Featured Speaker: Catherine McGuinn - The Garden Club of Charleston
Catherine has worked in the organic community, and industry in Charleston for over 24 years. She serves as the Certification Program Coordinator for the Clemson University Organic Certification Program where she works daily with both large and small organic food producers and processors to clarify the organic regulatory requirements set by the National Organic Program. She oversees all aspects of the certification program for CU.
Catherine grew up in colonial Fredericksburg, Virginia steeped in a formal garden education culminating in an MS degree in Horticulture from Virginia Tech. Her organic agriculture education began in sunny Davis, California at the UC Davis Student Farm. During her time volunteering on the farm while she was taking postgraduate classes, Catherine helped develop a curriculum, Teaching Organic Farming and Gardening. She went on to teach organic farming and sustainable agricultural practices at juvenile detention centers, adult education programs, and community and technical colleges back in Virginia, and the Carolinas. Since that time Catherine has worked in every aspect of the small farming and horticultural community in Charleston, South Carolina, from starting a small non-profit farm and farm stand run by students with disabilities to serving as the head grower for the City of Charleston's parks department and community gardening initiatives, and worked as the Sustainable Agriculture instructor at Trident Tech. She has consistently focused on facilitating access to agriculture, expanding availability of fresh organic food, and teaching the importance of organic and sustainable production practices.
Catherine has been an inspector for Clemson for over a dozen years and has been the Coordinator for the Organic Certification Program for over 5 years. She is a strong advocate for access to organic certification for the small farmer and has been spearheading CU team’s involvement with the USDA’s Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP). With the help of the CU team, she has worked to develop and coordinate educational events around the Southeast, collaborating with other TOPP partners and other certifiers whenever and wherever the CU team can.
Website: thegardenclubofcharleston.org
Instagram: @thegardenclubofcharleston
Top 3 Favorite Gardening Books: Mrs. Whaley and Her Charleston Garden by Emily Whaley, Elizabeth and Her German Garden by Elizabeth von Arnim, The Gardeners' Guide for the Lowcountry by The Garden Club of Charleston
