Oregon Tilth Growth and Impact Report

OREGO N T I LTH GR OWTH AN D I M PACT R EPO RT

tilth.org

COMMITTED TO POSITIVE CHANGE OUR MISSION

OUR VALUES

Support and promote biologically sound and socially equitable agriculture.

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Integrity

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Teamwork

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Transparency

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Knowledge

OUR VISION

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Compassion

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Courage

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Harmony

Community-led food systems that enrich people and planet, together.

OREGON TILTH BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ROGER KUBALEK President

KELLEE JAMES Treasurer

BILL TRACY Secretary

KIM GIBSON CLARK Member

POPPY DAVIS Member

ANI KAME’ENUI Member

TINIA PINA Member

GLENN WARD Member

Front & Back Cover Photos: Whisper Hill Farm Photos by Leney Breeden

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GROWTH & IMPACT REPORT | Oregon Tilth

Printed by Symbiosis Printing, business printing excellence!

Woman owned, eco-conscious printer. SymbiosisPrinting.com

LEADERSHIP TEAM

BUILDING A BRIGHTER FOOD FUTURE A LETTER FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

CHRIS SCHREINER Executive Director

LEONARD FREEMAN JR. Managing Director

CONNIE KARR Certification Director

KIM NESLON Human Resources Director

I began working for Oregon Tilth 23 years ago. In the last two decades, I’ve watched the promise of this sector grow. Organic is not a fad; it’s a lasting movement propelling us towards a brighter future. Organic supports and promotes – soil health, biodiversity, clean water, worker safety, economic opportunity and good food for all people.

We look to nature for models of sustainability. Natural systems are predicated on balance and holistic principles and sustained through connection, collaboration and community. Oregon Tilth pursues a biologically sound and socially equitable agricultural future through diverse strategies. Organic certification leverages a marketplace where informed consumer choice provides incentives for improved stewardship and best practices. Our engaged teams work hard every day to empower our clients, those on the front lines of our food system. We consistently advocate for our foundational mission, equitable and just agriculture. We partner with government agencies and universities to increase support and further technical expertise for organic practices. We meet with legislators and policymakers to advocate for increased public investment in organic.

Together, we form a larger community we affectionately call Tilth Nation. It’s a nation defined not by borders but by a common cause. Tilth Nation’s collective experience, skill and spirit offer the possibility for positive and transformative change.

If we establish common ground on shared goals, then our conversations can focus on the pathways to achieving a brighter food future for people and the planet, together.

Chris Schreiner Executive Director, Oregon Tilth RENEE KEMPKA Finance and Administration Director

OREGON TILTH SUPPORTS ORGANIC FOR ALL THE OPPORTUNITY IN ORGANIC IS INFINITE. ORGANIC AGRICULTURE ACTIVITY HAS A POSITIVE IMPACT ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. Organic Agriculture activity increases median household income by over $2,000 and lowers the county’s poverty rate by as much as 1.3 %.1 The organic food industry is one of the fastest-growing sectors in United States agriculture. Oregon Tilth does not just work in high organic activity areas, we lead progressive and substantial economic development initiatives.

Oregon Tilth staff, allies, clients and services span across borders, socioeconomic status and cultures, uniting a nation focused on building a brighter food future, together.

Our work to create a culture that provides opportunity and access for all is rooted in our foundational mission. We’re enriching people and planet, together.

Our thinking is this – when we invest in our staff, the communities we serve, the clients we care for and our vision, our economic development potential is endless.

JOIN US IN OUR MISSION TO MAKE OUR FOOD SYSTEM AND AGRICULTURE BIOLOGICALLY SOUND AND SOCIALLY EQUITABLE.

1

Organic Trade Association (OTA) (2016). “U.S. Organic Hotspots and their Benefit to Local Economies,” [White Paper]. Jaenicke. https://ota.com/sites/default/files/indexed_files/OTA-HotSpotsWhite Paper-OnlineVersion.pdf

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Oregon Tilth was awarded the 2022 National Organic Program Director’s Award

OREGON TILTH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS Oregon Tilth was one of the first certifiers to transition to an entirely remote workforce. Investing in a remote workforce means more diversity, better service to our clients, flexibility for our staff, more organizational opportunities and increased access to the organic industry.

