Organic Valley Farmer Tony Azevedo Honored with "Sustie Award" for Leadership in Sustainable Agriculture
Organic Valley Family of Farms co-op member and San Joaquin Valley, California dairy farmer Tony Azevedo has been awarded the prestigious Sustie Award by the Ecological Farming Association. Recognized for leadership in sustainable agriculture, Azevedo was presented with hand-carved gourd trophy at the organization's annual Eco-Farm Conference in Pacific Grove, California, where he was also a Successful Farmer keynote speaker.
Since 1988, the Ecological Farming Association has recognized leading Stewards of Sustainable Agriculture with Sustie awards each year for their "long-term, significant contribution to the well-being of agriculture and the planet."
"Tony is a passionate advocate and pioneering member of the Organic Valley Family of Farms who has helped other farmers, consumers and political leaders understand the benefits of pasture-based organic dairy production," states Kristin Rosenow, executive director of the Ecological Farming Association.
Azevedo was the first certified organic dairy producer in San Joaquin Valley, where he farms at the confluence of the San Joaquin and Merced Rivers. He and his wife Carol and their son, Adam, raise 325 milking cows on 300 acres of pasture and 150 acres of rotational crops. Azevedo is the current President of Western Organic Dairy Producers Association and has traveled to Washington D.C. and throughout California to advocate for support for sustainable agriculture and protection of organic integrity.
"The only regret I have in my life is that my father didn't live long enough to see me farm the way he did it, but I'm hoping that he's someplace where he can see it now," said Azevedo in his conference keynote address, during which he retraced the history of his second-generation farm and gave advice for future generations of organic farmers. "In the conventional world our educational institutions basically taught us three things-produce, produce, produce-and I'm telling you it's quality, not quantity," he continued.
Past winners of the Sustie include Alice Waters, Vandana Shiva, the Lundberg Family, Robert Rodale, and last year, Organic Valley CEO George Siemon.
Organic Valley/CROPP Cooperative: Independent and Farmer-Owned
Organic Valley is America's largest cooperative of organic farmers and is one of the nation's leading organic brands. Organized in 1988, it represents over 1,200 farmers in 32 states and one Canadian province, and achieved $432.5 million in 2007 sales. Focused on its founding mission of saving family farms through organic farming, Organic Valley produces a variety of organic foods, including organic milk, soy, cheese, butter, spreads, creams, eggs, produce and juice, which are sold in supermarkets, natural foods stores and food cooperatives nationwide. The same farmers who produce for Organic Valley also produce a full range of delicious organic meat under the Organic Prairie Family of Farms label. For further information, call 1-888-444-MILK or visit www.organicvalley.coop, www.organicprairie.com and the cooperative's farmer website, www.farmers.coop.
