CT NOFA > Blog > Nominations Now Open for 2025 Bill Duesing “Organic Living on the Earth” Award

Nominations Now Open for 2025 Bill Duesing “Organic Living on the Earth” Award

News banner - Bill Duesing Award 2025 WC

December 13, 2024

Each year, at our winter conference, CT NOFA confers the Bill Duesing Organic Living on the Earth award to a notable individual who or group which exemplifies the life mission of our founder, Bill Duesing, to improve and enrich our world through organic advocacy and practices.

Nominees for this award are suggested by our community – that’s you! We’re currently looking for nominees for the 2025 award that fall into any of the following categories:

  • Organic farmer/farm (examples: new, young, and/or seasoned farmers added new revenue sources to secure the farm’s future; expanded availability of organic food in the community; added carbon sequestration measures on the farm, e.g. cover-crops, no-till)
  • Organic land care professional / business (examples: new, young, and/or seasoned land care professionals transitioned from conventional to organic land care; added carbon sequestration measures, e.g. replacing lawn with meadow, etc.)
  • Organic advocate (example: spearheaded a change in their local school system, worked to promote organic legislation, or supported healthy soil legislation)
  • Organization (example: farmers market became 100% organic; the advancement of farmworkers’ rights; created organic-based social media group)
  • Educator (example: developed new ways to add organic food and agriculture to school curriculum)
  • Mentor (example: developed process for passing along organic knowledge and skills to new farmers or land care professionals)
  • Media specialist (examples: used digital media including blogs or social media, or traditional media such as radio or print, to spread the word about organic living in Connecticut; the life work of Bill Duesing and his enduring influence; current organic initiatives, etc.)

If you know an outstanding individual who or group that has made achievements in any of these categories, nominate them for the 2025 award! You may make a nomination in your name or anonymously. Nominations must be submitted by February 1, 2025. Winner to be announced at our winter conference on March 1 at Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic, CT.

The nomination window for the 2025 recipient of the Organic Living on the Earth Award is now closed.

Recent Posts

Advocacy Action Alert: Tell Your Representatives to Vote NO on the 2026 Farm Bill

April 28, 2026

The Farm Bill will get a vote in the House of Representatives this week. It is a terrible bill, and we need to put on all the pressure we can to stop it.

Seven years into what is supposed to be a five year process, the House Farm, Food, and National Security Act favors Big Ag, and not family farms in countless ways. Of specific interest to CT NOFA are pesticide industry provisions that would strip states and cities of their power to regulate certain pesticides and would shield the manufacturers from liability.

Read More

Organic Record Keeping Checklists for Current and Prospective Growers

April 16, 2026

Thanks to support through the USDA’s Transition to Organic Partnership Program, CT NOFA has made available a number of organic record keeping checklists for specific farming sectors. These checklists are intended to provide a framework for management of records that are required when a farm operation is preparing to certify organic, or a current organic farm is preparing for recertification.

Read More

Event Calendar