODUCTION ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA (OFPANA, later renamed the Organic Trade Association (OTA)), SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE WORKING GROUP (SAWG), WASHINGTON TOXICS COALITION (WTC), and SUBJECT FILE.
The ORGANIC FARMERS’ ASSOCIATIONS COUNCIL (OFAC) series includes administrative files, Board of Directors meeting materials and minutes, reports, member mailings, grant files, and correspondence. A considerable segment of the correspondence from 1989-1990 concerns the effort to establish a national organic standard and the accompanying debate over allowable materials in organic production. Researchers should be aware that board and committee materials are also found throughout the correspondence files. Phone logs in this series include conversations on developing organic livestock standards.
The ORGANIC FOODS PRODUCTION ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA (OFPANA) series includes meeting materials and minutes of the industry trade group (later renamed the Organic Trade Association (OTA)); records of its Legislative/Governmental Affairs Council on which Schwartz served; records of the livestock and manufacturing, processing, packaging, and labeling (MPPL) committees; files relating to organic standards and accreditation; materials list (substances allowed in organic production); and its Organic Certifiers Caucus. Included in this series are materials regarding the situation for implementation of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, and correspondence concerning evaluation of organic inputs.
The SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE WORKING GROUP (SAWG) series includes records from the National Dialogue, which was a series of meetings held around the country to encourage discussion among grassroots groups on specific policy changes on which to focus in the 1995 Farm Bill, including policy option paper drafts, a facilitator’s guide, and correspondence. Records concerning two national conferences on the National Dialogue meetings are also included. The subsequent Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture focused on guiding policies identified by Dialogue participants through the legislative and political process. Also included in these files are records relating to the formation of the Western Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (WSAWG), which began with a meeting in Reno, Nevada, in 1993. In addition to representatives from eight western states, two Canadian provinces (Alberta and British Columbia) were also represented.
The WASHINGTON TOXICS COALITION (WTC), on whose board Schwartz served, advocated for agricultural pesticide and household chemical reduction strategies. WTC files include board meeting materials, financial reports, background information on meeting topics, annual reports, a newsletter, and documents relating to litigation on hazardous waste siting, as well as general information the organization compiled relating to lowering reliance on hazardous chemicals.
The SUBJECT FILE series includes files on state, regional, and national issues. A small quantity of documents on the Organic Certification Advisory Committee and the Organic Labeling Act in Washington State is included, as well as meeting materials from the Alliance of Organic Food Certifiers (AOFC). Washington Department of Ecology records relating to Schwartz’s service on a Citizens Advisory Committee to develop an Agricultural Pesticides and Nutrient Management Strategy include meeting agendas, notes, evaluations, several working drafts of the group’s final paper on pesticide and nutrient strategy and ground water protection, and public meeting comments. Also included are files on certification programs in other states and in Europe, and passage of the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) of 1990. The sustainable agriculture folders contain information on various organizations across the country, and include sample newsletters from several of the groups. The series also includes documentation on attempts to mobilize the sustainable agriculture community on international trade agreements and ramifications for domestic farm policy, environmental regulations, and consumer food safety issues. One folder concerns activism centered on the World Trade Organization ministerial meeting in Seattle in 1999, particularly Food and Agriculture Day on December 2, 1999.
Related Material
Organic and Sustainable Agriculture Publications (M2014-020)
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by Anne Schwartz, Rockport, Washington, January 30, 2014. Accession Number: M2014-019
Processed by Julia Wong, April 2014.
Contents List
Mss 1161
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Series: Organic Farmers' Associations Council (OFAC)
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Box
1
Folder
1
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By-laws, 1991
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Box
1
Folder
2
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501(c)(3) application, 1992-1993
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Board of Directors files
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Box
1
Folder
3
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Executive Committee, 1991
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Box
1
Folder
4-5
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Meeting materials, 1990-1994
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Box
1
Folder
6
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Certificate of dissolution, undated
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Box
1
Folder
7
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Committee files (Steering and Program), 1990, undated
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Correspondence
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Box
1
Folder
8-14
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1989-1994
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Box
1
Folder
15
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Board mailings, 1990-1993
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Box
1
Folder
16
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Mailing lists, 1992-1994
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Box
1
Folder
17
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Member mailings, 1990-1994
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Box
1
Folder
18
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National, 1990-1992
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Box
1
Folder
19
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Financial files, 1991-1994
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Grant files
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Box
1
Folder
20
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Kellogg, W.K. Foundation, 1994
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Box
1
Folder
21
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Mott, Ruth Fund, 1992-1993
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Box
1
Folder
22
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Noyes, Jessie Smith Foundation, 1991-1994
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Box
1
Folder
23
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NOSB proposals, member comments, 1993
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Box
1
Folder
24
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Phone logs, 1991 : Includes OFAC livestock conversations and Washington Tilth Legislative Committee notes.
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Series: Organic Foods Production Association of North America (OFPANA)/Organic Trade Association
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Box
1
Folder
25
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Correspondence, 1988-1991
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Box
1
Folder
26
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General information, 1985, 1988-1992, undated
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Box
1
Folder
27
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Governmental Affairs Council (OFPANA/OTA), 1994-1996
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Box
1
Folder
28
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Growing the Organic Harvest media packet, circa 1993
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Box
1
Folder
29
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Legislative Council, 1991-1993
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Box
1
Folder
30
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NOSB Processing and Handling, Codex, 1992, undated
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Box
1
Folder
31
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Organic crop standards and inputs list development, 1991-1992
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Box
1
Folder
32
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OFPANA/IFOAM minutes, 1989 : Committee of National Certification Organisations.
