Consultants
Angela Wartes-Kahl
Angela has been an organic crop, processing, and textile inspector since 2011, and is the former Fiber and Textile Coordinator at Oregon Tilth, managing their Global Organic Textile Standard program from 2016 to 2020. Angela served as the vice-chair of the Organic Trade Association’s Fiber Council and was an advisor to Fibershed’s Regional Fiber Manufacturing Initiative. Angela has been an organic farmer since 2005, focusing on natural fiber crops as the co-founder of Fibrevolution, Inc.
PJ Wiebusch
After several years of working on Organic farms and drawing on his formal education in Mathematics, PJ began his career as an Organic Inspector in 2015. Working for multiple certifiers, he has conducted hundreds of crop, livestock, and handling inspections throughout the Western U.S. and Mexico. PJ specializes in organic dairy compliance.
Garth Kahl
Garth has worked as an organic inspector for nearly 25 years, working on 3 continents, including inspections of crops, processing, wild harvest, livestock, apiculture, grower groups and textiles. He is accredited as an organic inspector in all scopes by the International Organic Inspectors Association. From 2007 to 2011 he was the Latin American Program Manager and interim Farm Program Manager for Oregon Tilth Certified Organic. Garth currently serves on the Mexican Materials Review Panel for OMRI and the Impartiality Committee for the International Organic Accreditation Agency (IOAS).
Andrew Black
Andrew has been an organic crop, dairy, processing, wild harvest inspector and final reviewer since 2005. Andrew helped build Oregon Tilth’s Latin American certification program and obtain accreditation to certify under the Mexico LPO standards. In 2014, Andrew founded Certified Kind, a private standard for licensed cannabis and hemp. He is the executuve director of Sun+Earth Certified, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting regenerative, organic farming for legalized cannabis.
Nate Powel-Palm
Nate first started in the organic industry when he received certification for his diversified crops and livestock operation. Since 2012, Nate has worked as an organic inspector in 41 states including livestock, crops, and processing inspections. Nate has served as a consultant to companies throughout the organic supply chain from multinational companies to startup manufacturers. Nate has developed and lead trainings throughout the US and Asia. In 2019, he provided testimony regarding the economic opportunities for farmers through sustainable agriculture before the U.S. House of Representatives. Nate currently serves in the farmer seat on the National Organic Standards Board.