This month’s member spotlight is on Scott Myers of Woodlyn Acres Farm in Dalton, Ohio. Scott is a 4th generation farmer who didn’t start out in farming, but rather as a vocal music major at OSU before changing his major to economics.
That was a wise choice as Scott’s studies helped him solve the puzzle of how to help make his family’s farm more profitable, and the answer was in hay.
Wayne County, where Scott’s farm is located, is the largest dairy area in the state, and where there’s dairy, there should be hay. However, area farmers were getting a lot of their hay from outside the region instead of locally. So hay was grown and the farm grew too. Today the farm is home to a rotation of 8-10 crops.
Scott’s organic journey began when the local dairies started transitioning to organic. One season, a few of Scott’s customers canceled their orders when they needed to find new organic suppliers. This tale could have taken a turn for the worse, but those dairies instead came to Scott to ask if he’d consider growing some organic hay for their operation. And so, the gradual transition to organic was underway. Scott’s farm was in a great position to transition since he already used regular crop rotations and chicken manure as fertilizer. Today, Scott farms over 2,500 acres organically without exposing his family or neighbors to chemicals, obtaining the same yields, and better quality crops.
Scott became involved with OFA and the Policy Committee after years of advocating with OEFFA where he began to speak up about organic and the challenges it faces. He sees the advocacy work he does with OFA as a way to work directly with lawmakers and defend organic. While there are always naysayers who question organic, Scott believes standing up to share your story is the best way to support organic and make farming more equitable. Scott knows he’s privileged for how he came into organic farming, and his experience with meeting farmers from across the country as a part of his advocacy work has exposed him to more stories of imbalance within the system. Stories he hopes he can lend a voice to in order to make a change for organic farmers.
Would you like to nominate someone for the Member Spotlight? Please email your recommendation to madison[@]organicfarmersassociation.org.
Join today and support organic farmers!
Organic Farmers Association members support a strong voice for organic farmers in Washington, D.C.
The Organic Farmers Association is the ONLY national organization where solely independent certified organic farms determine its policies and work agenda. OFA was founded on the belief that the voice of farmers like you should carry the most weight in agricultural policy decisions.
In recent years, OFA has made a difference by putting significant pressure on the USDA to finalize the Origin of Livestock Rule to help organic dairies and finalize the Strengthening Organic Enforcement Rule to stop organic fraud and increase enforcement. We testified and advocated to allow paper pots for small-scale vegetable growers, introduced the ODAIRY Act of 2023, and advocated for stronger animal welfare standards for organic livestock and poultry production (OLPS Rule).
We have proved that farmer voices are stronger when we work together. Join us in this movement by becoming a member today!
Farm
Membership
U.S. certified organic farmers should select this membership. Only farm members are eligible to vote on Organic Farmers Association policy positions and priorities. International farmers, or farms that are not certified organic, should select the Supporter Membership.
Supporter Membership
Not a certified organic farmer, but want to support the organic farmers that make our planet and food systems a better place? Supporter members will be connected to the discussions about policies that affect organic farmers, and be called to advocate on their behalf.
Organization Membership
Organizations that have a significant membership (or stakeholders) of certified organic farmers should select this membership. Organization Members receive the tools they need to advocate for policies important to organic farmers and extend their network.