Blog posts by Laetitia Benador
Written by Laetitia Benador on Wednesday, May 31, 2023
New grant funds are available to expand livestock processing capacity through the USDA Local Meat Capacity Grant (Local MCap) program and Indigenous Animals Harvesting and Meat Processing Grant (IAG) program. Applications are due on July 19, 2023.
The Local Meat Capacity Grant (Local MCap) program will award up to $75 million to independently owned and operated small-scale processors. Two categories of grants are available: 1) Processing Expansion Projects with awards of $100,000 to $5 million for facility upgrades and 2) Simplified Equipment-Only Projects with awards of $10,000 to $250,000…
Written by Laetitia Benador on Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Organic cow, goat, and sheep dairy operations that have been hard-hit by unprecedented climate and supply chain challenges can now apply for hardship relief funding under the USDA’s new Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program (ODMAP).
Producers can apply for funding from May 24 to July 24, 2023, through the Farm Service Agency (FSA) by contacting your local USDA Service Center. Funding will be provided on a rolling basis as applications are received.
The following documentation is required to apply:
Certification of pounds of milk production in hundredweight by month for 2022.
Proof…
Written by Laetitia Benador on Monday, March 20, 2023
The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and UC Agriculture Natural Resources Cooperative Extension are conducting research on parasite management in organic livestock production.
Producer input is crucial and highly valued! If you are a producer of cattle, sheep, and/or goats who is certified organic, transitioning to organic, or utilizing organic practices, we want to hear from you.
What dewormer drugs do you use and how effective are they?
What integrated parasite management practices do you implement and how effective are they?
Please fill out this survey by April 15, 2023. It will…
Written by Laetitia Benador on Monday, February 27, 2023
A newly introduced bipartisan bill in Congress takes important steps to address urgent bottlenecks in meat and poultry processing for independent small and organic livestock producers. The Strengthening Local Processing Act (S.354/H.R. 945) will expand meat processing and slaughter capacity by providing
grants to upgrade, expand, or build meat processing infrastructure and obtain state or federal inspection status;
grants for meat processing workforce training, including directly funding processors to conduct on-the-job training;
technical assistance for food safety at processing plants,…
Written by Laetitia Benador on Monday, November 21, 2022
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 pre-existing…
Written by Laetitia Benador on Tuesday, October 11, 2022
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 cattle to include goats, sheep, and swine. The bill also removed restrictions on the number of animals harvested per month and greatly streamlined requirements for ranchers and mobile slaughter operators.
Producers and MSOs who wish to register can find…
Written by Laetitia Benador on Wednesday, September 21, 2022
Adapted from Organic Trade Association (OTA) https://ota.com/advocacy/critical-issues/organic-animal-welfare-standards
The USDA released the Organic Livestock and Poultry Standards (OLPS) Proposed Rule and is currently seeking public comments through October 11, 2022. The long-awaited rule has strong support from the organic industry and is a serious step toward updating critical animal welfare provisions.
OLPS clarifies the production standards of avian and mammalian livestock as authorized by the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) to support consistent enforcement across producers and…
Written by Laetitia Benador on Monday, July 25, 2022
The Center for Food Security and Public Health (CFSPH) at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine is offering two web-based courses, Overview of Organic and Alternative Livestock Production For Veterinarians and Overview of Organic and Alternative Livestock Production for Veterinary Technicians, Extension Personnel And Other Animal Health Professionals. Registration opens June 30, 2022.
These introductory courses are a broad overview of organic livestock production and your role as an animal health/animal management professional working with these farmers and ranchers. We will…
Written by Laetitia Benador on Tuesday, June 21, 2022
The UC Davis Food Systems Lab, CCOF’s partner in the California Meat Processing Coalition, has launched a new project to connect farmers and ranchers, slaughter and processing facilities, and meat purchasers in new local and regional meat supply chains in California. The project will focus on building supply chains in the Sacramento Valley, Sierra Foothills, and North Coast regions of California.
If you are interested in learning more and potentially participating in new regional market channels for organic meat and meat products, please fill out the appropriate survey below:
Survey for…
Written by Laetitia Benador on Monday, June 6, 2022
CCOF and CalCAN hosted a virtual briefing for California state legislators and agency officials to learn about current opportunities in California’s organic marketplace. This briefing provided context for CCOF-sponsored AB 2499 (Maienschein), which creates an Organic Transition Program to provide underserved farmers with financial and technical assistance to transition to organic and requires a statewide market analysis of the organic sector.
We heard from four experts during the briefing:
Ernesto Soto, grower liaison at Coke Farms, explained how organic is an important strategy for farmers…
Written by Laetitia Benador on Monday, June 6, 2022
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is now accepting applications for the 2022 California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program. California producers are eligible to apply for Track 4, the California Farm to School Producer Grant, which covers costs related to producing, processing, and distributing food to schools as well as establishing or enhancing climate smart agriculture practices and hands-on educational opportunities.
Eligible expenses include infrastructure such as greenhouses and building upgrades, equipment such as refrigerated trucks and coolers, organic and…
Written by Laetitia Benador on Monday, March 28, 2022
John Fagundes was a carpenter with a small cattle herd living in Northern California. When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down major meat processing plants across the United States, and meat cases sat empty in grocery stores, John knew that small ranchers like him and his neighbors could feed their local communities. But for years prior to the pandemic, small producers across California had been struggling to harvest their livestock, and the pandemic further restricted access to these critical services. So, John sold off most of his herd to raise funds for a USDA-inspected Mobile Slaughter Unit…
Written by Laetitia Benador on Monday, March 14, 2022
The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA’s) Farm to School Incubator Grant Program is opening the cafeteria door to more organic producers!
For the first time, schools will be incentivized to buy food from producers who are certified organic or transitioning to organic. Organic producers will be prioritized for grants to cover expenses related to food production, processing, and/or distribution for the school food market, including organic certification costs. Small and midsize farms and disadvantaged producers will also receive prioritization.
Prioritizing organic in the…
Written by Laetitia Benador on Monday, March 7, 2022
The USDA recently announced the opening of the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) to support the expansion of meat processing capacity nationwide.
The MPPEP will award $150 million in competitive grants to eligible meat and poultry processors. The maximum award amount is $25 million or 20 percent of total project costs, whichever is less. There is no minimum award amount. Applications are due April 11, 2022.
This first round of grants will support at least 15 facilities that are prepared to break ground. It is expected that a second round of $225 million in grant funding…
Written by Laetitia Benador on Monday, October 4, 2021
During the 2021 growing season, California ranchers shepherded legislative change along with their livestock.
Last week, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 888 – Mobile slaughter operations: livestock (written by Assemblymember Marc Levine, D-Marin County) into law, which allows goats, sheep, and swine to be slaughtered on the ranch where they were raised—the same opportunity granted to cattle ranchers in 2018 with AB 2114.
Ranchers and a dedicated coalition of stakeholders applied the same care and commitment to AB 888 throughout the legislative process as they do every day on…