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The MOSES board meets at least four times a year to provide governance to the organization. The majority of the board are certified organic farmers.
Audrey Arner, Board President
Audrey, a longtime cultural worker and community organizer from Montevideo, MN, has led programs for the Land Stewardship Project and the Minnesota Environmental Partnership. Continuing now to consult in agricultural and environmental policy, perennial cropping systems and sustainable tourism, she farms with her husband, Richard Handeen, directly marketing organic, grass-fed beef from Moonstone Farm in western Minnesota.
Chris Blanchard
Chris raises certified organic vegetables and herbs at Rock Spring Farm in northeast Iowa, where they market through a CSA, farmers market, and wholesale accounts in Decorah, Rochester, and the Twin Cities. Before starting Rock Spring Farm in 1999, Chris worked on vegetable farms in Maine, Wisconsin, Iowa, and California. A speaker and writer on subjects as diverse as post-harvest handling, financial planning, time management and local food systems, Chris also coordinates presentations for MOSES' Organic Farming Conference.
Roger Blobaum, Board Treasurer
Roger is an agricultural consultant providing professional services to organic and sustainable agriculture organizations. He serves as an advisor to the National Organic Coalition and the Center for Food Safety, is a member of the National Organic Action Plan committee, and serves on the board of directors of the International Organic Accreditation Service.
Darlene Coehoorn
Darlene, along with her husband Dan and their family, operate Viewpoint Organic Acres in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin. They manage a 55 cow dairy along with 500 acres of cropland on which they grow all their feed as well as a variety of other crops including vegetables for processing.
Paul Dietmann
Paul is director of the Farm and Rural Services Bureau (better known as the Wisconsin Farm Center) in the Division of Agricultural Development at the WI Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. Previously he spent eleven years as a county Agricultural Agent with the UW-Extension. In addition he is a beekeeper, marketing his honey at the Wisconsin River Prairie Honey Co.
Atina Diffley, Board Secretary
Atina Diffley is an experienced organic vegetable farmer active in educating consumers, farmers and policy makers about organic farming and related issues. She provides consulting services though her business Organic FarmingWorks. Recently she and her husband Martin worked to create a new farm preservation model when they sold their farm the Gardens of Eagan to The Wedge Community Co-op.
Linda Halley, Board Vice President
Linda, 20-year veteran of farm management, is currently managing the Gardens of Eagan Organic Farm in Farmington, Minnesota. Previously, Halley co-owned and operated Harmony Valley Farm in Viroqua, Wis., a celebrated and diverse organic produce and Angus operation and served as general manager of Center for Urban Agriculture at Fairview Gardens in Santa Barbara, Calif., a non-profit, 100 year old organic farm dedicated in part to educating the community on the viability of organic farming.
Melinda Hemmelgarn
Melinda is a Registered Dietitian, freelance writer and speaker with a passion for consumer empowerment and environmental protection. An investigative nutritionist and award-winning journalist, her provocative yet practical "Food Sleuth" columns help people "think beyond their plates," and connect the dots between food, health and agriculture. She advocates media literacy to promote grass roots democracy and a sustainable, organic food system. Her work appears in Touch the Soil magazine, Organic Valley and Rodale websites. She lives in Columbia MO with her photographer husband. Together they created the 2009 calendar, "Farm Hands: A tribute to the hands that feed us."
Tom Miller
Tom, along with seven other family members of R & G Miller & Sons Inc, operates an organic dairy farm. He lives near East Bristol, in Dane County, WI, with his wife Sherry and youngest daughter Kera. They are currently milking 320 cows and farming 1600 acres, which include 300 acres of pasture, 500 acres of hay/alfalfa and 800 acres of small grains and row crops. In his "spare time" Tom enjoys hiking and woodworking.
Margaret Smith
Margaret and her husband, Doug Alert, co-manage their 950 acre organic grain and livestock farm in north central Iowa near Hampton where they raise row crops, small grains, hay, cow-calf, and pastured broilers. Margaret also works off the farm for Iowa State University Extension in Value-added Agriculture. Part of her work is with beginning farmers and farm families in transition when organics or other value added enterprises are part of the farming plan. Margaret currently serves as an advisor to the board of the Iowa Organic Association. |
