By Bill Wolf, Founder & Board Chair, Wolf & Associates
As I write this, the seasons are quietly shifting. In much of the country, winter has loosened its grip just a little, offering a few minutes of longer daylight, warmer air (for a lucky few!), and the sense that something new is beginning to stir. In agriculture, quiet moments matter as much as the louder ones. They mark the transition between what was and what will be.
Wolf & Associates is in a season like that now.
Together, we’ve made organic food and fiber broadly available. Once again, we have consensus-oriented, friendly and sensible National Organic Standards Board meetings, exemplified by last week’s effective and well-run Board meeting. Our regulators at the National Organic Program are committed to protecting and promoting organic. Our community is more unified and collegial, as exemplified by numerous productive Transition to Organic Partnership Program events. Most importantly, we have an amazing team at Wolf & Associates, ready to assist our clients in their organic journeys. I am feeling confident about refocusing on my passion for soil health and its connection to human and planetary health.
After more than three decades of building this firm and serving the organic community, I am passing the title of President to John Foster. I do so with real confidence and a deep sense of continuity. John brings a rare combination of technical rigor, strategic vision, and respect for the values that built this firm in the first place.
We are also living through a period of change across the organic sector itself.
Supply chains are often global, but local enterprises need more help than ever. Oversight is tightening, but the tools available for compliance are growing rapidly. The Strengthening Organic Enforcement rule has reshaped how trade operates and has provided unprecedented visibility to our interdependencies. New technologies, new market pressures, and new expectations are pushing everyone—certifiers, handlers, brands, and growers alike—to operate with greater discipline and transparency. Even the recent rescheduling of the National Organic Standards Board meeting is a small reminder of how fluid and unpredictable the regulatory landscape has become.
In moments like this when uncertainty runs rampant, clarity is necessary to move good ideas forward.
That has always been at the core of Wolf & Associates. We exist to help good actors navigate complex rules, make sound decisions, stay aligned with the spirit and letter of organic law, and flourish. Our role is not to sell easy answers, but to provide grounded, defensible guidance that holds up under scrutiny—from certifiers, regulators, auditors, and the public.
John has been leading much of that work already. As President, he will continue strengthening our technical depth, expanding our global reach, and positioning this firm to meet the next generation of organic challenges with the same integrity that has guided us since the beginning.
Transitions matter. In farming, they determine whether a field thrives next season. In organizations, they determine whether knowledge, culture, and purpose carry forward.
I am proud of what we have built together with partners, teams, allies, and advisors over so many decades. I am equally proud of where we are going.
In uncertain times, the organic sector needs steady hands, clear thinking, and people who know how to see both risk and opportunity. Wolf & Associates is well prepared for what lies ahead.
Thank you for being part of this next season.
As I write this, the seasons are quietly shifting. In much of the country, winter has loosened its grip just a little, offering a few minutes of longer daylight, warmer air (for a lucky few!), and the sense that something new is beginning to stir. In agriculture, quiet moments matter as much as the louder ones. They mark the transition between what was and what will be.
Wolf & Associates is in a season like that now.
Together, we’ve made organic food and fiber broadly available. Once again, we have consensus-oriented, friendly and sensible National Organic Standards Board meetings, exemplified by last week’s effective and well-run Board meeting. Our regulators at the National Organic Program are committed to protecting and promoting organic. Our community is more unified and collegial, as exemplified by numerous productive Transition to Organic Partnership Program events. Most importantly, we have an amazing team at Wolf & Associates, ready to assist our clients in their organic journeys. I am feeling confident about refocusing on my passion for soil health and its connection to human and planetary health.
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We are also living through a period of change across the organic sector itself.
Supply chains are often global, but local enterprises need more help than ever. Oversight is tightening, but the tools available for compliance are growing rapidly. The Strengthening Organic Enforcement rule has reshaped how trade operates and has provided unprecedented visibility to our interdependencies. New technologies, new market pressures, and new expectations are pushing everyone—certifiers, handlers, brands, and growers alike—to operate with greater discipline and transparency. Even the recent rescheduling of the National Organic Standards Board meeting is a small reminder of how fluid and unpredictable the regulatory landscape has become.
In moments like this when uncertainty runs rampant, clarity is necessary to move good ideas forward.
That has always been at the core of Wolf & Associates. We exist to help good actors navigate complex rules, make sound decisions, stay aligned with the spirit and letter of organic law, and flourish. Our role is not to sell easy answers, but to provide grounded, defensible guidance that holds up under scrutiny—from certifiers, regulators, auditors, and the public.
John has been leading much of that work already. As President, he will continue strengthening our technical depth, expanding our global reach, and positioning this firm to meet the next generation of organic challenges with the same integrity that has guided us since the beginning.
Transitions matter. In farming, they determine whether a field thrives next season. In organizations, they determine whether knowledge, culture, and purpose carry forward.
I am proud of what we have built together with partners, teams, allies, and advisors over so many decades. I am equally proud of where we are going.
In uncertain times, the organic sector needs steady hands, clear thinking, and people who know how to see both risk and opportunity. Wolf & Associates is well prepared for what lies ahead.
Thank you for being part of this next season.