2006 Press Releases
Grant enables Farm Aid to offer organic t-shirts for concert goers
CAMDEN, New Jersey (Sept. 30, 2006): The Organic Trade Association (OTA), through the generosity of the Martin Fabert Foundation of Seattle, WA, is supporting Farm Aid as it transitions its promotional t-shirts from conventional to organic cotton.
For the past two years, the Martin Fabert Foundation has provided funds to the Organic Fiber Transition Project implemented by OTA to encourage non-profit organizations to purchase organic cotton t-shirts in lieu of conventionally grown cotton t-shirts for fundraising and promotional programs. The grant is designed to help non-profits cover the differences in cost between organic and conventional cotton t-shirts without taking a financial risk.
Last year, Farm Aid received $22,000 to produce 11,000 t-shirts. For this year's Farm Aid concert, FARM AID 2006 Presented by Silk Soymilk, Farm Aid has received $21,500 from the program to produce 13,250 organic t-shirts. This year alone, the purchase of these organic, North American-grown and sewn cotton t-shirts avoids the application of approximately 4,420 pounds of pesticides and fertilizers that would have been needed to produce a comparable amount of t-shirts made with conventionally grown cotton.
"Farm Aid is one of the leaders in this effort to use organic cotton, which, at the same time, increases U.S. organic cotton production and continues to improve our environment. OTA is so pleased that Martin Fabert Foundation has chosen to build access to organic cotton and help grow the domestic market for organic cotton farmers," said Caren Wilcox, OTA's Executive Director.
"We are thankful for the generosity of OTA in supporting our merchandising of t-shirts at the Farm Aid concert and on our web site. We are proud that our high-quality organic cotton t-shirts have been breaking our own sales records over the past two years, thanks to the OTA grant," said Wendy Matusovich, Farm Aid's Development Director.
The mission of the Organic Trade Association is to promote and protect the growth of organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public and the economy. OTA envisions organic products becoming a significant part of everyday life, enhancing people's lives and the environment. As a membership-based business association, OTA focuses on the organic business community in North America. OTA's nearly 1,600 members include farmers, processors, importers, exporters, distributors, retailers, certifiers, and more. For further information, visit OTA's web site at www.ota.com.
Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp organized the first Farm Aid concert in 1985 to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to raise funds to keep farm families on their land. Dave Matthews joined the Farm Aid Board of Directors in 2001. Farm Aid raises awareness about the critical role of family farms and has raised more than $29 million to build and strengthen family farm food production. Between 1985 and 2005, 80 percent of Farm Aid's total expenditures were spent on programs to benefit family farmers, exceeding charity watchdog standards. Through public education, program activities and grants, Farm Aid promotes food from family farms and sustainable agriculture, fights factory farms, advocates for fair farm prices, and provides disaster assistance and credit counseling to farm families.
Headquarters: P.O. Box 547, Greenfield, MA 01302 USA (413) 774-7511 fax: (413) 774-6432 www.ota.com
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