Blog posts by Rebekah Weber

Written by Rebekah Weber on Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Are you a regenerative farmer? That’s the question the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is answering by defining regenerative agriculture. We need you to share your answer. Join the virtual listening session on Wednesday, April 3 at 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time and tell CDFA that regeneration starts with organic. Go to CDFA—Defining Regenerative Agriculture for State Policies and Programs (ca.gov). Scroll down to Timeline and register for Listening Session #4—Wednesday, April 3 at 5:30 p.m. Log into the Zoom link on April 3.  Raise your hand to make a comment and share…
Written by Rebekah Weber on Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Working with the natural landscape at 123 Farm. Photo by Liz Birnbaum at The Curated Feast We need you to take action for organic. Join the virtual listening session on February 22, 2024, at 4:30 p.m. PST and tell the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) that organic agriculture is regenerative and that the state’s definition of regenerative should start with organic certification. What’s at stake? Greenwashing, consumer confusion, and misuse of taxpayer dollars to name a few. The state of California is in the process of defining the term regenerative agriculture. The…
Written by Rebekah Weber on Wednesday, January 10, 2024

The State of California is defining regenerative agriculture. So far, state officials have recommended a big-tent definition that includes a broad array of California producers. What is missing from this perspective is how a loose definition of regenerative will impact organic producers. What will it mean for California-approved regenerative products to compete with USDA organic? Especially if the standards are not comparably rigorous? A California-endorsed definition of regenerative will have far-reaching implications—from which producers receive government resources to how a product fares…
Written by Rebekah Weber on Monday, October 16, 2023

The Department of Pesticide Regulation is hosting a series of public meetings to hear feedback on their strategic plan. This plan will set their agenda for the next five years, and organic is not mentioned at all. In fact, the Department intends to create new certifications for sustainable pest management—making farmers jump through more hoops. Please consider joining a public meeting and telling the Department that organic certification is the sustainable pest management certification. Attend a Public Meeting (information below and on the Department's website): Thursday, October 19 When:…
Written by Rebekah Weber on Monday, July 10, 2023

California Assembly Bill 408—the Climate-Resilient Farms, Sustainable Healthy Food Access, and Farmworker Protection Bond Act of 2024—was passed by the Senate Agriculture Committee on July 3, 2023. The bill, which is authored by Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City) and Damon Connolly (D-San Rafael), proposes a $3.4 billion bond to fund programs that support resilient agriculture and healthy food access in California. The bond would be used to fund projects in four areas: Resilient agriculture—funding for farmers to transition to organic, emergency relief for underserved farmers facing…
Written by Rebekah Weber on Tuesday, June 20, 2023

A good meal is transformative. The light crunch of a fried latke smothered in tangy applesauce roots me in my cultural inheritance and branches me outward. Preparing this salty–sweet comfort food, I get to know local growers at the farmers’ market and appreciate each season’s bounty. My organic potatoes and apples regenerate soil and water health and safeguard against harmful pesticides. Good food grounds us in our bodies and connects us to the people and world around us. As a good meal unites eaters with farmers and nature, nourished communities listen more honestly, deepen self-awareness,…
Written by Rebekah Weber on Tuesday, January 17, 2023

CCOF submitted a written comment to the National Organic Program (NOP) on inert ingredients in pesticides. The NOP sought input on how to update the organic regulations, which currently reference outdated Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) policy on inert ingredients in pesticides. Inert ingredients are any substance other than the active ingredient in a pesticide product, including solvents, diluents, stabilizers, and preservatives. An updated NOP standard is important to preserve tools organic farmers rely on and to create a path forward for companies to research and develop softer…
Written by Rebekah Weber on Monday, December 19, 2022

