At the Real Organic Project Conference, Optimism Was in the Air

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On October 14th, the Real Organic Project hosted its “Saving Real Organic” conference at Abby Rockefeller’s majestic Churchtown Dairy in Hudson, NY.

Throughout the day-long event of speakers and breakout sessions, attendees not only received an unfiltered picture of the challenges that organic faces but also a look at some of the heroic work that small farmers are doing across the U.S.

Amidst everything that is happening in the industry, the key takeaway from the conference was a message of hope.

“When the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 was passed, which I believe is a good law, the one precious thing we lost was a sense of agency — that we were no longer in control. Suddenly, it became someone else’s job to protect organic,” said Dave Chapman, co-director of the Real Organic Project. “As we have witnessed, outsourcing the oversight of our industry has not worked, but with so many people still wanting an authentic organic food system, the good news is that it is still available to us. We can do this, but we will have to do it ourselves. The only thing blocking it is our ability to come together.”

The urgency to unify first came to a head shortly after the infamous 2017 National Organic Standards Board meeting in Jacksonville, Florida, and a few months later, the Real Organic Project (ROP) was formed. This add-on label requires USDA organic certification as a baseline and then prohibits things such as organic factory farms, hydroponics and split organic farms (part of the farm being organic, part of the farm being conventional/not in transition). What makes ROP really stand out is that its executive, standards and advisory boards are composed of a who’s who in the history of organic farming and rulemaking in the U.S.

REASON FOR OPTIMISM

What often gets overlooked in organic, probably because it is a voluntary system and no food company is required to participate, is just how susceptible the USDA is to the forces and influences of corporate agribusiness and the immense power that these near-monopolies wield behind closed doors in Washington, D.C.

That being said, the momentum for ROP has never been stronger.

* The organization has already certified 1,100 farms across the country despite the fact that, at the moment, being certified provides no real economic benefit. Farmers are doing it because they believe in the mission and importance of “real” organic.

* On its new website as an educational tool for consumers, ROP has amassed a library of over 150 interviews with key policymakers, thought leaders, chefs and farmers, all discussing the issues facing organic today. Additionally, shoppers can easily search for ROP products and farms close to where they live.

* In February, ROP signed a historic partnership with Naturland, an incredibly respected add-on organic label in Germany that has certified 140,000 farms around the world, and by tapping into the Naturland supply chain, this will allow more U.S. brands and products to become ROP certified. Just the other day, Aaron Flamini, a veteran of the chocolate industry, was named as the partnership’s new leader, something that should expedite more ROP products getting into the hands of consumers.

As was very apparent at the conference, the community is both committed and excited, guided by a clear vision.

“This goes way beyond regulatory reform,” said Dave Chapman. “It is about reclaiming our movement and fixing our climate, delivering nutrition to our people, and providing clean air and water, all of which can happen with a truly organic system. For leaders of brands that share our desire to build a real organic food supply for many generations to come, they should reach out to us. We want to find a way to work together.”

(From l. to r., Steffen Reese, CEO of Naturland; Linley Dixon, co-director of the Real Organic Project; Dave Chapman, co-director of the Real Organic Project; Hans Bartelme, vice president of Naturland. Photo courtesy of Naturland.)

(Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, CEO of Tree-Range Farms and an international thought leader on regenerative poultry-centered systems.)

(Iriel Edwards, a Real Organic Project certification coordinator and an organic rice farmer in Louisiana who uses System of Rice Intensification.)

(Abby Rockefeller’s Churchtown Dairy in Hudson, NY — the host of the conference. Image courtesy of Churchtown Dairy.)

(With Eliot Coleman (right), keynote speaker of the conference and the most revered organic farmer in the country.)

With gratitude, Max Goldberg, Founder