Title: Prescott Bergh Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1978-2013 (bulk 1980-1993)

Creator:

• Bergh, Prescott, 1958-

Call Number: Mss 1177

Quantity: 1.2 cubic feet (1 records center carton and 1 archives box)

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, mainly 1980-2003, of Prescott Bergh, organic farmer, inspector, consultant, and entrepreneur, documenting his work as an organic inspector, his work on organic standards legislation, and his involvement in organic and sustainable agriculture organizations, including the Organic Growers and Buyers Association (OGBA), the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA), the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES), the Organic Foods Production Association of North America (OFPANA), and the Wisconsin Organic Growers Association (WOGA). Included are inspection reports, materials related to organic foods legislation in Minnesota and Wisconsin, background materials on certification standards in other states, MOSES board meeting minutes and materials on the development of Organic University, and a limited run of board minutes for WOGA.

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-mss01177

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Prescott Bergh was born in 1958. He graduated in 1981 from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, with a B.A. in the Science of Society Program. Bergh served as an organic inspector with the Organic Growers and Buyers Association (1981-1992), Little Bear Trading Company (1985-1986), the Organic Crop Improvement Association (1988-1993), and as an independent organic inspector (1980-1993). In 1987, he and his wife, Juliet Tomkins, established Four Winds Farm, in River Falls, Wisconsin, where they raised grass-fed Angus beef, Berkshire pork, and pastured poultry from 1988 to 2010.

In 1986 Bergh co-authored the Minnesota State Organic Food Labeling Law, and served on an advisory board to the State Department of Agriculture regarding the development of its organic rules. In 1989 he established Four Winds Farm Supply as a source of least-toxic pest management and organic farming supplies. In 1992 he was a founding member of the Independent Organic Inspectors Association (IOIA), and led an inspector training program. He also participated in an effort to promote sustainable agriculture in Latvia in 1992. From 1995 to 2001, he served as the Outreach Coordinator with the Energy and Sustainable Agriculture Program of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, where, among other duties, he worked on an organic certification cost-share program, which later became a national program. He served as Director of Sales and Marketing for Ciranda, a company that supplied organic ingredients, from 2001 to 2014. Since 2001, he has served as CEO of Simply Native Foods, a company that markets convenience foods using ingredients indigenous to North America. From 2015 to 2016, he also worked as general manager of NewOrganics, a supplier of organic and non-GMO food products.

Bergh has also served on various boards, including the Organic Growers and Buyers Association (OGBA, 1984-1989); the Wisconsin Organic Growers Association (WOGA, 1988-circa 1990), where he was involved in the development of Wisconsin state standards for organic certification; and the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES), where he was founding board chair from 2000-2005. Since December 2014, he has also served on the Board of Directors of Renewing the Countryside, a rural advocacy organization.

A significant portion of the papers consist of farm inspection reports conducted for various certifying agencies, including the Organic Growers and Buyers Association, Little Bear Trading Company, the Organic Crop Improvement Association, and Purity Foods. The reports typically include a questionnaire completed by the farmer, inspector observations and recommendations, maps, and soil analysis reports; they are arranged alphabetically. Since Bergh served as an organic inspector for a number of certifying agencies from 1981 to 1993, the reports and related documents provide documentation of this aspect of the certification process prior to the implementation of a national organic standard.

Two other examples of Bergh's writing are included: his undergraduate thesis and a chapter from a book on organic gardening (for the latter, see Box 1, Folder 58). Also included in the papers are documents related to materials allowable in organic production (e.g., fertilizers); organic legislation and certification standards in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and other states; materials related to inspector training; a small amount of records from the Wisconsin Organic Growers Association, which was active from 1988 to the early 1990s, and the Wisconsin chapter of the Organic Crop Improvement Association, including a chapter review report from 1991.

The MOSES materials include board of directors meeting materials, conference planning committee meeting notes, and materials related to the development of Organic University, one-day courses offered on the day preceding the Upper Midwest Organic Farming Conference (UMOFC). Also included are evaluations for the Thursday Seminars (UMOFC 2000), precursors to Organic University, that were offered in 1999 and 2000 as part of the UMOFC, and evaluation tallies for UMOFC 2001.

Organic and Sustainable Agriculture Publications (M2015-151)

Acquisition Information

Presented by Prescott Bergh, River Falls, Wisconsin, February 27, 2015 and October 19, 2016. Accession Number: M2015-147

Processing Information

Processed by Julia Wong, October 2015 and October 2016.

