HISTORY

The Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) is a thriving educational nonprofit organization serving farmers and others throughout the Midwest from an office located in rural Spring Valley, Wisconsin. Formed in 1999, the organization has been skillfully led by Executive Director, Faye Jones.

MOSES grew out of the activities of the WI OCIA Educational Fund whose members and board, including Dave Engel (now of Nature's International Certification Service) recognized that there was a growing demand for educational resources for those interested in organic agriculture. Therefore the idea of MOSES - an entity devoted to the educational needs surrounding organic and sustainable production - was born.

Early MOSES activities focused on managing the ever-growing Upper Midwest Organic Farming Conference, first held and organized by WI OCIA in 1989. The MOSES "office" began in a closet in Faye's home, but quickly grew - relocating to a trailer on Faye's farm, where it spent the next ten years.

In 2009, MOSES moved into a spacious new office on the main street of Spring Valley, Wisconsin. Formerly the Richardson law office, the new MOSES office is next door to the Spring Valley hardware Store, and across the street from the bakery. The 4,200 square foot space has room to comfortably house MOSES print resources, the MOSES Store, and a MOSES library featuring a collection of books on all aspects of organic and sustainable farming and current issues related to agriculture.

Today, MOSES offers year long education about organic farming and certification through a variety of resources, trainings and field days and continues to annually organize the largest organic farming conference in the country.

The staff, originally just Faye, has now grown to eight full time positions. For more about current MOSES projects and activities, please see our most recent Annual Report as well as our Projects and Resources page.