Blog posts by Guest Blogger
Written by Guest Blogger on Tuesday, January 25, 2022
Join University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) and the Agricultural and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA) this winter for a weekly lunchtime seminar series for organic growers. During each Zoom session, a guest speaker will give a 30-minute presentation, followed by questions from the listeners and a more general discussion. See below for more details on the weekly seminar topics and instructions for connecting to the Zoom sessions. Spanish translation will be available.
Series Dates: January 18–March 8, 2022
Day/Time: Tuesdays, 12–1 p.m. Pacific Time
How To Connect:
The…
Written by Guest Blogger on Monday, December 20, 2021
Organic farmers keep our families and communities fed with healthy, nutritious food, but they also do so much more. Through their work, organic farmers are also contributing to the fight against climate change, helping our economy recover, and solving health inequities. Even when times are hard, organic farmers continue in their commitment to keep food on our tables.
Now is the time to repay that commitment by donating to our Bricmont Hardship Assistance Fund, which gives financial support to organic farmers in times of need. Every dollar of your donation goes to a farmer who needs help.…
Written by Guest Blogger on Monday, November 22, 2021
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide pandemic assistance to cover certification and education expenses to agricultural producers who are certified organic or transitioning to organic. USDA will make $20 million available through the new Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program (OTECP) as part of USDA’s broader Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative, which provides new, broader, and more equitable opportunities for farmers, ranchers, and producers.
OTECP funding is provided through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act…
Written by Guest Blogger on Monday, November 22, 2021
OGS 2021 to Honor “a Grower’s Grower”; Vic Smith Announced as Grower of the Year Award Recipient
The Organic Grower Summit, presented by Western Growers and the Organic Produce Network, will honor longtime organic grower Vic Smith as the recipient of the fourth annual Organic Grower Summit’s Grower of the Year. Smith, CEO of JV Smith Companies, was selected based on his ongoing commitment and dedication to excellence in organic production, organic industry leadership, and innovation.
The Grower of the Year award, sponsored by AGCO, will be presented to Smith as part of the keynote…
Written by Guest Blogger on Monday, November 22, 2021
Farmers—especially organic farmers—operate on razor-thin margins that are especially stressed during hard times. Yet even when farmers are facing the challenges brought by natural disasters and a global pandemic, their dedication to the land and our communities continues as they work each day to grow nutritious food for our families.
Our Bricmont Hardship Assistance Fund gives grants to organic farmers to help them weather difficult times. In 2020, we received four times as many applications than in any other year, and the immense community support we received allowed us to give $89,000…
Written by Guest Blogger on Monday, November 15, 2021
Next Gen: A Conversation with the Next Generation of Organic Leaders
Up-and-coming leaders from three of the nation’s most progressive organic growing operations have been confirmed as panelists for the keynote presentation at the 2021 Organic Grower Summit (OGS) presented by Western Growers and OPN on December 1-2 in Monterey, California.
“Next Gen: A Conversation with the Next Generation of Organic Leaders” will be moderated by Dave Puglia, president and CEO of Western Growers, with panelists for the discussion including Keith Barnard, senior vice president of sales and sourcing at…
Written by Guest Blogger on Monday, November 15, 2021
The day we visited Far West Fungi, the sun never even broke through the dense coastal fog. Nestled on a bluff in Moss Landing, California (aptly named for the foggy, chilly days there), Far West Fungi’s damp, dark facilities are joyfully managed by a multigenerational family whose business is full of light and hope.
If you were to admit that you don’t actually know how mushrooms grow, you wouldn’t be alone. Erin Raser shares that people have come to their farm expecting to see tilled fields with little mushrooms popping up from the soil and are surprised to find that mushrooms grow inside…
Written by Guest Blogger on Monday, November 8, 2021
Note: Applications for Healthy Soils Incentive grants are being accepted on a rolling basis until funding runs out, so the sooner you submit your application, the more likely you will be to receive funding. The Healthy Soils Demonstration grant deadline is December 31, 2021.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is now accepting applications for its Healthy Soils Program (HSP). The program incentivizes implementation and demonstration of on-farm soil practices that sequester carbon, reduce greenhouse gases, and improve soil health. CDFA appropriated $75 million from the…
Written by Guest Blogger on Monday, November 8, 2021
USDA is currently accepting applications for the Pandemic Response and Safety (PRS) Grant Program. Applications must be submitted electronically through the grant portal at https://usda-prs.grantsolutions.gov/usda by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, November 22, 2021. Approximately $650 million in funding is available for the PRS grants.
