CCOF Blog

Growers of organic vegetables and strawberries across California are invited to attend an online training to learn how to manage nitrogen fertilization. The University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) is offering the three-part Nitrogen Planning and Management in Organic Production of Annual Crops Workshop on November 29, December 5, and December 12.

Growers, certified crop advisers, pest control advisers, and other agricultural professionals who are interested in learning about nitrogen management in organically farmed crops are encouraged to enroll.

The workshop…

America’s appetite for organic dairy, meat, and eggs has soared in the last decade—growing on average 9 percent annually. 

However, lack of investment in organic supply chains has led to chronically insufficient domestic production of organic livestock feed, leaving U.S. organic farmers dependent on insecure imported supplies. Meanwhile, persistent drought in the West has restricted supplies of organic hay, leading to dangerously low availability and skyrocketing prices.

When trade disruptions, global supply chain shocks, inflation, and worsening drought were added to these…

The CCOF Foundation honors longtime organic advocate Becky Blythe as our 2022 Organic Champion. 

For 16 years, CCOF certification staff Becky Blythe brought integrity to the organic standard. A longtime Santa Cruz local, Becky was active in the environmental activism community on the Central Coast. Becky passed away this summer. She is…

The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), federal advisory body to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture on organic issues, convened October 25–27, 2022, in Sacramento, California. The NOSB meeting was preceded by a day-long meeting convened by the National Organic Coalition (NOC) on October 24.

The NOC meeting featured a series of sessions that dove deep into organic issues,…

The Bricmont Hardship Assistance Fund gives direct financial assistance to organic producers who have experienced disaster. In 2022, we have partnered with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to administer additional drought relief grants specifically for dairy producers in California.

If you—or an organic dairy producer you know—have experienced hardship…

Two organic cost-share programs are open for applications now through October 31. Certified organic operations may apply for and receive reimbursement from both programs. Transitional operations may apply for reimbursement of transition-related expenses.

“Original” cost share, the Organic Certification Cost Share Program, offers certified organic operations reimbursement of 50 percent of eligible organic certification–related expenses, including State Organic Program registration fees up to a maximum of $500 per scope. Find more information on the “original” cost share program on…

CCOF’s food safety manager, Jacob Guth, will be attending the Global Produce & Floral Show in Orlando, Florida, on October 27 through 29. If you plan to attend, we would love to meet you there!

If you have questions about how bundling certifications with CCOF can save you time and money, which of our PrimusGFS and GLOBALG.A.P. certifications is best for you, or recent events in the food safety community like the USDA's Food Safety Cost Share program, we would be happy to set a time to chat.

Let us know if you plan to attend the show by emailing foodsafety@ccof.org. We…

On September 20, CCOF partnered with the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA) and the Berkeley Food Institute (BFI) to host California State Senator Laird and Assemblymember Rivas for a tour of ALBA’s organic farm in the Salinas Valley and a discussion of the needs of organic farmers. 

CCOF and the legislators were joined by…

California producers of cattle, goats, sheep, and swine can now register with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to conduct on-farm slaughter using a mobile slaughter operator (MSO).

This program stems from the passage of CCOF-supported AB 888 in 2021, which expanded California’s on-farm slaughter allowances beyond…

After making it through the California Assembly and Senate, AB 1870, the bill that would make needed reforms to the state program regulating organic food manufacturers, processors, and handlers, was vetoed by Governor Newsom.

CCOF pursued the legislation in response to issues raised by members about the administration of the State Organic Program by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), which uses an outdated, paper-based registration system and continues to carry a backlog of unresolved complaints.

AB 1870, authored by Assemblymember Mark Stone and co-authored…

Earlier this month, former top California Department of Food and Agriculture scientist Dr. Amrith Gunasekara published a blistering criticism of Sri Lanka’s policy to ban synthetic fertilizers, which caused farmers to start farming organically virtually overnight. The devastating results are outlined by Dr. Gunasekara in an article published in AgAlert on September 20, 2022.

Unfortunately, the article then points to the resulting agricultural challenges in Sri Lanka as a cautionary tale for California. The comparison is misleading for a few key reasons.

The CCOF Foundation is teaming up with American Farmland Trust, Cachuma Resource Conservation District (CRCD), and Daily Harvest to present a Spanish-language farm training in Santa Maria, California, on October 12, 2022, from 12–3 p.m. If you are a Spanish-speaking grower interested in learning more about organic certification, irrigation, and quick nitrate tests, join us! The CCOF…

Have you ever wondered how healthy the food that we eat is? It is a question on Alvaro Alvarez’s mind, and the motivation behind his goal of learning how to grow and provide the healthiest produce to his community. To make this goal a reality, he is studying organic agriculture at ALBA, the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association, and working…

In June, USDA began accepting applications from specialty crop producers to offset eligible costs of attaining food safety certification. The deadline to apply to the Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops Program (FSCSC) is January 31, 2023.

To be eligible for FSCSC, you must meet the following criteria: 

The application deadline for the National Organic Program’s Certification Cost Share is fast approaching!

Any operation that is located within the United States and received organic certification between October 1, 2021, and September 30, 2022, may apply for reimbursement by October 31, 2022.

All certified organic entities in the United States are eligible to apply for a refund of 50 percent of their certification-related costs, including inspection fees, up to a maximum of $500 per certification or certified scope. California State Organic Program registration fees are…