Oregon Tilth was the first organic certifier to bring inspectors on staff as full-time employees with benefits. We wanted inspectors with the highest integrity to have employment safety protecting the purity of organic and the Oregon Tilth brand.

We invested in additional jobs in the organization that offer development potential.

In response to continued organic awareness and growth, Oregon Tilth is creating innovative strategies and building strong partnerships to provide the highest quality service and advocacy.

92%

EMPLOYEE GROWTH OVER SEVEN YEARS 100 95

75 64 52

2016

69

57

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

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2022

5

47 YEARS OF SERVICE

TILTH •

Quality of cultivated soil.

WE BELIEVE FOOD AND AGRICULTURE SHOULD BE BIOLOGICALLY SOUND AND SOCIALLY EQUITABLE. THIS BELIEF HAS GUIDED OREGON TILTH FOR NEARLY FIVE DECADES.

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Cultivation of wisdom and spirit.

In 1974, farmer-poet Wendell Berry spoke at the “Agriculture for a Small Planet” symposium in Spokane, Washington. In an auditorium surrounded by farmers and environmentalists, Berry said, “If we allow another generation to pass without doing what is necessary to enhance and embolden the possibility of strong agricultural communities, we will lose it altogether.”

Four months later, the Tilth movement was born.

Oregon Tilth envisioned a resilient environment, economy and community sustained by transparent agriculture. Tilth formed diverse alliances across the Pacific Northwest and organized for substantive change with public education and outreach.

Oregon Tilth organic certification services became one of the first national organic certifiers in 1982. Our leadership and hard-earned credibility propelled us to help create the USDA National Organic Program in place today.

WE ARE UNWAVERING IN OUR COMMITMENT TO OUR FOUNDATIONAL MISSION.

$1.6M NET ORDINARY INCOME

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INVESTED IN EDUCATION, RESEARCH AND ADVOCACY TO GROW THE ORGANIC MOVEMENT.

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/tilTH/ noun

OUR APPROACH TO BUILDING A BRIGHTER FOOD FUTURE IS DISTINCT.

Experimenting with cover crops in the Willamette Valley, Oregon.

Tilth, Inc. Records, 1975-2018 (MSS OrTilth), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

As a leading organic certifier, we are reshaping the marketplace by enabling communities to transform food systems through transparency and resiliency.

Integrity guides us in reimagining our $992 billion food system.

We’re about quality over quantity and always have been. Our commitment to providing the most thorough certification services possible is steadfast.

We know certification services alone will not completely secure social and environmental sustainability. In the last seven years, we invested $1.6 million of our net ordinary income into education, research and advocacy to grow the organic movement.

Knowledge empowers people and we believe in sharing our technical expertise to educate and uplift. We develop programs and services that make producing sustainable food and market vitality possible and then amplify those resources to make them accessible. Since our inception, we’ve advocated for rigorous and sensible guidelines to maintain our food’s integrity. We continue to invest and promote farm viability, conservation efforts, soil health and access to equity in food and agriculture.

Tilth, Inc. Records, 1975-2018 (MSS OrTilth), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

OREGON TILTH’S DEDICATED STAFF AND BOARD OF INDUSTRY EXPERTS LEAD THIS CRUCIAL WORK. THIS YEAR, WE’RE TAKING AN EVEN MORE INTEGRATED APPROACH IN CREATING A MORE RESILIENT AND JUST FOOD SYSTEM. GROWTH & IMPACT REPORT | Oregon Tilth

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ORGANIC IS PART OF THE SOLUTION We live in a time defined by major climate change disruptions globally. We are faced with increasing extreme weather, species extinction, wildfire, drought, storms, record heat and declining water resources.

Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), rural and economically insecure communities are most affected by climate-related disasters. The climate crisis represents an economic, environmental and social justice crisis for the entire world.

Agriculture is vulnerable to the current impacts of climate change. Further, we know that certain agricultural practices significantly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. It’s time to carefully consider lessons learned from 20th-century food production paradigms and rebuild a better, brighter food future. Organic, responsible and regenerative agriculture is a solution to climate change.

Farmers can be a part of that solution. We can revitalize agriculture and mitigate climate change with technical knowledge, conservation and organic practices.

Organic agriculture utilizes holistic management systems that optimize production within the finite constraints of natural resources while protecting the health of people and the planet. It’s important to acknowledge that many climate-friendly practices, such as cover crops and rotational grazing, trace back to Indigenous, African and communities of color. These farmers worked the land harmoniously for centuries. They played a critical role in developing agricultural innovation that we now recognize as the core principles of organic, regenerative agriculture and land preservation.

The threat climate change poses to our future is bleak. It’s time we take bold, decisive action to ensure agriculture not only survives in the face of climate change but thrives. We can cultivate a compelling organic community by focusing on what organic supports and promotes – soil health, biodiversity, clean water, worker safety, economic opportunity and good food for all people.

Jacobs Farm / del Cabo Photo by Francisco Salas

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Organic agriculture sequesters carbon by promoting soil health.

Organic standards require farming techniques that improve soil health. Cover cropping, crop rotation, organic soil amendments and conservation tillage benefit soil health. These practices increase soil health and help farms store more carbon in the soil than other farming methods.5

Organic protects and enhances biodiversity and beneficial organisms.

Research shows organic production increases beneficial insect biodiversity without increasing pest insect diversity.6 Promoting soil health increases soil biodiversity - sequestered carbon provides the foundation for beneficial microorganisms in the soil food web vital to decomposition and nutrient cycling.

Organic increases resilience.

High organic matter in the soil supports healthy crops. Healthy crops are less susceptible to drought and heat stress and foster diversity of organisms vital to soil health. Organically managed soils tend to have higher water-holding capacity, porosity and aggregate stability than conventionally managed soils, leading to yield advantages in extreme weather events, like droughts, record high temps and/or flooding.7

THE IMPACT OF ORGANIC FARMING: Organic farms have 30% more species.3

Organic farms support up to 50% more pollinators than non-organic farms.3 Organic farms use around 50% less new reactive nitrogen, a potent greenhouse gas.2 Organic farms have more significant biological activity, greater soil stability, more biomass and higher diversity and sequester 26% more carbon than soils from non-organic farms.4 Shade, J., Cattell Noll, L., Seufert, V. et al. Decreasing reactive nitrogen losses in organic agricultural systems. Org. Agr. (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13165-020-00297-0.

3 Tuck, S. L. et al. 2013. “Land-use intensity and the effects of organic farming on biodiversity: a hierarchical meta-analysis.” Journal of Applied Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/13652664.12219 4 Cooper J.M. et al. 2016. Shallow non-inversion tillage in organic farming maintains crop yields and increases soil C stocks: a metaanalysis. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 36, 1–20.

5 Mäder, P., A. Fliessbach, D. Dubois, L. Gunst, P. Fried and U. Niggli 2002. Soil fertility and biodiversity in organic farming. Science, 296, 1694-1697.

6 Lichtenbery, E. M. et al. 2017. A global synthesis of the effects of diversified farming systems on arthropod diversity within fields and across agricultural landscapes. Global Change Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13714 7 Paul Maeder, Andreas Fliessbach, David DuBois, Lucie Gunst, Padruot Fried, Urs Niggli.

“Soil Fertility and Biodiversity in Organic Farming.” Science. 31 May 2002: 1694-1697.

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ORGANIC EDUCATION EDUCATION IS THE HEART OF OREGON TILTH’S NONPROFIT WORK. OUR STRATEGIC APPROACH TO SHARING TECHNICAL AND INDUSTRY KNOWLEDGE FOCUSES ON THREE MAIN AREAS.

