PCO’s Farmer Appreciation DayOutstanding organic farmers, researchers and food producers honoredPCO’s Farmer Appreciation DayOutstanding organic farmers, researchers and food producers honored

2016Award Winners

PCO Extends a Hearty Congratulations toour Fabulous Lineup of Award Winners

Outstanding New Organic FarmerFor attentiveness throughout the certifica-tion process, innovative management, anddedication toward creating and maintain-ing a successful organic plan.

Mark Nuneviller Nuneviller Farms, Emmaus, PA

Mark Nuneviller owns and operatesNuneviller Farms, a certified organic pro-duce farm located at The Seed Farm inEmmaus, PA. Nuneviller Farms producesa wide array of vegetable and fruit cropsfor wholesale and retail markets. Accord-ing to Mark, “…a farm is, at its heart, aseries of systems — biological, mechani-cal, economic, and social systems workingin harmony to create food products.” Nuneviller Family Farms is a well

thought-out combination of these systemsthat work to meet three goals: 1) Producehealthy and delicious food, 2) Provide aliving for the farmer and his family, and 3)Respect people and the environment. Mark utilizes high tunnels to grow

many crops including tomatoes, peppersand strawberries towards the aforemen-tioned Nuneviller Family Farm goals.

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Mark Nuneviller

Russell Redding, Pennsylvania Secretary ofAgriculture, leads the Awards Ceremony atPCO’s Farmer Appreciation Day. Photo: Kurt Grotz, Waterhouse Studios.

Beautiful weather, exceptional farmers and motivating speakers dovetailed on

Friday, July 29th, for PCO’s Farmer Appreciation Day at the fifth annual Organic

Farmfest in Centre Hall, PA. Delivering the Keynote address was Miles McEvoy,

Deputy Administrator of the USDA National Organic Program, who spoke about the

integrity of the organic label. (See article, page 12) Pennsylvania Secretary of Agri-

culture Russell Redding was on hand to discuss the importance of Pennsylvania’s

farmers to healthy families, strong economies and vibrant communities. Redding

also presented eight awards to truly deserving recipients, recognizing their extraor-

dinary achievements in organic agriculture. Peggy Miars, Executive Director of

Organic Materials Review Institute spoke about the role organic farmers and con-

sumers play in shaping our global food system. (See article, page 11) Edward

Jaenicke, Penn State Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics described his

research on “organic hotspots” and their effect on local economies. (See article,

page 9)

Mark is particularly excited about hightunnels because of the fact that they allowhim to extend the season so he can pro-vide local crops over a longer period oftime, increase crop yields by 50–100%and thus produce ample amounts of foodon less land, prevent erosion and preservetopsoil, and finally decrease foliar diseaseand therefore the need for material treat-ment. And of course, the increased qualityand related customer satisfaction is yetanother benefit of high tunnel produc-tion. Mark shows promises as a new organic

farmer, as exemplified through his inno-vative management and dedication to asuccessful organic plan. We welcomeMark to the PCO Community and com-mend him on his efforts.

Outstanding New Organic ProcessorFor attentiveness throughout the certifica-tion process, innovative management, anddedication toward creating and maintain-ing a successful organic plan.

Pompeii OrganicsJessica Grill, Mifflinburg, PA

Pompeii Street Soap Company wasstarted, as many hobbies are, in a base-

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that are certified organic and offer batchspecific analysis on their website. With 4 of the 8 employees being Cer-

tified Aromatherapists, the essential oilknowledge readily available to customersis also rare. The combined expertise of thearomatherapists ensures each productmeets exacting quality and purity stan-dards. The Pompeii Organics brand wasfounded with the highest standards in thearomatherapy industry and continues tomeet and exceed these standards everyday.

Sustainability AwardFor furthering the sustainability of farms,families, communities, and the environ-ment.