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Quality Assurance Council
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Box
1
Folder
33
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Livestock Committee, 1991, 1995-1996
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Manufacturing, Processing, Packaging, and Labeling (MPPL) Committee
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Box
1
Folder
34
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Dairy subcommittee, undated
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Box
1
Folder
35
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Fruit and vegetable subcommittee, 1992-1993
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Box
1
Folder
36
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Meat and poultry advisory panel, 1991-1992
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Box
1
Folder
37
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Other subcommittee reports and papers, 1990-1992 : Includes reciprocity, accreditation, grower co-ops, and coffee.
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Box
1
Folder
38
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Materials evaluation model, Lynn Coody, 1990-1992
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Box
1
Folder
39
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Meeting minutes and materials, 1991-1993
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Box
1
Folder
40
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Organic accreditation (OFPANA-NOSB), 1991-1994
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Box
1
Folder
41
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Organic Certifiers Caucus, 1991-1993
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Box
1
Folder
42
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Technical Committee, 1991
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Series: Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (SAWG)
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Box
1
Folder
43
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Appropriations, 1991, 1993-1994
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Box
1
Folder
44
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Clinton, President Bill, letter to, 1992-1993
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Box
1
Folder
45
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Commodities, 1990
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National Sustainable Agriculture Coordinating Council (NSACC)
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Box
1
Folder
46-47
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Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture, 1994-1996
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Box
1
Folder
48
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Correspondence, 1991-1994
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National Dialogue (1995 Farm Bill)
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Box
1
Folder
49
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Ballot and committees, 1994
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Box
1
Folder
50
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Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Committee, 1994
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Box
1
Folder
51
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Developing the Dialogue (1995 Farm Bill), 1992-1993
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Box
2
Folder
1
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Facilitator's guide, 1991-1992
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Box
2
Folder
2
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Farmland Protection Working Group, 1994
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Box
2
Folder
3
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Marketing and Organics Issues Committee, 1993-1994
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Box
2
Folder
4
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Policy options (pre-February conference), 1994
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Box
2
Folder
5
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Skagit meeting, 1994 February
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Box
2
Folder
6
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Research and Extension Working Group, 1993-1994
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Box
2
Folder
7
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Trade Committee, 1994
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Box
2
Folder
8
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Western Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (WSAWG), 1993-1995
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Series: Washington Toxics Coalition (WTC)
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Box
2
Folder
9
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Annual reports, 1987-1990
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Box
2
Folder
10
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By-laws, 1988
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Box
2
Folder
11-21
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Board of Directors files, 1987-1994
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Box
2
Folder
22
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Newsletter: WTC News, 1989 Winter
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Series: Subject File
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Box
2
Folder
23-24
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Alliance of Organic Food Certifiers (AOFC) meeting materials, 1988-1993
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Certification programs
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Box
2
Folder
25
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British Columbia Association for Regenerative Agriculture (BCARA), 1986-1989
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Box
2
Folder
26
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California organic standards, 1989-1992
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Box
2
Folder
27
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European standards (Codex, IFOAM), 1991-1992
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Box
2
Folder
28
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International standards, 1987-1992
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Box
2
Folder
29
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Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association (IOFGA), 1988-1989
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Box
2
Folder
30
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Miscellaneous programs, 1988-1992
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Washington
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Box
2
Folder
31
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Organic Certification Advisory Committee, 1988
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Box
2
Folder
32
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Organic labeling law packet, 1991
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Box
2
Folder
33
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Codex Alimentarius, 1991-1992
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Box
2
Folder
34-38
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Department of Ecology, Citizens Advisory Committee, 1989-1991
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Box
2
Folder
39
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Final draft: “Protecting Ground Water: A Strategy for Managing Agricultural Pesticides and Nutrients” / Dayle Ann Stratton, 1991
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Box
2
Folder
40
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Environmental theology, 1994, 1996
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Box
2
Folder
41
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International Organic Inspectors Association (IOIA), 1991, 1993
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International trade agreements
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Box
2
Folder
42
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General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), 1990-1994
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Box
2
Folder
43
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North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), 1991, 1993
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Box
2
Folder
44
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United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Earth Summit), 1992
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Box
3
Folder
1
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World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial meeting, 1999
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Lo-input sustainable agriculture (LISA)
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Box
3
Folder
2
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Proposals, 1987-1989
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Box
3
Folder
3
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Grants funded, 1987-1990
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Box
3
Folder
4
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Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), no spray program, 1985-1989
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Box
3
Folder
5
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NutriClean system, 1986-1987
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Box
3
Folder
6
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Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA) International, 1983-1985, 1987, 1991
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Organic food
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Box
3
Folder
7
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Background articles, 1988-1995
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Box
3
Folder
8
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Marketing, 1990-1993
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Box
3
Folder
9
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Sources for, 1987-1989
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Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) of 1990
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Box
3
Folder
10
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DeFazio amendment drafts, 1990 May-August
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Box
4
Folder
1
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House vote summary, 1990
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Box
4
Folder
2
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Implementation, 1992
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Box
4
Folder
3
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Leahy bill (S.2108), 2nd draft, 1990 February
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Box
4
Folder
4
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Organic Growers and Buyers Association (OGBA), livestock standards, 1991
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Box
4
Folder
5
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Ozarks conference, 1999 November
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Sustainable agriculture
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Box
4
Folder
6
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Contacts and programs, 1985-1992
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Box
4
Folder
7
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State and regional organization information and newsletters, 1989-1991, 1994
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Box
4
Folder
8
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Tilth Producers Cooperative, 1988, 1991
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