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has established a new goal that 20 percent of California’s cultivated land be farmed organically by 2045. CARB, the arm of California charged with fighting climate change, has set this goal after hearing from CCOF and partners on the 30 years of peer-reviewed research demonstrating the climate benefits of organic agriculture. The Climate Benefits of Organic Based on modeling climate strategies, CARB found that increased organic adoption corresponds with increased carbon storage.1  A UC Davis Long-Term Research on Agricultural Systems study found…
Written by Rebekah Weber on Monday, October 3, 2022

Earlier this month, former top California Department of Food and Agriculture scientist Dr. Amrith Gunasekara published a blistering criticism of Sri Lanka’s policy to ban synthetic fertilizers, which caused farmers to start farming organically virtually overnight. The devastating results are outlined by Dr. Gunasekara in an article published in AgAlert on September 20, 2022. Unfortunately, the article then points to the resulting agricultural challenges in Sri Lanka as a cautionary tale for California. The comparison is misleading for a few key reasons.  Sri Lanka is not California.  As…
Written by Rebekah Weber on Monday, August 22, 2022

This year, 2022, has been a banner year for California statewide investment in organic transition. The state budget allocated $5 million to create an Organic Transition Program; the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) awarded $1.85 million to the University of California Organic Agriculture Institute to increase organic technical assistance; and CDFA is also reserving $6 million to support organic planning under the new Conservation Agriculture Planning Grants Program. Combined, this is an unprecedented level of investment in organic agriculture. CCOF has been steadily…
Written by Rebekah Weber on Monday, July 18, 2022

CCOF led the charge to create an Organic Transition Program in California. And on June 30, the governor signed into law the 2022–2023 state budget that includes $5 million for grants, technical assistance, education, and outreach to support farmers and ranchers to transition to organic. The program also sets aside funds for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.  This win builds on CCOF’s bill, AB 2499, that outlines the structure of an Organic Transition Program, including what practices should be eligible for grant funding and how mentorship of transitioning producers by seasoned…
Written by Rebekah Weber on Monday, May 23, 2022

CCOF-sponsored bills AB 1870 and AB 2499 are headed to the California Assembly floor this week. Ask your assemblymember to vote “yes” on AB 1870 and AB 2499. Click here to find out who your assemblymember is. AB 1870, authored by Assemblymember Mark Stone, supports California food processors by streamlining the registration process and creating more transparency in the Department of Public Health’s oversight of organic processors.  AB 2499, authored by Assemblymember Brian Maienschein, creates an Organic Transition Program to provide underserved farmers with financial and technical…
Written by Rebekah Weber on Monday, May 2, 2022

Both bills sponsored by CCOF were passed out of the California Assembly Agriculture Committee at the hearing on April 27th.  AB 1870, which is authored by Assemblymember Mark Stone, was voted out with 10 ayes, 0 noes. This bill supports California food processors by streamlining the registration process and creating more transparency in the Department of Public Health’s oversight of organic processors. No one has registered opposition to AB 1870. AB 2499, which is authored by Assemblymember Brian Maienschein, was voted out with 8 ayes, 0 noes. This bill creates an Organic Transition Program…
Written by Rebekah Weber on Monday, April 4, 2022

CCOF is partnering with Assemblymember Maienschein on California bill AB 2499 to expand access to organic certification. This work builds on our advocacy to incentivize schools to procure organic food.  Our bill, AB 2499, does the following: Creates an Organic Transition Program to directly assist socially disadvantaged producers and those with limited resources with transitioning to organic Invests in organic-specific technical assistance, such as financial and farm planning and mentorship by seasoned organic producers Requires a statewide market analysis of the organic sector to help…
Written by Rebekah Weber on Monday, March 21, 2022

Maria on her farm in Salinas“I was on the verge of losing my farm.” These words haunted Maria Narez of Narez Organic Vegetables as she navigated the complexities of becoming certified organic. To earn organic certification, farmers cannot apply prohibited synthetic pesticides to the land for three years prior to their first organic harvest. Transitioning farmers must make significant investments to adopt organic practices, but cannot sell under the organic label during the first three years. For Maria, this meant purchasing new equipment on top of certification costs and language barriers…