Blog posts by Peter Nell
Written by Peter Nell
on Tuesday, April 10, 2018
on materials, materials and inputs, NOSB
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced the renewal of 17 substances to the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List) as part of the 2018 Sunset Review process. Notably, USDA renewed carrageenan to the National List, which the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) had recommended for removal.
NOSB evaluates substances on the National List every five years to confirm that each substance continues to meet the required criteria for its allowance or prohibition. NOSB considers public comment and any new information pertaining to the substance’s impact on...
Written by Peter Nell
on Tuesday, April 10, 2018
on advocacy, policy, regulatory
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is proposing establishing a Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) regulating the handling of milk in California.
The establishment will be subject to producer approval by referendum. Two-thirds of the eligible producers or producers representing two-thirds of the milk produced in California will need to vote in favor of the FMMO for the FMMO to be established.
AMS hosted a public meeting on April 10, 2018 at 9:00 a.m. at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District Building in Clovis, California to explain and answer questions relating to the California...
Written by Peter Nell
on Monday, April 2, 2018
on general organic, international, Japan, trade
USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) is accepting applications for an agribusiness trade mission to Japan on June 11-15, 2018. Applications are due April 13, 2018.
CCOF encourages members exporting to or interested in exporting to Japan to apply.
The trade mission will provide American exporters with the opportunity to learn about Japan’s strict product regulations and Japanese consumer trends. Japan is an importer-dependent economy and U.S. exporters are the county’s top supplier of food and agricultural products. FAS’ Japan Exporter Guide reports further details on U.S. trade to...
Written by Peter Nell
on Monday, April 2, 2018
on biodiversity, events, general organic
Paicines Ranch will host a four-day workshop on how to produce nutrient dense food by improving the health of animals, people, and the planet. The four-day workshop occurs April 12-15, 2018 and will be led by Dan Kittredge of the Bionutrient Food Association and Spencer Smith of the Jefferson Center for Holistic Management.
Tickets for the workshop began at $400 and will increase to $600.
The workshop will focus on soil health and the economic feasibility of farming and ranching including how to apply holistic management to operations. Soil health expert Jill Clapperton of Rhizoterra,...
Written by Peter Nell
on Monday, March 26, 2018
on advocacy, CCOF, farm bill, general organic, policy
Last week, Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-CA-01) took action to support his organic constituents when he signed on as a cosponsor of H.R.3871, the Organic Farmer and Consumer Protection Act.
20 CCOF-certified members signed a letter urging Congressman LaMalfa to support H.R.3871 because it would ensure a fair playing field for organic producers and protect consumer trust in the organic seal by strengthening the USDA National Organic Program’s oversight of domestic and international organic production.
CCOF applauds Congressman LaMalfa’s support for organic priorities and his continued...
Written by Peter Nell
on Monday, March 26, 2018
on advocacy, NOSB, policy
The deadlines to submit public comments and register for oral comments to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) at their fall meeting in Tucson are approaching! It is critical that members of the organic community submit public comments on the substances up for re-listing or removal from the National List of Allowed & Prohibited Substances and the other NOSB agenda items.
Crop Scope Substances
Alcohols: ethanol, isopropanol
Sodium carbonate peroxyhdrate
Newspaper or other recycled paper
Plastic mulch and covers
Aqueous potassium silicate
Elemental sulfur
Lime sulfur...
Written by Peter Nell
on Monday, March 19, 2018
on advocacy, policy, standards
USDA ignored the pleas of organic producers across the country when it announced its final decision to ignore the organic rulemaking process and withdraw the widely supported Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices (OLPP) rule.
CCOF members have long advocated for the OLPP rule because it would have brought greater clarity and consistency to organic livestock production and certification.
CCOF members are already in compliance with the majority of the provisions that would have been clarified under OLPP, including living conditions, preventive health care practices, stocking densities...
Written by Peter Nell
on Monday, March 19, 2018
on NOSB
The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) will host their first yearly meeting in Tucson, Arizona on April 25-27, 2018.
Organic stakeholders can register now to speak at a pre-meeting webinar and/or at the meeting in Tucson.
