2025 in Review at Food Alliance

As we wrap up another remarkable year, we’re taking a moment to reflect with gratitude on the farmers, ranchers, food businesses, and partners who make Food Alliance’s work not only possible, but deeply meaningful. The past 12 months have been filled with important milestones, powerful stories from the field, and meaningful progress toward a more sustainable and resilient food system.

Growing Partnerships & Expanding Impact

This year brought exciting collaborations that strengthen our mission and broaden the reach of Food Alliance certification. In addition to our work with Walmart, we continued supporting producers seeking dual certifications, including Salmon-Safe and Audubon Conservation Ranching. These layered programs help farms communicate stewardship practices across water health, habitat protection, and regenerative livestock management.

We also welcomed new certified operations, renewed long-standing partnerships, and supported operations implementing IPM as part of supply-chain requirements. Each new certification represents real change on real farms and we’re honored to be part of that journey.

Championing Integrated Pest Management & Pollinator Health

One of the defining themes of the year was our emphasis on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) which is a whole-farm, prevention-first approach that protects both crop productivity and ecosystem health.

In our blog Understanding Integrated Pest Management, we explored how IPM goes beyond a single practice and instead centers on monitoring, ecological balance, and long-term resilience. We also celebrated a major milestone: Walmart’s recognition of Food Alliance as a trusted third-party certification program that verifies IPM adoption and includes robust, pollinator-protective criteria. This partnership reinforces what we’ve long known, which is that healthy farms begin with healthy ecosystems.

*Beehives at the* *Bowles Farming Company, a Food Alliance client highlighted on the blog this year.*

Stories From the Field: Farmers Leading the Way

*Blueberries growing at* *Enfield Farms, another featured Food Alliance client.*

Throughout the year, we highlighted the inspiring producers who bring Food Alliance standards to life every day. From berry growers to grass-based livestock operations to diversified vegetable farms, each featured story underscored what’s possible when stewardship and innovation go hand in hand.

We shared spotlights that illustrated:

How growers are reducing synthetic inputs through prevention-focused IPM strategies
Ways farms are investing in soil health through cover cropping, composting, and rotational grazing
The creative, community-minded approaches producers use to enhance pollinator habitat
The increasing demand for transparent, values-driven certifications across the supply chain

Every story reminded us that sustainability isn’t a trend but rather it’s a shared commitment to continuous improvement.

Building Community, Sharing Knowledge

We’re proud of the resources we shared this year, from technical blogs to producer stories, newsletters, and educational tools designed for growers, buyers, and community members alike. Whether explaining what pollinator-protective criteria look like on the ground or offering guidance on evolving supply-chain expectations, we remain committed to meeting producers where they are and helping them succeed.

This year also gave us the chance to introduce some of the most essential members of the Food Alliance team: our auditors. These dedicated professionals are the backbone of our certification work– traveling to farms and facilities, reviewing practices with care and consistency, and ensuring that Food Alliance standards are upheld with integrity. Their expertise, curiosity, and commitment make it possible for us to offer trusted, third-party verification to producers and supply-chain partners. Highlighting their stories and perspectives helped shine a light on the people whose work often happens behind the scenes but is vital to our mission.

Our presence at industry events, including the Growing Markets Networking Event following the Farm & Food + Tilth Conference, strengthened connections across the Northwest and beyond. These gatherings remind us how powerful it is when agricultural communities come together to share ideas, challenges, and inspiration.

Looking Ahead

As we turn the page to a new year, we are energized by the momentum built in 2025. The landscape of sustainable agriculture continues to evolve, and Food Alliance remains committed to supporting the producers who feed us while caring for the land, water, people, and wildlife that sustain us all.

To our certified producers, partners, supporters, and readers– thank you for being part of our growing community. Your commitment to stewardship and transparency inspires us every day.

Here’s to another year of collaboration, innovation, and shared impact!