Award Honorees

Ford was selected for his pioneering work in developing the infant organic industry and for countless hours spent crusading for organic agriculture. "It was an overwhelming desire to create a larger market for organically grown wheat that caused me to start Arrowhead Mills in 1960," Ford recalls. Noting that the early years were difficult ones, Ford explains, "I would work 18-hour days, dividing my time between an old LA Case tractor and a $400 pickup truck which I used to haul cases of organic stone-ground wheat and cornmeal to local food stores. Local, in this case, meant traveling up to 150 miles to make a delivery." During the time he was active in the organic industry, Ford--and Arrowhead Mills--helped develop a grassroots network of farmers, distributors and retailers to handle organic products. Ford retired from the company in the Spring of 1996.