FARM VIABILITY. Our goal is to keep farmers thriving. For over a decade, we’ve collaborated on revolutionary research and education with Oregon State University (OSU), where we built the nation’s first dedicated Organic Extension program. We develop educational programs to support farmers through our partnership with Oregon State University’s Center for Small Farms and Community Food Systems. The Know Your Cost To Grow program helps farmers calculate their crop-specific production costs and use cost information for business decision making.

PARTNERS BUILDING A BRIGHTER FOOD FUTURE. In 2021, we piloted a program focused on delivering business technical assistance to beginning farmers in East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District’s Headwaters Farm Incubator Program. We plan to expand this program to additional beginning farmers at Headwaters Farm as well as to farmers of color in the Oregon Food Bank’s Pathways to Farming Program.

We were honored to host the 5th National Farm Viability Conference in 2021.

This conference advanced service providers’ potential to deliver business technical assistance to farmers. We brought together over 400 farm viability professionals from 44 states for a month-long virtual conference featuring 75 sessions.

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From left to right, Lauren Gwin, Leonard Freeman Jr., Garry Stephenson, Chris Schreiner and Ben Bowell at the Center for Small Farms & Community Food Systems at Oregon State University.

“The partnership between Oregon Tilth and the OSU Center for Small Farms & Community Food Systems reaches back decades. The power of our continuous collaboration comes from the complementary strengths of each organization focused on the goal of advancing organic farming.”

- Garry Stephenson, Director, Center for Small Farms & Community Food Systems Coordinator, Small Farms Program In addition to farmer and handler education, we focus on building organic support networks by providing education to agricultural professionals. By leveraging these networks, our education programs have a ripple effect across the country.

TRANSITION. We assist producers as they explore the transition to organic certification. Our groundbreaking 12-year national partnership with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides more federal resources to organic and transitioning -to-organic producers. Oregon Tilth has trained NRCS staff across the country.

CONSERVATION.

Fiddler’s Green Farm Photo by Guy Hand

Organic farming practices regenerate soil, protect water and support biodiversity. Oregon Tilth’s education efforts demonstrate the resiliency in utilizing cover crops, crop rotations, buffers, pollinator plantings and manure management. We help farmers and farm service providers build conservation knowledge, skills and networks for support.

Our partnership with NRCS has provided approximately 150 conservation trainings for 3,665 NRCS staff members across the United States.

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IMPROVING NATURAL RESOURCES ORGANIC FARMING PRACTICES REGENERATE SOIL, PROTECT WATER AND SUPPORT BIODIVERSITY. Working lands and communities thrive when they work with natural ecosystems, balancing economic productivity with replenishing soil, protecting waterways, restoring biological diversity and adapting to a changing climate.

Through a contribution agreement with Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) which started in 2010, Oregon Tilth has worked with NRCS staff across the country to increase conservation on organic farms.

“We are going in the right direction with the crop rotations and cover crops. You have to believe that in the long run you are doing what is the right thing.”

- Eric Nelson of Nelson Grade Organics

The purpose of the collaboration is to increase NRCS staff knowledge of organic systems, develop technical information, increase conservation knowledge of organic certifiers and increase conservation assistance to organic producers.

NRCS HAS OVER 12,000 STAFF ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHO WORK WITH FARMERS AND LANDOWNERS TO SUPPORT CONSERVATION EFFORTS AND PROTECT NATURAL RESOURCES. NRCS programs provide billions of dollars each year to support practices like cover crops, crop rotations, buffers, pollinator plantings and manure management.

OREGON TILTH TRAINED

3,665 12

NRCS STAFF MEMBERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY

GROWTH & IMPACT REPORT | Oregon Tilth

Eric Nelson of Nelson Grade Organics Photo by Melissa McFadden

Eric Nelson is a certified organic fourth generation farmer, growing small grains in a 12-inch precipitation zone—most of which comes between December and February. And if that isn’t enough of a challenge, he’s also working to reduce his use of tillage while he’s integrating diverse rotations and incorporating cover crops.

