Committee On Organic and Sustainable Agriculture (COSA), Accomplishments 2003 – 2013.

COSA was unveiled by SSSA President Tom Sims as a special ASA-CSSA-SSSA committee.  K. Leval served as the inaugural chair.  COSA had support of the Consortium for Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, Center for Rural Affairs and the Organic Farming Research Foundation.  COSA’s main objectives; 1) develop programming for annual meetings aimed at members and divisions interested in sustainable and organic agriculture, 2) develop recommendations on ways to better serve membership, and 3) identify emerging issues.  One of the ways COSA has fulfilled its mission is in organizing an annual roundtable for the Tri-Society meetings.  These gatherings attract well over 100 participants annually and stimulate discussion on organic and sustainable agriculture.  Throughout the year ten members meet by way of conference calls and email discussions.   COSA has sometimes sponsored special symposium.  With an increasing number of oral and poster presentations on organic agriculture members began discussing the need for a stand-alone organic section within ASA.  K. Delate presented the idea of the Organic Management Systems (OMS) division to the A-8 (Integrated Ag Systems) division of ASA in 2007, after which she conducted a survey of A-8 members on the need for OMS. She next presented the case for OMS to the ASA Board of Directors in 2008 where it was voted in as a new division (A-12) in 2009. P. Carr, who had helped gather support for the OMS, led the transition from OMS Division structure to Community structure as its first Chair in 2010. K. Delate served as ASA Board Rep for A-12 November 2009-2010. C. Cambardella was Chair of the OMS Community in 2011 and 2012. J. Heckman is current Chair in 2013.  The annual OMS symposium and general secessions have been very well attended.  As OMS displaces some COSA functions, the role of COSA needs reassessment.