Horizon Organic Launches National Agriculture Project

BOULDER, Colo.--Horizon Organic Holding Corp., the largest U.S. producer of organic dairy products, has created the Organic Agriculture Project (OAP). The OAP programs will focus on education about and advocacy of organic agriculture. Kelly Shea, former farm relations manager, was promoted to Director of Organic Agriculture to launch and oversee OAP.

Several key areas have been identified for OAP work. For example, Horizon currently has more than 200 independent producers involved in the company's operations. The company hopes to provide information and resources to develop the pool; to kick off the project, Horizon (www.horizonorganic.com) purchased memberships in the Organic Trade Association (OTA) for each producer. Other goals include continued participation in industry groups, providing research for industry policy making, and building relationships with government entities.

"OAP is a great way to showcase Horizon Organic's commitment to organic integrity and a great way to use our company's resources to positively impact the world's vision of organic production practices," Shea said.