By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Assoc. (OEFFA) presented its highest honor, the Stewardship Award, last month to Ed Snavely of Knox County and Dr. Deborah Stinner of Wayne County. The pair were honored for their contributions to sustainable agriculture in Ohio.

Snavely owns and operates Curly Tail Organic Farm, a 114-acre farm in Frederickstown. One of Ohio’s longest continuous certified farms, it has been certified organic for more than two decades and raises pastured pork and feed for livestock. “I went off chemicals in 1986 and have been certified organic since 1989,” Snavely said. “I utilize a seven-year rotation of corn, soybeans, spelt, barley, buckwheat, hay and peat oats. In addition, I supply organic pork to restaurants. I’m highly concerned the way we take care of animals and the land.”

The feed for his own farm animals comes from his own crops. Snavely has been a member of the OEFFA since 1989 and serves on the board of directors as the Grain Growers chapter representative and vice president. He has served as president of the Organic Crop Improvement Assoc. (OCIA) Ohio Chapter and is a former board member.

Snavely has hosted numerous farm tours and been a featured presenter at OEFFA, OCIA and American Livestock Breeds Conservancy meetings. He has also been an honored delegate at the first and second Slow Food Terra Madre conference in Italy. Stinner is a research scientist and administrative coordinator for the Organic Food and Farming Education and Research Program (OFFER) at The Ohio State University’s Ohio Agriculture Research and Development Center (OARDC) in Wooster. Her research specialty is organic farming systems, with a focus on specialty small grains, including hard wheat and spelt, for artisan bread and pasta products.

She helped found the OFFER program in 1998 in response to requests by organic producers and supporters, to provide science-based information to Ohio’s organic farmers. OFFER is internationally recognized as a leader in organic farming research.

“The OFFER program involves more than 20 Ohio State University researchers and many stakeholders,” Stinner said. “We have established 50 acres of certified research land and have around 20 organic field experiments with field and horticultural crops.

“My own research program is focused on soil ecology, including carbon and nitrogen in organic grain farming systems. I continue to have a special interest in Amish agriculture and questions of how culture and world views of farmers influence what is happening on the land, ecologically.” The OFFER program supports “field to table” organic research and education, including organic vegetable, fruit and grain production, environmental impacts or organic farming, local and international marketing, on-farm research with organic farmers and the impact of organic production on food quality.

OEFFA is a nonprofit organization founded in 1979 by farmers, gardeners and conscientious eaters who committed to work together to create and promote a sustainable and healthful food and farming system. “Ed has long been a proponent of organic and sustainable agriculture and has worked to spread the word not only locally but across the nation and around the world,” said OEFFA Executive Director Carol Goland.

“Dr. Stinner has clearly articulated the challenges facing Ohio farmers. She has shared her understanding of what makes agriculture truly sustainable and  helps farmers see how their farming decisions affect their profitability, their families and their communities. “Both Deborah and Ed care deeply about creating a sustainable food system. We should be sincerely grateful for what they have done to advance agriculture in our community,” she added.