Glen RexRex Farm • Slatington, PA

Glen Rex farms 250 certified organicacres of crop, hay and pastureland in Slat-ington, PA. Glen has been a real pioneerof organic farming, helping to organizethe Pennsylvania chapter of OCIA whenorganic certification in the region was justgetting off the ground back in the 1990s.He jumped on board as soon as PCO cer-tification became available and remainsvery community minded. Glen’s recent inspector commented

that, “He is an amazing farmer who hadthe best managed organic row crops I haveever seen. He has very hilly ground withmore than a little shale but he has thosefields in great shape with rotation and cul-tivation. He showed me fields where hecut and baled hay and I got dizzy justthinking about it — talk about steep!” Glen custom delivers his grain and hay

to many farmers in Lancaster County andraises a sizable beef herd…in his sparetime. In addition, Glen raises organicreplacement heifers for Lancaster Countyfarmers. To top it all off, Glen volun-teered to participate in the Penn StateCover Crops Cocktails Research Projectand will be working with researchers andPCO staff to trial various cover crops, col-lect valuable data, and host a field day toshare insights with other farmers. Manythanks to Glen for his various effortstoward sustainability!

www.paorganic.org Organic Matters • Fall 2016 3

(From left) Dawn Hartman, Carol Hollister, Tyler Yearick, Cassidy Fegley, Jessica Grill, and Kelley Conrad.Employees not shown: Sharon Wright and Wilfredo Mendez

ment or garage. One soap batch led toanother and after years and years of obses-sive improving, the company now sup-ports 8 employees and handcrafts over200 products. In 2012, the owner, JessicaGrill, earned her aromatherapy certifica-tion from a school approved by theNational Association for Holistic Aro-matherapy (NAHA). Her intent was toimprove Pompeii’s current product for-mulations but instead her training servedas the catalyst to start an entire new brand,Pompeii Organics. The Pompeii Organics brand serves

clinical and certified aromatherapists whodepend on oils that are distilled fromorganically cultivated plants, have a chem-ical analysis for every batch, and are fresh.Pompeii Organics stands apart from otheressential oil companies because theyobtain a GC/MS analysis of every singlebatch of oil before making it available tocustomers. Taking this extra step of hav-ing the oils analyzed also assures that pes-ticides, plastics (phthalates), or syntheticshave not made their way into the oil. Youcan see the chemical analysis of every sin-gle batch of oil on the company website(www.pompeiiorganics.com). There areonly a handful of essential oil companies

Inspector AppreciationFor excellent management, thoroughrecords, positive attitude towards the inspec-tion process and exceptional effort in creat-ing and maintaining a successful organicplan.

Amy and David L. MartinMartin Family Farm, Port Royal, PA

With the support of his wife Amy,David farms a 246 acre certified organicdairy in Central Pennsylvania’s JuniataCounty at the base of the TuscaroraMountains. The Martins raise corn, soy-beans, alfalfa and rye as livestock feed.They raise enough feed for their 60-cowdairy and sell the extra. The Martinsbecame certified with PCO in the springof 2012 and have maintained excellentrecords and a very clean operation eversince, according to inspector reports. In 2015 the Martins introduced a new

cover-cropping program including turnipsand rye, which they then introduced intotheir grazing plan. They are committed tograzing, and only feed supplementalbaleage during the grazing season. Theybuilt a nice dairy facility that has a freestall system with sawdust bedded stalls,skylights for natural light and groovedflooring for traction. The Martins haveextremely healthy cows that require verylittle veterinary assistance indicating thatthey consistently reduce cow stressors andeffectively manage their herd. We com-mend the Martins for being conscientiousand well organized farmers with impecca-ble records and a great attitude.

Staff AppreciationFor special dedication to the organic certifi-cation process and use of innovative prac-tices.

Fran and George KnarichKnarich Family Farm • Mt. Vision, NY

George began farming in 2010, afterworking for John Deere 20 plus years andhaving a near fatal snowmobile accident.As George healed from the snowmobileaccident he volunteered on a local con-ventional dairy farm. While working thereGeorge would hear the farmer often com-plaining that he could never make anymoney and George began to humbly con-sider why that might be the case. When

Organic Research and EducationFor furthering the cause of organic farmingthrough research and education.