Don’t wait until the last minute. The first step in applying is getting a DUNS number, which can take up to five days.
Once you have your DUNS number, the application takes less than 10 minutes. The application, FAQs, tip sheets, and information on how…
Written by Guest Blogger on Tuesday, November 2, 2021
Two California cannabis farms have pioneered a new milestone in cannabis, and are now certified as the first “comparable-to-organic” cannabis farms in the state, as well as in the United States, by CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers). OCal is a new certification program through the California Dept. of Food and Ag (CDFA). The certification was awarded to well-respected legacy farmer Sensiboldt Organics out of Humboldt County, and The Highland Canopy at Sonoma Hills Farm, a new premium craft cannabis farm and culinary garden located in Sonoma County.
The first cannabis certification…
Written by Guest Blogger on Tuesday, November 2, 2021
In response to the severe drought conditions in the West and Great Plains, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced its plans to help cover the cost of transporting feed for livestock that rely on grazing. USDA is updating the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP) to immediately cover feed transportation costs for drought-impacted ranchers. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will provide more details and tools to help ranchers get ready to apply at their local USDA Service Center later this month at their website: fsa.usda.gov/elap.
“USDA…
Written by Guest Blogger on Tuesday, November 2, 2021
When Miguel Crisantes Gatzionis first immigrated to Mexico from Greece in the 1920s, he started growing tomatoes in Culiacán that were then shipped and sold in the United States. Miguel later passed his farm down to his son Theojary Crisantes Sr., who was inspired to re-envision some key aspects of the family business. After learning about the dangers of using synthetic chemical pesticides like DDT (thank you, Silent Spring), and after seeing that the widespread use of pesticides was a threat to the livelihood of the planet and the entire food system, Theojary Sr. realized that his family’s…
Written by Guest Blogger on Monday, October 25, 2021
CCOF will host a session on December 2 on growing and selling in the Mexican organic market at the 2021 Organic Grower Summit in Monterey, California.
Mexico’s promotion of organic agriculture has led to a steady domestic organic market and is creating outstanding import opportunities for U.S. growers. While most Mexico-based organic operations export produce to the U.S., organic growers are exploring how the Mexican organic market differs from the U.S. market and how both markets can support each other’s continued growth.
Panelists will discuss key differences between the Mexican…
Written by Guest Blogger on Monday, October 18, 2021
Monterey, CA (October 12, 2021) — Total organic fresh produce sales for the third quarter (Q3) of 2021 saw a continuation of year-over-year growth, increasing by three percent from the same period last year and nearing $2.3 billion for the quarter, according to the Q3 2021 Organic Produce Performance Report released exclusively by Organic Produce Network and Category Partners.
As food service sectors continued to reopen, the third quarter of 2021 generated growth in organic fresh produce sales at retail, despite a comp period of Q3, 2020 that was highlighted by pandemic-driven shopping that…
Written by Guest Blogger on Monday, October 18, 2021
Looking up from the sidewalk, you can’t miss which building has the urban farm on top. The rosemary cascades over the roof’s edges, the buckwheat blooms with bushy abandon, and the hedgerows are an unmistakably lush, green beacon against the blue Berkeley skies.
“There’s a lot of life up here,” observes Joanna Letz, founder of Bluma Farms, as she looks out onto the sparkling San Francisco Bay and Golden Gate Bridge from her rooftop perch. Her farm is a remarkably verdant quarter-acre in downtown Berkeley, and she’s right about the amount of life: her midcity high-rise rooftop farm is…