OTA’s Lifetime Achievement honorees and OTA Co-CEOs from left to right: Matthew Dillion, Walter Robb, Katherine DiMatteo, Bill Wolf, Maria Rodale, and Tom Chapman. Missing from photo Andy and Rachel Berliner.
OTA Organic Lifetime Achievement Awards
NEWSLETTER - September 15, 2026
A WONDERFUL THING HAPPENED IN DC
John Foster, President, Wolf & Associates
Dear Friends of W&A,
I am delighted to share some good news (and I am reporting directly from Washington, DC). Last evening, as part of ORGANIC WEEK, the Organic Trade Association held its annual Award Reception, joined by colleagues from W&A and more than 200 members of the greater organic community. There were no golden Oscars or Grammy trophies handed out, but there was an ocean of respect and gratitude in the ballroom, and a very profound sense of connection and shared commitment to the good fight as activists for organic.
Fellow organic leaders were honored, including our very own Katherine DiMatteo and Bill Wolf. Bill said in his acceptance speech: “It’s been an amazing journey sharing 36 years of comradeship with Katherine DiMatteo. Neither of us expected to receive outstanding achievement awards from OTA twice!”
We applaud all OTA Leadership Award Honorees and are so grateful for their vision, persistence, and ongoing leadership.
- Andy and Rachel Berliner, Amy’s Kitchen
- Katherine DiMatteo, DiMatteo Consulting
- Maria Rodale, Rodale Institute
- Walter Robb, Stonewall Robb Advisors
- Bill Wolf, Wolf & Associates, Inc.
- Organic Farmers of the Year: George and Dora McClelland, McClelland Dairy Farm
- Organic Environmental Leadership: Kendra Klein, PhD, Friends of the Earth
- Organic Trailblazer: Mike Dill, Organically Grown Company
- Organic Social Impact: Marlon Foster, Knowledge Quest
I count myself lucky to work directly with leaders like Katherine and Bill, who have packed two lifetimes’ worth of hard work into one meaningful life. We are still building what organic will become, and these wonderful leaders are the architects who catalyzed a movement and an industry. In closing, I thought you’d appreciate Bill’s call to action, shared with a diverse and deeply committed organic audience in the Willard Hotel ballroom last night.
“Now I challenge you all to push on even harder, to set more audacious goals. Look for the big gaps that need to be filled. What are some of those gaps?
- U.S. is 46% of global organic retail sales and only 3% of global organic acreage.
- Food Service is now a majority of US Food dollars but organic is almost zero Food Service Sales.
I strongly believe it’s time to fill the gap between organic demand and organic acreage in the U.S. by making organic farming and certification much easier and more affordable. This will require bringing small farmers back into the fold. Paying for transition. Building new tools like ‘A Farmers’ Toolkit 2026’ that the Rodale Institute, OTA and my firm is launching. It is a great example of making farmers the heroes and heroines of our organic revolutionary story.
So please, let’s get on with making the difference we all believe in. I ask that you also look for the gaps – and the areas where you can be an ACTIVIST to make a difference every day…for the planet and all those earthworms.”
Webinar
Wolf & Associates Insights Webinar October 1, 2026 – Where’s the (Organic) Beef?
Can the U.S. organic livestock sector continue to grow without a corresponding expansion of domestic organic feed production—and, if not, what market structures, investments, and commitments are needed to close the gap?
Join us for a lively discussion featuring Tracy Favre, Senior Vice President of Sustainability and Organic Strategy at Handsome Brook Farms; Brian Halweil, Advisor and regenerative food and agriculture sector expert; and Scott Rice, Regulatory Director at the Organic Trade Association.
October 1, 2026 | Time: 2:00 PM EDT | Virtual.
Learn how Wolf & Associates can support your vision to GROW ORGANIC WITH INTEGRITY.
Where to Find Us
Northeast Growing Together Conference, September 16-17, Kutztown, Pennsylvania. Bill Wolf will discuss “Think Like an Earthworm–Getting Organic Growing Again; What we did right – and what we need to do now” on September 17.
Organic Grower Summit, December 2-3, Monterey, California.
Accredited Certifiers Association Conference, January 26-28, 2027, Louisville, Kentucky
Organicology, February 16-18, Portland, Oregon.