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ORGANIC ADVOCACY We advocate for the change we want to see by building relationships, sharing our technical expertise and elevating our stories.

OUR ADVOCACY WORK IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE. Our state-level advocacy work has elevated Oregon as a national leader in research and extension for organic producers, with two organic extension agents.

Our advocacy efforts have contributed to the permanent funding for a key organic research program in the federal Farm Bill. Funding levels increased from $20M in 2020 and will finally reach a permanent baseline of $50M in 2023.

Our federal advocacy work has contributed to increases in funding for key conservation programs that help farmers and ranchers support natural resources like soil and water.

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) available funding level will increase from $1.75B in 2019 to $2.25B in 2023.

In the last three years (2020-2022), we have provided over 141 pages of comments to the USDA National Organic Program to support continuous improvement.

Our advocacy efforts helped restore $20 million to the Organic Cost-Share program to support producers transitioning to organic in the fall of 2021.

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OUR ADVOCACY WORK IS FOCUSED ON THREE MAIN AREAS: 1. Climate Change Solutions and Resilience Organic is a part of the climate change solution.

Organic practices are proven to enhance soil health, mitigate climate change and improve on-farm resiliency. Organic producers and practices should be robustly supported as one of the viable solutions to climate change.

2. Organic Integrity and Continuous Improvement Organic is a success story. The consumer demand for organic products has never been greater. We must take steps to assure the future growth and success of organics by continually improving organic standards, ensuring integrity and eliminating fraud.

3. Investments in Organic While organic products represent about six percent of all United States food sales, organic management systems only receive about one percent of USDA agricultural research funding. Increased investments will expand organic production and ensure a more resilient agricultural system.

Read the Farm at 47th Avenue Farm

Photos by Heather March

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TRANSFORMING ORGANIC FARMING AND FOOD THROUGH SUSTAINABLE AND HIGH STANDARDS. Labels, whether at the grocery store or clothing store, can be confusing. It’s hard to know which labels mean something and which labels are simply marketing. The organic label is the only label with an entire system ensuring authenticity.

No other label has as many checks and balances.

At the highest level, “organic” means an agricultural product is grown without synthetic pesticides, hormones, certain antibiotics and no genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Growing practices of organic products must improve soil quality and natural resources.

To ensure the organic label is honest to the consumer, there is an entire network of inspectors, fact checkers, researchers and a government agency holding the label accountable.

The Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 is federal regulation ensuring every product labeled as “organic” meets the standard.

Organic has three layers of oversight. The Office of the Inspector General oversees the National Organic Program (NOP), part of the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service.

The NOP manages and audits third-party certifiers (like Oregon Tilth Certified Organic) and 16

certifiers audit the organic farms and businesses. Bi-annually, the NOP considers comments and recommendations from all levels of the organic industry—farms, processors, scientists, environmentalists, businesses, advocacy groups and consumers. This system is constantly improving to protect the consumer.

Organic Certification allows a farm or processing facility to sell, label and represent products as organic. To receive the organic certification status, an operation must meet all the standards and requirements of the label.

The organic label provides consumers with transparency in the marketplace.

As a leading nonprofit organic certifier, Oregon Tilth Certified Organic (OTCO) provides over 45 years of hard-earned credibility for businesses that want to be sustainable leaders. We’ve built a reputation for integrity, quality and dependability. Our various certification services help demonstrate a commitment to the highest global standards in biologically sound and socially equitable food and agriculture.

Oregon Tilth (OTCO) certifies more than just food crops.

We certify things with an agricultural origin.

GROWTH & IMPACT REPORT | Oregon Tilth

“We certify things to standards by working with amazing people, an efficient process and a strong organic community throughout the United States and Mexico.”

- Connie Karr, Certification Director, Oregon Tilth From supporting farm businesses to building organic supply chains, our team of specialists support our clients’ success in transforming food and agriculture. We empower our clients by providing a sustainable client service delivery model led by our Certification Director.