Mss 1177	Conference materials
Box   1 Folder   99	Food Micro-Processing (April 27, 1999), 1999 April-May
Box   1 Folder   100	Food System Values, 1998 November 12
Box   1 Folder   101	Taking Charge of the Organic Market: Minnesota Organic Conference presentation, 2000 February 15
	Cooperatives
Box   1 Folder   102	21st Century Alliance, 1998-1999
Box   1 Folder   103	"Cooperative Ownership Compared to Other Business Arrangements for Multi-Family Dairy Operations," expanded ed. / by Greg Lawless, Dr. Robert Cropp, and Dr. Phil Harris, University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives, 1997 March
Box   1 Folder   1	“Ecological Agriculture in Minnesota”: B.A. thesis, 1981 May
Box   1 Folder   2-56	Farm inspection reports, 1986-1993
Box   1 Folder   57	Farm Verified Organic (FVO) inspector agreement, 1992
	Four Winds Farm Supply and Consulting
Box   1 Folder   58	Pest management, 1990, 1992
Box   1 Folder   59	Presentation materials, undated
Box   1 Folder   104	An Introduction to Sustainable Agriculture: A Course Guide / Edwon G. Yedlik, circa 2001
Box   1 Folder   105	Market research on non-formal agricultural educational programs, Lori L. Pommerenke, 1999 Summer
	Necessary Trading Company
Box   1 Folder   106	Composting BioBulletin, 1988
Box   1 Folder   107	Tree Fruit Information booklet, circa 1988
	Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES)
Box   2 Folder   1-7	Board of Directors meeting materials, 2000-2003
Box   2 Folder   8	Executive Committee, 1999-2000
Box   2 Folder   9	Strategic planning meeting, 1999 December 2
	Upper Midwest Organic Farming Conference (UMOFC)
Box   2 Folder   10	Evaluation tallies, 2001
Box   2 Folder   11	Organic Farmer of the Year Award nomination applications, 2003
	Organic University
Box   2 Folder   12	Planning materials, 2000 September-October Note: Includes meeting notes, program proposal, and materials on prospective speakers, curriculum, and budget.
Box   2 Folder   13	Program flyer for UMOFC (March 16-17, 2001), 2001
Box   2 Folder   14	Planning meeting materials and correspondence, 2000 June-November
Box   2 Folder   15	Thursday Seminar evaluations, 2000 March 16
Box   1 Folder   60	National Sustainable Agriculture Advisory Council (NSAAC) nomination, 1992-1993
Box   1 Folder   61	Organic and sustainable agriculture research grants, 1991, 2009, 2013
Box   1 Folder   62	Organic certification standards in the United States, 1980-1988
Box   1 Folder   63	Animal certification, 1991-1992
Box   1 Folder   64	Bio-Ag certification system proposal, 1987
Box   1 Folder   65	Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA), 1981
Box   1 Folder   66	Certifier training, 1985-1988
Box   1 Folder   67	Farm inspection report forms, undated
Box   1 Folder   68	Fertilizers, organic certification reviews, 1978, 1986, 1989
	Minnesota
Box   1 Folder   69	Food inspection, undated
Box   1 Folder   70	“Organic Farming: An Overview” / Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Planning and Development Division, 1979 April
Box   1 Folder   71	Organic laws and regulations, 1985-1988
Box   1 Folder   72	Organic ice cream production, undated
Box   1 Folder   73	Organic meat production, 1980-1988
Box   1 Folder   74	“Report on 'Organic' Certification Programs in the U.S.: Networking, Goals and Various Reactions” / prepared by Keith Kemble and Susana Merriam, National Center for Appropriate Technology, 1980 June 1
Box   1 Folder   75	Tilth (Oregon and Washington), 1983, 1987, 1991 Note: Includes “Standards and Guidelines for Oregon Tilth Certified Organically Grown” / by Harry MacCormack, 1987 March; and 1991 Washington Tilth directory.
Box   1 Folder   76	Wisconsin organic bill (AG 58), 1988-1990
	Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA)
Box   1 Folder   77	Approved inspectors list, 1992
Box   1 Folder   78	Certification inspector training, 1990
Box   1 Folder   79	Certification standards, materials list, 1988, 1991
Box   1 Folder   80	Nebraska chapter, 1991-1992
Box   1 Folder   81	Wisconsin chapter, 1989, 1991
Box   1 Folder   82	Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA), 1991-1992
	Organic Foods Production Association of North America (OFPANA)
Box   1 Folder   83	Guidelines for the Organic Foods Industry, revised, 1988 January Note: Also includes OFPANA Standard of Excellence, working draft, 1986 January.
Box   1 Folder   84	Materials review for organic production, 1989-1990
Box   1 Folder   85	Organic Certifiers Caucus (OCC), 1992
Box   1 Folder   86	Organic Harvest press packet, 1992 September
	Organic Growers and Buyers Association (OGBA)
Box   1 Folder   87	Board and committee lists, 1980-1981, 1987-1988
Box   1 Folder   88	Brochures, circa 1980s
Box   1 Folder   89	Conferences, 1978-1990, undated
Box   1 Folder   90	Confidentiality agreements, 1991, 1993
Box   1 Folder   91	Letterhead, undated
Box   1 Folder   92	Member lists, 1980, 1982
Box   1 Folder   93	Organic certification, 1979-1989
Box   1 Folder   94	Terra Prima dispute, 1992
	Wisconsin Organic Growers Association (WOGA)
Box   1 Folder   95	Articles of incorporation and by-laws, 1989
Box   1 Folder   96	Board of Directors and membership meeting minutes, 1988-1990
Box   1 Folder   97	WOGA Newsletter, 1989 Fall
Box   1 Folder   98	Wisconsin sustainable farmers, 1987-1990