Blog posts by Peter Nell

Written by Peter Nell on Monday, April 15, 2019

CCOF submitted 12 written comments to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) ahead of their spring 2019 meeting in Seattle, Washington. The meeting will occur April 24-26, 2019.  NOSB is the federal advisory committee to the National Organic Program and meets twice per year to provide recommendations on substances and standards. At their spring meeting, the board will start the 2021 Sunset Review process and will complete reviews of substances on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances. In the fall, NOSB will vote to relist or remove substances from the National List.…
Written by Peter Nell on Monday, April 1, 2019

The deadlines to submit public comments and register for oral comments to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) at their spring meeting in Seattle, Washington 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: Ash from manure burning Ferric phosphate Hydrogen chloride Hydrogen peroxide Magnesium sulfate Oils, horticultural (Narrow range oils) Pheromones Potassium…
Written by Peter Nell on Monday, March 25, 2019

The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) will host their second meeting of the year in Seattle on April 24-26, 2019. Organic stakeholders can register now to speak at a pre-meeting webinar and at the meeting in Seattle.  The NOSB will host two webinars: the first on April 16, 2019, and the second on April 18, 2019, both from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Those interested in the webinars must register before April 4, 2019. 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…
Written by Peter Nell on Monday, March 25, 2019

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is accepting nominations for its annual Organic Leadership Awards. Nominations are due by April 30, 2019, for the prestigious Organic Farmer of the Year, Rising Star, and the Growing the Organic Community awards. The honorees will be celebrated at OTA’s Leadership Awards Celebration on September 11, 2019, to kick off Natural Products Expo East in Baltimore, Maryland.  Last year, CCOF members Stephanie and Blake Alexandre of Alexandre Family Farms were honored with the Organic Farmer of the Year Award. The Alexandres were recognized for their exemplary…
Written by Peter Nell on Monday, March 25, 2019

USDA is accepting nominations for the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). The deadline to submit nominations is May 17, 2019. Nominations must include a resume and an AD-755 Application form, and must be postmarked on or before May 17, 2019. Nominees must meet the criteria of NOSB membership which includes having a general understanding of organic principles, practical experience in the organic community, demonstrated experience in the development of public policy, participation in standard development, and more. NOSB members are volunteers who are appointed by USDA for five-year terms…
Written by Peter Nell on Monday, March 18, 2019

The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) released their meeting materials ahead of their upcoming meeting on April 24-26, 2019, in Seattle, Washington.  Members of the public are encouraged to submit public comments via Regulations.gov using docket number AMS-NOP-18-0071-0001 until April 4, 2019. 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 will discuss and complete preliminary reviews for each substance in Seattle before…
Written by Peter Nell on Tuesday, March 12, 2019

The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) will meet for its second annual meeting in Seattle, Washington on April 24-26, 2019. The board will vote to retain or remove substances on the National List of Allowed & Prohibited Substances and will also vote on proposals and discussion documents.  The deadline to submit written comments is April 4, 2019. Commenting will open when the meeting materials are released (approximately six weeks before the meeting). The deadline to submit oral comments via webinar or in person in Washington is also April 4, 2019. Registration for the oral comments…
Written by Peter Nell on Tuesday, February 19, 2019

The National Organic Program (NOP) issued a proposed rule to amend the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances. The rule proposed to allow elemental sulfur for use as a molluscicide, add polyoxin D zinc salt to control fungal diseases, and reclassify magnesium chloride as an allowed nonsynthetic ingredient in organic handling. Comments on the proposed rule will be accepted until April 16, 2019, via www.regulations.gov under Docket Number AMS-NOP-18- 0051. Proposed reclassification of magnesium chloride as nonsynthetic Magnesium chloride derived from sea water is currently listed…
Written by Peter Nell on Monday, February 11, 2019

The members of the California Organic Products Advisory Committee (COPAC) elected new leadership at their meeting during the annual EcoFarm Conference in Asilomar, California. The committee elected Karen Archipley of Archi’s Acres as chair of the committee and Jeremy Johnson of Traditional Medicinals as vice chair. COPAC is a 15-member committee that advises the California Secretary of Food and Agriculture on organic agriculture and issues related to organic production. COPAC’s 15 members and 15 alternate members represent organic producers, wholesalers, technical representatives,…
Written by Peter Nell on Monday, January 14, 2019

In late December, 2018, the National Organic Program (NOP) issued a final rule to amend the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances. The rule changes the use restrictions for 17 substances allowed for organic production and/or handling, adds 16 new allowed substances, and prohibits rotenone in organic crop production and ivermectin as an allowed parasiticide. The rule also amends the national organic standards to allow the use of parasiticides in fiber bearing animals. The final rule is comprised of 35 National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) recommendations. NOSB made the…
Written by Peter Nell on Monday, January 7, 2019

In late December, President Donald Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill into law. Crucially, the farm bill includes provisions to authorize and fund the National Organic Program (NOP), the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program (NOCCSP), and other organic programs. CCOF and our members worked hard to build support for organic priorities in the farm bill throughout 2018. The 2014 Farm Bill expired in September 2018 without a replacement bill. However, Congress successfully pushed for the passage of the farm bill during the lame-duck session, the period after elections but before the…
Written by Peter Nell on Monday, December 18, 2017

The National Organic Coalition (NOC) issued an action alert calling on organic advocates to urge their elected officials to support the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program (Cost Share) and the Agricultural Management Assistance Act (AMA).  CCOF highly encourages the organic community to rally in support of Cost Share and to follow the steps outlined in NOC’s action alert.  Cost Share is one of the few federal assistance programs that offers specific support to organic producers. The program provides organic producers with a reimbursement of up to $750 of their annual…