Blog posts by Guest Blogger
Written by Guest Blogger
on Tuesday, May 21, 2013
on advocacy
This post was written by Eric Steenstra, President, Vote Hemp.
On Monday night, Senator Wyden introduced Farm Bill Amendment 952 to define industrial hemp and allow states to regulate it along with bipartisan cosponsorship from Senators Paul, McConnell, and Merkley. We have never been closer to seeing legal hemp farming in the United States and need your calls and emails to Senate offices today. Please visit and share this link: http://www.votehemp.com/farmbill.
Written by Guest Blogger
on Friday, April 19, 2013
on grower, help and tips
This article appeared in the spring 2013 issue of Certified Organic and was written by Jay Silverstein, partner at Moss Adams.
Whether retirement is near or far, thinking about who will take the reins and lead your farm into the future isn’t easy, but it’s especially relevant these days. According to the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, approximately 70 percent of U.S. farmland will go on the market in the next 20 years as the nation’s farmers age. Without a succession plan, many family-run farms are likely to go out of business, be bought by larger farms, or get turned over...
Written by Guest Blogger
on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
on funding, grower, livestock
This post was written by Anita Brown, public affairs director, USDA NRCS California.
Many organic farmers have dreams of a conservation project they would love to tackle: a multipurpose hedgerow; an efficient, water-saving irrigation system and schedule; a comprehensive plan to build soil organic matter; a hoop house to extend the growing season for local customers. However, the day-to-day demands of farming can leave those dreams stuck on a back burner. For those who haven’t heard, there is a relatively new resource to help you get cooking on those projects, and over 200 California organic...
Written by Guest Blogger
on Thursday, March 7, 2013
on advocacy, farming: materials and inputs, grower, NOP, NOSB, policy, standards
This post was written by Zea Sonnabend, CCOF inspector and policy specialist.
CCOF is committed to ending the use of antibiotics in organic fruit production. We believe that a longer time period is necessary for oxytetracycline than the current 2014 expiration date because of the continuing research in varying locations and seasons that would ensure success, the need for registration of new materials, and enough time for grower education and outreach. We would like to see an extension in the range of 2017 to 2020 for phase out; however, we support the majority position to extend the...
Written by Guest Blogger
on Thursday, February 7, 2013
on funding, grower, livestock
This post was written by Val Dolcini, State Executive Director of the USDA Farm Service Agency in California.
There’s a new USDA loan program that might be the perfect fit for beginning farmers and ranchers seeking access to capital. On January 15, the USDA Farm Service Agency rolled out a new Microloan program designed to help farmers and ranchers with credit needs of $35,000 or less. This new credit tool simplifies and streamlines the process for farmers obtaining loans under $35,000; it cuts the paperwork burden in half and is built to fit the needs of smaller-scale farmers and ranchers. ...
Written by Guest Blogger
on Friday, January 4, 2013
on farming: materials and inputs, grower, help and tips, inputs, water
This article was written by Jane Sooby.
Widespread leakage of nitrogen from agricultural production has become a huge problem worldwide. Recent news articles have reported that numerous small towns in California’s central valley, the country’s most productive agricultural region, must use bottled water because their municipal water supplies are contaminated with dangerous levels of nitrates. A report issued by UC Davis in early 2012 documented that in California’s Tulare Lake Basin and Salinas Valley, “roughly 254,000 people are currently at risk for nitrate contamination of their drinking...
Written by Guest Blogger
on Monday, December 10, 2012
on advocacy, CalCAN, policy
This article was written by Renata Brillinger, California Climate & Agriculture Network.
This is a good news and a bad news story. First, the bad news…
In June 2012, an international team of researchers released a report in the journal Nature warning that climate change, population growth, and environmental destruction are leading to a “tipping point” that will cause disastrous and irreversible biological changes across the globe. The authors say that we are poised at the point in history when uncontrollable ecological events are beginning to take place and without bold and immediate...
Written by Guest Blogger
on Monday, December 3, 2012
on biodiversity, funding, member news
This interview originally appeared in Certified Organic magazine, fall 2012, by Matt Boitano, CCOF Intern
Most people think of mobile homes as a place to live, but not Chris Hay. He uses them for pest management on his eight-acre farm in Woodland, California, where he harvests a variety of fruits, vegetables, and chickens.
For the last two years, Chris has been running what he calls “an integrated farm,” in which each aspect of the land and its inhabitants is cultivated for multiple uses to maximize conservation and functionality. The mobile homes, for instance, carry around his hens, which...
Written by Guest Blogger
on Monday, November 19, 2012
on book review, CalCAN, policy
This book review was written by Renata Brillinger, California Climate and Agriculture Network.
Part history text, part socio-political commentary and part call to action, Dan Imhoff’s new book offers something for everyone from the seasoned agriculture advocate to the newcomer on the food systems scene. “Food Fight: The Citizen’s Guide to the Next Food and Farm Bill,” published just a couple of months ago by Dan’s company Watershed Media, comes just as the federal debate over the 2012 Farm Bill is heating up.
The book is divided into three sections: Why the Farm Bill Matters; Wedge Issues;...
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