Edward JaenickePenn State University • State College, PA

Edward Jaenicke, Professor of Agricul-tural Economics, has been at Penn Statesince 2001. Starting with his dissertationresearch, which analyzed organic croppingsystems data from the Rodale Institute,Jaenicke has often investigated economicissues associated with organic agricultureand food. He has authored or co-authoredmore than 25 peer-reviewed researchpapers on economic and policy issuesrelated to food and agriculture, as well astwo reports for the USDA’s EconomicResearch Service and two reports for theOrganic Trade Association. At Penn State, Jaenicke teaches micro-

economic principles to students in theCollege of Agricultural Sciences, and sta-tistics to grad students in an applied eco-nomics program. In 2017, he will teach anintroductory course on the U.S. food sys-tem that traces the farm-to-fork pathwaysfor a number of specific crops and foods.The presentation at PCO’s Farmer Appre-ciation Day is based on three relatedresearch papers co-authored with JuliaMarasteanu while she was a Ph.D. studentat Penn State under Jaenicke’s supervi-sion. These papers were recently summa-rized in an OTA White Paper titled, “U.S.Organic Hotspots and their Benefit toLocal Economies.” Clearly, Jaenicke’swork is an invaluable resource to theorganic farming movement and we atPCO are grateful for his contributions!

ruminating on the conventional farmer’sstruggles George “always felt inside as ifwe were supposed to be caretakers of Godsanimals, and in return, they would becaretakers of us. That meant to me to keepit as He originally planned.” To George, “keeping things as origi-

nally planned” translates into stewardingthe earth and the animals through organicmanagement practices. George and hiswife, Fran, began farming with a nursecow given to them by the farm Georgevolunteered for and a small group ofheifer calves purchased from a local auc-tion. George and Fran considered theirjob at first to “feed the cows as much asGod provided them within the summer,and store up everything we could for themin the winter.” George and Fran startedtheir farm on a 7½ acre lot and some bor-rowed land, and today own and operate a94-acre certified organic farm with somehelp from their daughter Jessica, son-in-law Akil, and three grandchildren Anella,Abby, and Noah. Currently the herd con-sists of 10 milking Jerseys and Jerseycrosses, 3 springer heifers, 6 heifer calves,and a Jersey Bull. A gold star to theKnarichs for their dedication and com-mitment to organic agriculture!

Staff AppreciationFor special dedication to the organic certifi-cation process and use of innovative prac-tices.

Justine and Brian DenisonDenison Farm • Schaghicoke, NY

Justine and Brian Denison, along withtheir daughter Maggie, raise 25 certifiedorganic acres of mixed vegetables on their164-acre farm of rich bottomland,

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Edward Jaenicke

Justine and Brian Denison

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Craig Lauer

wooded ridges, pasture/hayfields, marsh,and streams. The Denisons market theirproduce through their 430-member CSA,two farmers markets and various whole-sale accounts. Justine and Brian, 1st gen-eration farmers, started farming in 1981with a team of horses and an acre of cab-bage — and it grew! After 17 years of farming 110 acres of

conventional produce, the Denison fam-ily’s health had diminished, so they madea vow to turn things around and begantheir path toward organic farming. Theirmission is “to grow the best, cleanest,most nutritious food possible and to get itin the hands of a large amount of people.”That is, “the heart of what we do,”explains Justine. In addition, Justine isespecially motivated to educate eaters onwhere their food comes from and therole/value of the farmer. Toward thoseends, the Denison Farm takes part innumerous outreach programs includingFarm to Preschool, a nationwide programthat strives to influence the eating habitsof young children and their families byproviding access to healthy fresh vegeta-bles and experiential opportunities includ-ing gardening and farm visits. TheDension Farm also participates with theCenter of Disabilities Services, theFarmer’s Market Nutrition Program,EBT Food Stamps, and the Women,Infant and Children Food and NutritionService. They encourage farm visits fromthe mom’s clubs, boy scouts, kids campsand anyone interested in learning moreabout farming. The Denisons are anexemplary farming family who exudesenthusiasm and dedication to organicfood and farming. When explaining theirfarmland preservation with the Agricul-ture Stewardship Association, Justineexclaimed, “We are an organic and a for-ever farm!”

Outstanding Organic ProcessorFor exceptional commitment to high qualityorganic production, promoting organicproducts and supporting the integrity oforganic goods in the market.

