PCO E-News: Call for PCO Board Nominations

Participate in the PCO 2017 Board Nominations!
Nominations due Nov. 15th

PCO Governance Committee is pleased to announce the call for nominations to serve on the PCO Advisory Board. Lend your leadership and vision to the PCO Community and contribute to defining its path forward! Please consider serving on the PCO Board or nominating a member. Thank you for your participation in this important task.

PCO values a diverse board that supports the mission of PCO and represents the membership by having a balance of interests. Areas of particular need identified by the board are below; however, nominations should not be limited to these areas:

• Processor/Handler producer

• Foundation fundraising

• Organic poultry producer

• Person with human resource experience • 2nd or 3rd generation organic farmer

• Organic vegetable producer

To learn more about our current board members, visit www.paorganic.org /staff. To make a nomination click here.

Calling all Marketing Firms!
Request for Proposals: Comprehensive Marketing Plan

PCO seeks to contract with a marketing firm to increase its visibility and deliver key messages about organic education and certification to a diverse audience. We expect to accomplish this through development and implementation of a comprehensive marketing plan using a variety of resources and media, such as social media, website, direct marketing, trade shows and events.Qualified applicants will have experience in brand development and management; marketing; social media strategy, implementation, and management; website design and development; and market research.

Due Date: November 1, 2016. Proposals will be reviewed as they are submitted and interviews may occur prior to the due date. Applicants should apply as early as possible.

For more information or to submit a proposal, please visit our website.

Drought Relief: Organic Ruminant Producers

In September 2016, Secretary Vilsack designated several counties located in the northeast United States as primary or contiguous drought disaster areas. As a result, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Administrator Elanor Starmer granted a temporary variance for the 2016 grazing season to livestock producers located in certain counties in the northeastern U.S.

For more information on the counties and specific restrictions of the temporary variances, see the current list of Approved Temporary Variances.

NIFA Announces Grant Funding for Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program

USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) recently announced the availability of $17.7 million in grant funding to help train and educate the next generation of agricultural producers.

The grants, offered through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, are designed to help fund organizations implementing programs throughout the United States that train beginning farmers and ranchers, through workshops, educational teams, training and technical assistance.

For more information, view the press release or the request for applications. NIFA will host a free informational webinar for interested applicants on Oct. 26 from 1-3 p.m. EST. Applications are due no later than December 8.

Roundtable: Perceptions of Non-Agricultural "Organic" Claims

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will co-host a roundtable in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 20, 2016, to help the agencies better understand how consumers perceive "organic" claims for non-agricultural products, such as personal care products.

At the roundtable, invited panelists, including consumer advocates, industry representatives, and academics, will discuss the following topics:

Consumers' interpretations of "organic" claims for products and services that generally fall outside the scope of the AMS's National Organic Program;
A recent FTC-USDA study on organic claims, including its methods, limitations and conclusions; and
Approaches to address potential deception, including consumer education.

The roundtable is open to the public, and the FTC welcomes written comments, including further evidence of consumer perception. Interested parties may file a comment at https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/organicroundtable.

Paper comments may be mailed to: Federal Trade Commission, Office of the Secretary, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W., Suite CC-5610 (Annex B), Washington, DC 20580, or they may be delivered to: Federal Trade Commission, Office of the Secretary, 400 7th Street SW, 5th Floor, Suite 5610 (Annex B), Washington, DC 20024.

Commenters should write "Green Guides - Organic Roundtable, Project No. P954501" on their submission. The public comment period will remain open until Dec. 1, 2016. Comments will be posted on the roundtable's public webpage.

The roundtable is free and open to the public. It will be held at the FTC's Constitution Center Building, 400 7th St., SW, Washington, DC 20024. The Commission will publish a detailed agenda at a later date

Come Join the PCO Team!
Want to work with people committed to ensuring the integrity of organic food production?

Director of Marketing and Development
This director will lead the Education and Outreach Team and oversee PCO’s resource development, education and outreach, marketing and public relations programs. The ideal candidate will have education and experience in the following areas: writing proposals and securing funding, conducting community education and outreach, and leading marketing initiatives. We are looking for a well-organized and self-motivated person to join our team. This position is based in our Spring Mills, PA office. Remote work locations will be considered.

This is a full-time, exempt position.
Salary: $55,000 - $65,000, depending on experience.
Benefits: health, dental, vision, disability and life insurance; Simple IRA, generous holiday, vacation and paid time off.

Staff Accountant
The ideal candidate will have education and / or experience in accounting functions including, but not limited to: accounts payable/receivable, generating financial reports, performing journal entries, etc. We are looking for a well-organized and self-motivated person to join our team-oriented environment in Spring Mills, Pennsylvania.

This is a full-time, exempt position.
Salary: $40,000 - $50,000, depending on experience.
Benefits: health, dental, vision, disability and life insurance; Simple IRA, generous holiday, vacation and paid time off.

Certification Specialist
The ideal candidate will have education and / or experience in the following areas: familiarity with regulatory compliance and organic certification, knowledge of organic standards and food science/processing. We are looking for a well-organized and self-motivated person to join our team-oriented environment in Spring Mills, Pennsylvania; telecommuting will be considered.

This is a full-time, exempt position.
Salary range: $40,000 to $50,000, depending on experience.
Benefits: health, dental, vision, disability and life insurance; Simple IRA, generous holiday, vacation and paid time off.

All above positions will remain open until filled. Full job descriptions are available at paorganic.org /jobs. To apply please send resume and cover letter to lia@paorganic.org.

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