Kathleen Merrigan, USDA's Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, will give a keynote address directly following the Organic Trade Association's Annual Meeting and directly preceding the opening of the trade show. Merrigan was the recipient of OTA's 2000 Organic Leadership Award for helping shape the regulation implementing the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) and her efforts in helping draw up OFPA itself. As such, she represents a positive force in the organic world. Make sure to be there to hear the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, who is a long-time advocate of organic agriculture, speak on directions at USDA that would impact the organic industry in the short and long term.