Craig LauerThe Lancaster Food Company • Lancaster,PA

Craig Lauer, Co-founder and Chief continued on page 6

www.paorganic.org Organic Matters • Fall 2016 5

As a child, Peter whiled the summersaway at his grandparents’ house tendingthe garden, making compost and perusingRodale’s Organic Farming & Gardeningmagazine and from there his passion foragriculture grew. His multitude of agri-cultural endeavors include managing theAlbany, Oregon, farmers market, intern-ing at the Rodale Institute Research Farm,working with Oregon Tilth (OTCO)during its infancy and serving as a full-time organic inspector for processingplants, livestock and crop operationsacross the United States. In addition,Peter studied horticulture and food sci-ence at the University of Oregon and Ore-gon State University and startedGathering Together Farms, an organicvegetable farm that is still going strong inthe town of Philomath, Oregon. In 2004,Peter was hired by CROPP Coopera-tive/Organic Valley to work from Maineto Virginia to help recruit dairy producersto join the cooperative, and he has beenworking toward that initiative ever since. Peter lives in central Pennsylvania

working as an East Division Manager forCROPP/Organic Valley. He travelsthroughout the east working with staffand organic dairy producers. He hasserved on PCO’s Board of Directors andCommittees, has participated in andassisted with countless PCO meetings andevents, and initiated PCO’s transitionalmembership program in partnership withOrganic Valley. A hearty thank you toPeter for his immeasurable contributionsto PCO’s farmer members and the greaterorganic community.

Product Officer of The Lancaster FoodCompany, has a life-long love of food,along with a passion for agriculturalissues, workplace fairness, and the localand organic food movement, that driveshis work with The Lancaster Food Com-pany. Working with co-founder and CEOCharlie Crystle and COO Polly Lauer toguide the company’s vision and mission,Craig leads the company’s efforts todevelop new products, meet and exceedall food safety compliance standards,maintain organic certification, and con-tinually improve production quality andefficiency. He also uses his background inbranding and identity to help guide thecompany’s creative look and feel. Craig explains, “We founded and run

this company with three primary goals:make extraordinary food, source fromorganic farmers as close to home as possi-ble, and hire people out of poverty intogood-paying supportive jobs.” Before co-founding the company, Craig was a brandstrategist, advertising copywriter, and col-lege instructor in New York City. He nowlives in Lancaster City with his wife PollyLauer and their daughter Edie. Hats off toCraig and Lancaster Food Company!

Outstanding Volunteer AwardFor contributing to PCO as a whole andsupporting of our mission to ensure theintegrity of organic products in the market-place.

Peter MillerCROPP Coop/Organic Valley • Milheim,PA

Peter Miller

acres of certified organic land in upstateNY. They started with 16 conventionalbred heifers in 2005 and added a milkingherd in 2006. 11 years later, GrazelandJerseys is a certified organic and 100%grassfed operation with exemplary farm-ing practices. Their organic inspector commented

that, “I have never seen a farm couple whowas more called to do what they do, whohave overcome greater obstacles to do it,and who farm with such exceptional com-mitment to their cows and the land.” Miranda and Jon are excited about the

work they are doing to improve their landfrom reclaiming and regenerating old pas-ture to spreading manure on bioactivesoils and intensively rotating their cattle.In terms of herd health, by setting thestage for natural herd behavior and sup-porting the immune systems of theircows, they are producing amazingly cleanmilk with cell counts they didn’t knowwere possible. The positive results seen in the pasture,

animals and milk have been astoundingbut Miranda and Jon aren’t stopping here.They are looking ahead to futureimprovements such as utilizing soil test-ing, complimentary amendments andgrazing techniques to recover weak pas-ture areas, bettering their milk housebiofilter by incorporating native floweringplants, and enhancing their hedgerows toprovide a better environment for pollina-tors and other species. Miranda and Jonare really wonderful people who exemplifythe determination required not only tomake it, but to excel as organic dairyfarmers.

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The Lapp Family

Jon Powers

Going the Extra AcreFor sharing knowledge and expertise withfellow farmers and the organic community.Great systems are built on collaboration.

