Mark Lipson

Mark Lipson is an original organic movement organizer and leader since the early 1980s. Trained at the UC Santa Cruz Farm and Garden & Environmental Studies-Policy Programs (Class of ’81); Partner, Molino Creek Farm (1982-present); first paid staff of California Certified Organic Farmers (1985-93); Policy Director, Organic Farming Research Foundation (1995-2010); USDA Organic & Sustainable Ag Policy Advisor, Office of the Secretary (2010-2014). He was founding Chair of the California Organic Foods Advisory Board (1991-97).

At USDA HQ, Mark was senior policy staff to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary. He led the Department-wide Organic Working Group, co-led the “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” Initiative, and staffed the Secretary’s Biotech Coexistence initiatives. His portfolio covered organic crop insurance, organic conservation programs, implementing food safety legislation, and a wide range of other policy issues.

Mark is currently (since 2016) a staff affiliate for “organic policy studies” at the UC Santa Cruz, Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS). He still gets his hands dirty as a partner in Molino Creek Farm in Davenport, CA (home of galactically famous dry-farmed tomatoes). He consults on food policy strategies as Pacific Plate Organics.