Standard Process’ farm manager speaks at largest U.S. organic farming event

March 8, 2011 — Standard Process Inc.’s Farm Manager Christine Mason presented Feb. 26 at the 22nd Annual Organic Farming Conference, hosted by Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES).

Mason, also a certified crop advisor, was part of a panel lecture discussing integrated pest management (IPM) in organic field crops.

“I attend the MOSES Organic Farming Conference every year because it provides the most educational and cutting-edge information the organic farming community has to offer,” says Mason. “To be invited to attend as a presenter is truly an honor.”

The conference, held Feb. 24-26 in La Crosse, Wis., drew nearly 3,000 farmers and friends of organic farming from across the country.

Mason is well-versed in using IPM, which is a sustainable agricultural approach to managing insect, disease, and weed pests in crops. IPM works on large farms and backyard gardens to help minimize the effect of pests and reduce hazards to crops, human health and the environment. Mason applies several IPM organic production practices including crop rotation and enhancing natural pest enemies on 420 acres of certified organic farmland owned by Standard Process Inc.

Standard Process manufactures whole-food supplements, sold through healthcare professionals, to provide specific, nutritional support for patients. Whole-food ingredients grown by Mason and her team on Standard Process’ company-owned farm are used in the company’s supplements.

Mason, a leader in the organic farming community, also serves as the executive secretary of Wisconsin’s Organic Advisory Council, as well as chairman of its government relations and legal efforts committee. Mason also represents organic growers on the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection’s ATCP 29 pesticide revision committee currently reviewing Wisconsin’s pesticide use and control law.

Fellow panelists included Dr. Eileen Cullen, associate professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison Entomology Department and the UW-Extension state specialist for field and forage crop entomology, Robin Mittenthal, organic farmer and former high school science teacher pursuing a doctorate in entomology at the at University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Jim Miller, certified organic dairy and crop farmer.

Mason and her colleagues will be presenting their IPM workshop in a webinar hosted by Oregon State University March 29, from 1:00 to 2:15 p.m. CST. To register for the webinar, visit www.extension.org/article/25242.

Source: Standard Process, www.standardprocess.com