Eugene LappLapp Brothers, LLC • Kinzers, PA

Eugene Lapp is a 3rd generationfarmer with more than 25 years of farm-ing experience. His transition to organicfarming began as a business opportunityand quickly became a philosophy andlifestyle. Eugene and his brother Curtis,operate Lapp Brothers, LLC with the helpof their father, Aaron; Eugene’s sons,Carter and Trevor; and their families.They farm 190 acres of certified organiccropland and approximately 80 transi-tional acres. Eugene certainly goes the extra acre by

graciously sharing his knowledge, experi-ences and farm with interested farmers.Eugene’s wife, Marie, submitted the fol-lowing nomination that sums it all up,“When I saw this request for nomina-tions, I could think of one man who servesselflessly. For “Going the extra acre,” Inominate my husband, Eugene Lapp,from Lapp Brothers, LLC. Eugene spendscountless hours on the phone, giving

advice and sharing his experiences in ourtransition to organic production. Heinvites interested parties to visit and fol-low him through the operation. He hasthe “we can do it” attitude when it comesto helping fellow farmers. He has co-hosted many farm profitability events. Heis a student, ever learning and a teacher,always expounding! Thank you for con-sidering this amazing man!”Marie’s words rang true during the

planning and carrying out of a recentPCO Transition to Organic Grain StudyCircle and Farm Tour hosted by Eugeneand Curtis’s Farm, Lapp Brothers, LLC.We consider ourselves very lucky at PCOto certify amazing farmers, such asEugene, who manage exceptional opera-tions yet consistently strive to improveand while doing so open their ears andfarms to the needs of others.

Outstanding New Organic FarmerFor attentiveness throughout the certifica-tion process, innovative management, anddedication toward creating and maintain-ing a successful organic plan.

Miranda and Jon PowersGrazeland Jerseys • Holland Patent, NY

Miranda and Jon are 1st generationfarmers managing approximately 312

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tributed their time and expertise to mak-ing our organization strong and our mem-bers successful. Thanks to Mike andTerra, Spiral Path will remain as agricul-tural land in perpetuity, as they preservedthe farm in 2007 by donating a conserva-tion easement that is administered by TheCentral Pennsylvania Conservancy.Clearly, the Brownback family membersare leaders in organic farming and PCO isgrateful to have them as part of our com-munity.

The Ranck FamilyCharvin Organic Farm • Mifflin, PA

Elvin and Charlotte Ranck, along withtheir son and daughter-in-law Michael

PCO Hall of FameFor continuous, extraordinary dedication oftime and energy to furthering the mission ofPennsylvania Certified Organic.

The Brownback FamilySpiral Path Farm • Loysville, PA

Mike and Terra Brownback along withtheir family own and operate Spiral PathFarm — a certified organic vegetable farmin Perry County, PA, since 1978. Mikeand Terra are both first generation farm-ers. Today, two grown sons, Will andLucas, both farm with the family on 255certified organic acres; about 80 acres inproduce, 4 acres under high tunnel veg-etable production and 13,000 square feetof transplant production for on-farm use.Spiral Path Farm raises a wide variety ofcertified organic vegetables, herbs andannual fruits. The farm employs about 40workers in peak of season. Organic pro-duce is marketed via wholesale, CSAmembers, and farmer’s markets. The Brownback family is “…commit-

ted to farming practices, which protectand nurture the soil, while providinghealthy, farm-fresh produce. We believethat our stewardship of the land promotesa living soil, which grows healthy plantsfrom which we harvest flavorful andnutritious food.” Mike and Terra were founding mem-

bers of PCO and our first meeting washeld around their kitchen table. Mike is apast President of the PCO board and theentire Brownback Family have con-

and Krystal, and their son Andrew partnerto operate a 180-cow organic dairy andcrop farm on 1,300 acres in JuniataCounty. Elvin’s 5 other sons, Eric, Kelvin,Shawn, Donovan and Stephen, also workon the farm. After years of conventional farming

Elvin had the opportunity to observe abiologically managed farm and the soiltilth thereof and so began his inspirationto pay careful attention to the life of thesoil. Elvin and family have been farming

organically since 1987, are grateful for thehealthier crops, healthier animals andhealthier environment such practicesafford, and are eager to share their knowl-edge with others. “While we don’t have allthe answers to all life’s problems inorganic farming, we’ve learned and mas-tered a few things along the way andwould like to pass that along to other peo-ple.” From soil consulting, hosting field

days, and conducting seed trials to collab-orating on research projects, the Ranckfamilies play an important part in further-ing organic agriculture research and edu-cating the organic community. Inaddition to their work at home, Elvin andEric both travel to Africa throughout theyear to do ministry work and agricultureeducation. Many thanks to the Ranckfamily for their great work.

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The Brownback Family

The Ranck Family