The chair of the California State Assembly Committee on Agriculture, Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton) and central coast state representatives Senator Bill Monning (D-Monterey) and Assembly Member Mark Stone (D-Santa Cruz) joined CCOF for a farm tour of California’s central coast on September 25, 2014. The CCOF-certified operations visited were Pinnacle in San Juan Bautista, High Ground Organics in Watsonville, and Pie Ranch in Pescadero.
The tour emphasized organic agricultural practices that reduce greenhouse gases, capture carbon, and withstand drought and other extreme weather events. California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) and the California Climate and Agriculture Network (CalCAN) hosted the day’s events.
Additionally, the event was highlighted in an article from the the Santa Cruz Sentinel. The Sentinel mentioned, “Stone, who noted the increasing importance of organic production in county agriculture, suggested the state’s carbon cap and trade program could be tapped to provide funding for organic agriculture.”
“Organic producers are at the forefront of innovative practices that respond to changing weather patterns,” said Cathy Calfo, Executive Director/CEO of CCOF. “We thank these elected leaders for taking time to visit central coast farms and learn more about how agricultural practices can help to reduce greenhouse gases.”
Click here for the full Santa Cruz Sentinel article.
About CCOF
CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers), a nonprofit organization, was founded in 1973 and is one of the nation’s oldest and largest third-party organic certifying agencies. CCOF certifies, educates, advocates, and promotes organic through:
• A premier organic certification program for growers, processors, handlers, and retailers.
• Programs to increase awareness of and demand for certified organic product and to expand public support for organic agriculture.
• Advocacy for governmental policies that protect and encourage organic agriculture.
CCOF certifies more than 2,700 organic operations in 43 states and three countries.
About CalCAN
CalCAN is a coalition of the state’s leading sustainable agricultural organizations working at the nexus of climate change and agricultural policy.
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