Nov 24, 2020

OMRI names 3 new board members

The Organic Materials Review Institute in recent months has welcomed three new members to its board of directors.

Chris Grigsby of Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) Certification Services, Roxanne Beavers of Quality Assurance International, and Rick Geise of Darling Ingredients are now serving as volunteer members of the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) board, according to a news release on OMRI’s website.

OMRI provides an independent review of input products to determine which inputs are allowed for organic use. A nonprofit organization, its board of directors oversees policy development and governance for the organization, according to the release. The board is made up of volunteers from across the organic industry, including certifiers, farmers, processors, consumer and public interest groups, and input suppliers to ensure both impartiality in decision-making and the inclusion of a wide range of perspectives.

Here are some brief biographies of the individuals, per OMRI:

Chris Grigsby is the Certification Director for MOFGA Certification Services out of Appleton, Maine. As a Maine native, Chris has been a strong advocate for local and regional food systems, as well as USDA organic standards. In the past, Chris has served as the General Manager for Maine’s oldest and largest retail cooperative, and represented MOFGA and Maine producers at National Organic Standards Board meetings. He and his wife currently operate a small, certified organic blueberry operation, Appleton Fruit and Flower.

Roxanne Beavers is a Senior Reviewer and Inspector at Quality Assurance International (QAI). She is based out of Ontario, Canada. Prior to joining QAI in 2014, Roxanne worked as an IOIA-trained inspector for farms and handlers in Canada, as well as several other certification agencies. She has also served on the Canadian Organic Standards Technical Committee, as well as the Atlantic Canadian Organic Regional Network. She is passionate about helping growers and learning new things from them every day.

Rick Geise has spent over 20 years managing Nature Safe Natural & Organic Fertilizer for Darling Ingredients, Inc. (formerly Griffin Industries), based out of the greater Cincinnati area. Rick has worked with OMRI since the 1990s, listing many different fertilizer products. He believes that the role OMRI plays in ensuring product integrity is critical to building the consumer confidence necessary for the continued growth of organic agriculture.“I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve as a member of OMRI’s board. As the organic sector continues to grow, it’s becoming more important to make sure we are maintaining consumer trust in organic integrity. OMRI’s role in that chain is vital.”

OMRI was founded in 1997 by organic certifiers and stakeholders. Over the past two decades, the organization has grown to over 8,000 OMRI-listed products, reviewed to the U.S. National Organic Program standards, the Canada Organic Regime standards, and the Mexico Organic Products Law.