Our team structure is unique and purposeful. Each team is staffed with highly qualified personnel that support the clients’ day-to-day needs.

Our quality and accreditation team provides exceptional support and structure by working with clients and staff on technical needs. Our inspections department ensures our integrity by examining records that document organiccompliant practices. Everything we do is to protect, ensure and further the organic label.

OREGON TILTH CERTIFICATION ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

Technical Specialist(s) Quality & Compliance Manager Material Review Officer(s) Quality & Accreditation Administrator

Deputy Director Quality & Accreditation

International Programs Technical Specialist

Mexico Representative

Transaction Services Administrator Inspection Supervisor(s)

Certification Director

Inspections Manager

Inspectors

Inspection Coordinator

Inspection Technical Specialist

Deputy Director Certification Services

Certification Officers

Certification Services Manager(s)

Certification Services Supervisor(s)

Join us as we build a brighter food future for people and planet.

Certification Service Officer(s)

Certification Operations Administrator(s) Fiber & Textiles Specialist

tilth.org/certification Certification Operations Specialist

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CERTIFICATION SERVICES

AGRICULTURAL CROPS Farms producing agricultural and horticultural

TRANSITIONAL ORGANIC OTCO is pleased to offer transitional certification

crops, wild harvested crops, as well as pasture

services. This service acts as a stepping stone,

areas used for livestock grazing.

assisting farmers throughout the transformation from non-organic to organic production.

LIVESTOCK Farms with livestock production practices and animals, including end products for sale such as meat, eggs and milk.

PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS OTCO provides organic certification for personal care products such as cosmetics, soaps, personal hygiene products and much more. We certify to the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) standards and NSF/ ANSI 305 Organic Personal Care Products standard.

PROCESSORS AND HANDLERS Processors of organic foods, co-packers, packers, brokers, wholesalers, distributors and marketers of organic food products.

FIBER AND TEXTILES OTCO certifies to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), an organic certification program dedicated to fiber and textile handling and production. The standard defines requirements to ensure the organic status of all phases of textile production, including harvesting of raw materials, environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing and labeling.

RESTAURANTS AND RETAILERS Retail stores and restaurants that sell organic products to the consumer, either as fresh produce, packaged goods or ready-to-eat meals.

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As a leading nonprofit organic certifier, Oregon Tilth Certified Organic (OTCO) is committed to providing excellent customer service and technical assistance to ensure the certification experience is educational, transparent and timely.

BEE BETTER CERTIFIED™

INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS

OTCO has partnered with The Xerces Society for

Our credibility in certification is valued

Invertebrate Conservation to create Bee Better

beyond the United States. OTCO provides

Certified™. The certification program identifies and

technical assistance and services to help

celebrates farmers and businesses that adopt farm

certified organic clients access export

management practices that support pollinators.

opportunities for raw and processed organic products to international markets. We offer an integrated approach to deliver operations with clear and practical support in navigating individual country requirements.

SALMON-SAFE OTCO, in partnership with Salmon-Safe, provides Salmon-Safe certification to organic farmers — crop

OTCO OFFERS SERVICES FOR THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS:

and livestock — that further protect biodiversity and aquatic habitat while helping to redefine the practice of ecologically sustainable agriculture.

OPT GRASS-FED ORGANIC

USDA NATIONAL ORGANIC PROGRAM

GLOBAL ORGANIC TEXTILES STANDARD

CERTIFIED GRASS-FED ORGANIC LIVESTOCK PROGRAM™

MÉXICO ORGANIC PROGRAM

BEE BETTER CERTIFIED™

NSF/ANSI 305

SALMON SAFE

ACB EU STANDARD

OTCO, in cooperation with Earth Claims LLC and Organic Plus Trust (OPT) provides OPT Certified Grass-Fed Organic certification to organic farmers and handlers with Grass-Fed livestock products.