The NOSB will host webinars on April 17, 2018 and April 19, 2018 from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Those interested in the webinar must register before April 4, 2018. Commenters are allotted a three-minute comment slot and can only register for one commenting slot on either day.
The NOSB will also accept in-person comments in Tucson. Commenters must register...
Written by Peter Nell
on Monday, March 19, 2018
on advocacy, CCOF, policy
(L to R) Jo Ann Baumgartner, Wild Farm Alliance; Patricia Carrillo, ALBA; Assemblywoman Anna Caballero (D-Salinas); Dave Runsten, Community Alliance with Family Farmers; Peter Nell, CCOF
In early March, CCOF joined coalition members of the California Climate and Agriculture Network (CalCAN) in Sacramento to advocate for California’s climate-smart agriculture programs. Attendees met with California legislators, staff members, and California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Secretary Karen Ross to discuss how agricultural programs can help California achieve climate goals and to...
Written by Peter Nell
on Monday, March 19, 2018
on advocacy, events, policy
The Organic Trade Association’s (OTA) Organic Week is an annual event that brings the organic sector to Washington D.C. for a week of conferences, meetings with legislators, and more.
CCOF’s top priority at this year’s Organic Week is Hill Visit Day—an event that brings organic farmers, ranchers, handlers, processors, organizations, and others into the offices and meeting rooms of Capitol Hill to advocate for organic priorities in the 2018 Farm Bill.
Organic Week also includes the Organic Center’s two day Organic Confluences Summit. The summit brings together a diverse group of organic...
Written by Peter Nell
on Monday, March 19, 2018
on financial assistance, general organic, policy, regulatory
In light of California’s new recreational cannabis cultivation and sales allowances, some organic producers are considering adding cannabis cultivation to their operations. However, producers should be aware that USDA has a long-standing policy regarding cannabis production, which could impact grower’s eligibility for a range of USDA programs including Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), Farm Service Agency (FSA), and crop insurance.
USDA staff cannot provide technical assistance to cannabis producers and producers with conservation contracts with NRCS who are growing cannabis...
Written by Peter Nell
on Monday, March 12, 2018
on NOSB
The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) will discuss the re-listing or removal of 40 substances on the National List of Allowed & Prohibited Substances (National List) at their meeting in Tucson, Arizona on April 25-27, 2018.
Members of the public are encouraged to submit public comments via www.regulations.gov using docket number AMS-NOP-17-0057-0001 until April 4, 2018. Additionally, oral comments will be accepted in-person and through pre-meeting webinars.
NOSB reviews all substances on the National List every five years to determine their status in organic production. NOSB...
Written by Peter Nell
on Monday, March 12, 2018
on education, general organic, research
The Organic Center released new research completed in collaboration with the University of Virginia showing that organic farming can help reduce nitrogen pollution on a global scale. The study found that organic farming helps prevent nitrogen pollution by recycling three times more reactive nitrogen than conventional farming.
The study shows that 93 percent of all nitrogen used to produce conventional food was newly-created reactive nitrogen. In organic foods, only 33 percent of the nitrogen used to produce foods was new reactive nitrogen. The rest of the nitrogen used is recycled. The...
Written by Peter Nell
on Monday, February 26, 2018
on advocacy, funding, grants, policy
Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D – Thousand Oaks) introduced a bill into the California State Assembly, AB-2377, to establish a technical assistance grant program for farmers and ranchers applying for California’s Climate Smart Agriculture programs. The technical assistance grants will address the difficulty in designing, applying for, and implementing projects for the programs.
The bill requires CDFA to provide funding to technical assistance providers, such as resource conservation districts or nonprofit organizations, to assist farmers and ranchers applying to the Healthy Soils Program,...
Written by Peter Nell
on Tuesday, February 20, 2018
on policy, State Organic Program
CCOF encourages the organic community to complete the California State Organic Program (SOP) survey. The survey will help SOP develop new communication and marketing tools.
The survey will guide the SOP on how to create and publish new messaging. The survey gathers information such as what participants know about the program, what they would like to see from the program, and where’d they like to see new information published.
For questions regarding the survey, please contact the SOP.
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