Sean Feder California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) Inspection Operations Director Current position: I manage and supervise CCOF's organic inspector personnel. CCOF employs and contracts with approximately 45 part time organic farm, processing and livestock inspectors mostly in California, but also across the US and in England. I am responsible for hiring, training, evaluations, and maintaining a high quality inspector pool. I also conduct approximately 35 organic inspections annually. I inspect farms and food processing facilities, as I have done for the past 12 years, previously as an independent organic inspector. I also manage the inspection end of CCOF's cooperative relationship with two European certifiers, which occasionally requires reciprocal trips between CCOF and our European counterparts. I provide technical support to certification staff regarding organic standards interpretation and certification policies and procedures. I also work on design and management of our crop sampling and testing program. I occasionally give presentations and workshops at agriculture conferences. I occasionally represent CCOF at state governmental meetings. How the IPM program helped me get where I am now: I was attracted to the IPM program because it is interdisciplinary and it is applied. I like to interact with people in the real world of agriculture. The IPM program, while based at a leading agricultural research institution, has a very practically oriented curriculum. At the same time, the classes and faculty interaction are at a rigorous level of biological and ecological science that further developed my ability for critical analysis that has been useful in problem solving and comprehension out in the "real world." The IPM field trips, along with my field research internship, prepared me with an understanding of a variety of California agricultural production systems and issues. The IPM masters helped me gain confidence in a range of skills including gathering and interpreting field information, and clear concise writing. These are essential organic inspection skills. I consider the IPM program a fine credential of qualification for a career in organic certification.

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