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OREGON TILTH IS BUILDING A BRIGHTER FOOD FUTURE FOR ALL TOGETHER, WE ARE STRENGTHENING ORGANIC INTEGRITY. With a fully distributed and remote workforce, we are focused on creating an organizational culture and work environment that is equitable, inclusive and diverse so that we may share these experiences and knowledge with those that we serve and support in the food system.

OREGON TILTH CERTIFIED ORGANIC (OTCO) CLIENT DENSITY

Low

High Oregon Tilth Team Members

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100

OREGON TILTH ENGAGED TEAM MEMBERS

1200

FARM OPERATIONS

1200

PROCESSORS AND HANDLERS

300 LIVESTOCK OPERATIONS

300

TRANSITIONING OPERATIONS GROWTH & IMPACT REPORT | Oregon Tilth

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SUSTAINABLE GROWTH

REVENUE Domestic Certification Latin America Certification Donations & Grants Interest & Other

Planting Seeds for Future Harvest Oregon Tilth is nurturing two mature quasi-endowment investments. The Oregon Tilth Board of Directors chose to align with our mission by investing in socially responsible investments (SRI), enriching people and the planet together. Our goal is to perpetuate Oregon Tilth’s work and widen our impact far into the future.

8%

3% 2%

87%

Investing in Latin America With organic imports and exports in and out of the United States on the rise, we recognized the opportunity to invest in the Latin American organic food community. We expanded our scope of services beyond the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) organic certification to include the LPO (Ley Productos Organicos) certification overseen by the Mexican government.

$1M

FUNCTIONAL EXPENSES MIX

INVESTED IN THE LATIN AMERICA PROGRAM OVER SIX YEARS.

Certification Administrative & General Education, Advocacy, Outreach

We have continued to invest time and revenue toward educating and enhancing the client experience in Latin America. We donated $5,000 to the International Organic Inspector Association for a training program in commemoration of Reynaldo de la Rosa Santa Maria, one of Oregon Tilth’s former inspectors.

We look forward to strengthening these communities and creating a space to grow and thrive.

Jacobs Farm / del Cabo | Photo by Francisco Salas

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20%

5%

75%

2021 FINANCIALS CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (Unaudited)

STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES REVENUE

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION TOTALS

ASSETS

TOTALS

2021 Domestic Certification

8,034,577

Latin America Certification

715,142

2021 Cash & Cash Equivalents Receivables

$ 3,813,752

2,106,915

Donations, Grants & Sponsorships

258,497

Prepaid Expenses

Interest & Other

212,289

Investments

8,608,447

$ 9,220,505

Other Assets

31,539

Property & Equipment

53,655

Total Revenue

Total Assets

EXPENSES Salaries, Benefits & Training

7,034,712

199,345

$ 14,813,653

LIABILITIES

Certification Direct Costs

631,943

General Office & Admin

374,145

Accounts Payable

Professional Services

396,672

Notes Payable

Occupation, Accreditation & Other

384,679

Accrued Liabilities

578,734

Ed, Advocacy, Sponsorship, Mktg

142,820

Deferred Revenue

2,639,078

Total Expenses

$ 8,964,971

Total Liabilities

Net Ordinary Income

$ 255,534

NET ASSETS

$ 78,414 -

$ 3,296,226

Without Donor Restrictions Undesignated

“THE CARE OF THE EARTH IS OUR MOST ANCIENT AND MOST WORTHY AND AFTER ALL OUR MOST PLEASING RESPONSIBILITY. TO CHERISH WHAT REMAINS OF IT AND TO FOSTER ITS RENEWAL IS OUR ONLY HOPE.” - WENDELL BERRY, FARMER-POET

$ 2,578,778

Board designated endowments

8,608,447

Board designated for projects

305,202

With Donor Restrictions Total Net Assets Total Liabilities & Net Assets

25,000 $ 11,517,427

$ 14,813,653

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We work to make our food and agriculture biologically sound and socially equitable.

Oregon Tilth Main Office

Oregon Tilth Mexico Office

tilth.org 503-378-0690 organic@tilth.org

esp.tilth.org (52)-452-255-0953 mexico@tilth.org