A very concerning development, especially since this could be done virtually at almost no expense. No new date has been given.
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A very concerning development, especially since this could be done virtually at almost no expense. No new date has been given.
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Kailee Tkacz Buller recently served as the president & chief executive officer of the National Oilseed Processors Association and the Edible Oil Producers Association, in addition to having previously held numerous leadership roles across the USDA in the first Trump administration.
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The topics addressed by the rule include mushroom substrate composition and labeling requirements for organic pet food.
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The $9.7 million for 13 grant projects through the Organic Market Development Grant program brings the total amount awarded through the program to $85 million.
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USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack just announced new programs, partnerships, grant awards and an additional $10 million in funding to expand the markets for organic products and help producers transition to organic production.
Read Article These grants will provide information and services to more than 20,000 producers and 20,000 buyers to increase market opportunities for organic farmers.
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The most telling sentence of the report was “With U.S. consumer demand for organic food growing faster than certified organic acreage, an extensive organic trade sector also emerged.” Meaning, instead of the U.S. making domestic organic production a priority, we have sent these farming jobs offshore.
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After many years of delays, the deeply flawed Organic Livestock and Poultry Standards will be published in the Federal Register.
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“While we appreciate the USDA providing some help, the reality is that this program equates to roughly $6,000 for a 60-cow herd. It is going to make very little of a difference to the struggling small organic dairies in our community,” said Ed Maltby, executive director of the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance.
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Among other measures, the USDA will issue up to $75M in competitive grants to expand and improve markets for domestically-produced organic products.
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The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service just released details about its $75M investment in conservation assistance for producers transitioning to organic production.
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The USDA announced that it is establishing cooperative agreements in six regions across the U.S. for the Organic Transition Initiative, Transition to Organic Partnership Program.
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Some of the lead recipients include: $55M to the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture to help small and underserved farmers; $35M to Wolfe’s Neck Farm to catalyze transition incentives; $25M to the Organic Valley Carbon Insetting Program to help build a multi-stakeholder path to produce and market climate-smart commodities; $25M to Rodale Institute to quantify the reduction of GHG emissions and increase carbon sequestration; and $20M to Maple Hill Creamery to grow the supply and market for climate-smart, grass-fed organic dairy.
Read Article According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, the number of non-certified organic farms actively transitioning to organic production dropped by nearly 71% since 2008. Through the comprehensive support provided by this initiative, the USDA hopes to reverse this trend.
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Along with providing technical assistance, including farmer-to-farmer mentoring, the USDA also acknowledged that “there can also be climate and environmental benefits” with organic. Wow.
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The USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture announced an investment of over $30 million for 33 grants that support farmers and ranchers who grow and market high-quality organic food, fiber and other organic products.
Read Article Organic producers and handlers can now apply for USDA funds to assist with the cost of receiving or maintaining organic certification.
Read Article The arrangement covers products certified to the USDA organic regulations or Taiwan organic regulations that are grown or produced in the United States or Taiwan; or have their final processing or packaging in the United States or Taiwan.
Read Article The highly anticipated selection of five new board members has just been made.
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It was just reported that the total number of USDA certified organic operations in 2018 was slightly above 43,000, up 4.4% from 2017.
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The EU has declared that gene editing must be regulated like GMOs — a very fair and rational conclusion — but the U.S. is taking this fight to the World Trade Organization.
Read Article With the USDA’s new plan to crack down on fraud, the question is whether it has the political will to enforce the rules on the industry’s largest and most influential companies.
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The USDA just announced that that it will not be regulating GMOs 2.0 — gene-edited plants — and shockingly said that this technology presents no risk.
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While the OTA’s lawsuit against the USDA is still pending, the agency has officially pulled the plug on the organic animal welfare standards, demonstrating that it is completely beholden to corporate lobbyists.
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