News Release Ames, Iowa / Thursday, February 08, 2001
Six Organic Marketing groups, who met in December to formalize a new Marketing Agency in Common, gathered this week in Ames, Iowa for their first annual Meeting. The National Farmers Organization, host for the annual meeting and the only major farm organization currently part of this MAC is the Headquarters site and will be the communications hub for the new group. LuAnn Robinson, of the NFO grain department, will serve as communications coordinator for the MAC, and also serves as marketing coordinator for NFO's newly added organic marketing program. Carmen Fernholz, a Minnesota organic producer, is a regional coordinator for NFO organic marketing and is Vice President elect for the new MAC.
These upper mid-west organic producer groups discussed pricing goals for various classes of organic product. Producer net target prices were established for various types of food grade soybeans from $17 to $20 per bushel with feed grade beans at $10 to $12. Corn, the traditional price trendsetter for feed, was pegged at $4.00 to $4.50, with food grade corn at $4.60 to $5.50. Hard Red Winter is set at $5.50 and other classes in a relative price range from $5.00 to $6.50, with food grade oats $3.25.
Oren Holle, a Kansas Certified Organic producer and President elect of the new MAC, said, "Based on the input from delegates, who are certified producers representing the participating organizations, these appear to be realistic and attainable price goals. These are minimum floor price levels for 2000 crop on hand and provide a level to begin negotiations for new crop contracts. The participating marketing groups and the certified organic producers they represent will have goals to shoot for in their joint marketing efforts."
Roger Rivest and Beatrix Enter, who attended the meeting as Certified producers from Ontario, Canada, assist with the marketing program for Great Lakes Organics. This group has membership on both sides of the border.
Midwest Organic Farmers Coop, in Illinois, is the youngest organization in the group thus far. Kevin Brussel, Marketing Coordinator had this to say, "From the time we started our new coop for our members we knew that we needed to be bigger than just our area and the MAC fits right in with our marketing efforts. We have to know what's going on in the total marketing picture. With this information, negotiations for sales contracts can be done from a position of knowledge and strength."
Randy Hampshire Organic Farmers of Michigan, Sec.Treas. for OFARM said, "The information we gain from our regular schedule of conference calls is extremely valuable in our marketing efforts for our members. Expanding the number of marketing groups that become a part of his effort is very important. We will be reaching out to those groups as soon as possible and if we aren't getting in touch with you, please contact us so we can bring you up to date."
President, Holle, added this comment. "We are up and running to go forward in our mission: To coordinate efforts of producer marketing groups to benefit and sustain organic producers. Through regular telephone conferencing among our member organizations we are exchanging pricing and marketing information and strengthening the marketing programs of our member organizations. Work has begun to develop a producer controlled inventory system."
For information you can reach an OFARM representative at1-800-247-2422, Ext. 381.
OFARM News Release 2-15-01:
