Minutes: COSA Conference Call, Thursday, Nov. 20, 11 AM EST

Meeting was called together by the new COSA Chair, Joseph Heckman, at 11 AM. COSA members on the call included Kathleen Delate, Patrick Carr, Liz Sarno, and Jane Sooby.

The next call is scheduled for December 18 at 1 PM EST per requests from members who cannot make the 11 AM call due to teaching commitments.

“History and Sociology of Organic Agriculture” Symposium and Roundtable
The call was focused on organizing the “History and Sociology of Organic Agriculture” COSA Symposium and Roundtable for the annual meeting of the Tri-Societies (T-S), which includes ASA, CSSA and SSSA, November 1–5, 2009, in Pittsburgh. J. Heckman will ask the T-S for the traditional COSA Roundtable time of Monday, November 2, 2009.

It was decided that the format for 2009 would be an afternoon Symposium with 5 to 6 invited speakers (see J. Heckman’s e-mail of 11/5/08 for full description of speakers’ topics), allowing them 30 minutes to speak, followed by the evening Roundtable and reception with a keynote speaker (possibly Hugh Campbell) and break-outs at tables to follow up on key issues emerging from the presentations [to be determined prior to the roundtable]. This format is in response to the frustration expressed by many after last year’s inadequate conversation with the speakers (i.e., no question and answer period). It was decided that if you invite a speaker from a long distance, they should be allotted at least 30 minutes to talk, and a chance to respond to audience/COSA members’ questions.

Invitations to speakers have been sent or will be sent soon to the following people:

Dr. Hugh Campbell, Sociologist, University of Otago, New Zealand (demographics/social issues of organic ag; emphasis on gender and value-added components)
Garth Youngberg–Jane Sooby will provide contact information
David Cox (Ohio)
James Strick (Pennsylvania)
Joseph Heckman, Rutgers University
Kathleen Delate, Iowa State University
Liz Sarno, University of Nebraska and OCIA

Alternative speakers were discussed in the case of the aforementioned speakers’ unavailability, including Tim LaSalle-The Rodale Institute.

Funding: Liz, Kathleen and Joseph are ASA members, so funding will not be needed for them. J. Heckman will pursue sponsorship opportunities, including traditional sources such as the Tri-Societies in general, Division A-8 of ASA (Integrated Ag Systems), Section S205.1 (currently a co-sponsor) and SARE. Support from the T-S depends on the number of talks and posters in your particular section at the annual meeting: the higher the number, the greater the level of funding. Kathleen Delate is the Chair-Elect of A-8 and will consult with Sharon Clay, current Chair of A-8, regarding co-sponsorship. Pat Carr also suggested the Women in Agronomy section, since Hugh Campbell will be addressing the strong presence of women in organic agriculture compared to conventional counterparts.

Other organic NGO and industry groups, such as OFRF and OTA, will be approached for co-sponsorship. Jane Sooby will find out what would be required for OFRF–how a proposal would be developed, if this is feasible.

Reception food will again be sourced as organic and local, as much as possible. We will need to follow up and verify with conference catering to avoid any substitutes the day of the Symposium without our knowledge.

K. Delate is also co-organizing with Sharon Clay an A-8 symposium on “Pest Management in Organic Systems” and is accepting names of potential speakers. COSA members on the call provided several excellent suggestions.

Organization of the New “Organic Management Systems” Division
K. Delate reported on the status of the new “Organic Management Systems” division within the Tri-Societies. Currently, divisions can only be established within one society, such as ASA, although discussion is underway within the T-S to create new sections or umbrella groups that cross society boundaries, as is envisioned with the new OMS section. A letter has been sent to the new President-Elect of the ASA, requesting advice on putting forward the provisional division. K. Delate will follow up with a call after Thanksgiving.

Organic Agriculture Research/Education/Extension Award
J. Heckman presented an idea to create an Organic Agriculture Research/Education/Extension Award within the T-S structure. The group felt that this would be an excellent method to increase recognition for organic agriculture efforts, particularly for new tenure-track scientists. Pat Carr will follow up with the T-S regarding methods and protocols for initiating this process.

The next call will be on December 18 at 1 PM EST.

Submitted by K. Delate.