CCOF Blog

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…

 

The CCOF Foundation is teaming up with American Farmland Trust, Cachuma Resource Conservation District (CRCD), and Daily Harvest to present a Spanish-language farm training in Santa Maria, California, on October 12, 2022, from 12–3 p.m. If you are a Spanish-speaking grower interested in learning more about organic certification, irrigation, and quick nitrate tests, join us! The CCOF…

 

Have you ever wondered how healthy the food that we eat is? It is a question on Alvaro Alvarez’s mind, and the motivation behind his goal of learning how to grow and provide the healthiest produce to his community. To make this goal a reality, he is studying organic agriculture at ALBA, the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association, and working…

In June, USDA began accepting applications from specialty crop producers to offset eligible costs of attaining food safety certification. The deadline to apply to the Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops Program (FSCSC) is January 31, 2023.

To be eligible for FSCSC, you must meet the following criteria: 

Be a specialty crop operation Be a small business (with annual specialty crop sales of more than $250,000 but not more than $500,000) or very small business (with annual specialty crop sales of no more than $250,000) Have obtained or renewed a 2022 food safety…

The application deadline for the National Organic Program’s Certification Cost Share is fast approaching!

Any operation that is located within the United States and received organic certification between October 1, 2021, and September 30, 2022, may apply for reimbursement by October 31, 2022.

All certified organic entities in the United States are eligible to apply for a refund of 50 percent of their certification-related costs, including inspection fees, up to a maximum of $500 per certification or certified scope. California State Organic Program registration fees are…

As regenerative agriculture is reshaping how food is grown, a panel of organic industry leaders will address the trends and standards of regenerative organic marketing and certification at the Organic Grower Summit 2022, presented by Western Growers and the Organic Produce Network (OPN), slated for November 30–December 1 in Monterey, California.

“Regenerative Organic Marketing and Certification—What Lies Ahead?” will feature panelists representing an organic grower, a regenerative organic certifier, and one of the nation’s largest marketers of organic food offering their insights…

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…

The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) is a federal advisory board that reviews and makes recommendations on a wide range of issues involving the production, handling, and processing of organic products. The NOSB meets twice each year in a public forum to discuss and vote on recommendations to the USDA. 

This fall, NOSB plans to meet in Sacramento, California, on October 25 through 27, 2022. CCOF encourages certified organic farmers, ranchers, and business owners to attend the meeting and to consider offering either a written or oral comment, because the NOSB greatly values…

Dr. Brian Hogg at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service based in Albany, California, is seeking sites for research on a parasitic wasp that his team recently discovered attacking bagrada bug eggs in California. 

The wasp can attack eggs in soil, where the bagrada bug lays most of its eggs, and is almost certainly helping to control bagrada bug. The wasp develops within bagrada bug eggs and is quite tiny. 

Dr. Hogg’s research team has found the wasp at several sites in California, but they do not know how widespread it is. They are monitoring the…

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SACRAMENTO, August 29, 2022 – The California Department of Agriculture (CDFA) is now accepting grant applications for its Biologically Integrated Farming Systems (BIFS) Program and its Proactive Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Solutions Program, both administered by the agency’s Office of Pesticide Consultation and Analysis (OPCA).
 
The goal of the BIFS program is to fund on-farm demonstration and evaluation of innovative, biologically based farming systems that employ integrated pest management (IPM) strategies. CDFA is…

This year, CCOF sponsored a bill that will benefit organic food manufacturers, processors, and handlers in California by strengthening organic integrity in the state and creating more transparency in the program that regulates them.

Authored by Assemblymember Mark Stone and co-authored by State Senator John Laird and Assemblymember Marc Levine, AB 1870 has passed the state legislature and now heads to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk to be signed into law.

During its passage through four committee hearings and three hearings on the legislative floors, AB 1870 did not receive…

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is now accepting grant applications for the Conservation Agriculture Planning Grants Program (CAPGP) administered by its Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation (OEFI).

The application period will close on October 23, 2022, at 5 p.m. PT.

Detailed information, including webinars that review the application process and requirements and program guidelines can be found on the program website at www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/planning.
CAPGP is a new program that will fund the development of plans to help farmers and…

Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the details of a $300 million investment to support organic and transitioning farmers, and to address targeted organic market challenges. The Organic Transition Initiative is consistent with many recommendations made to USDA by the National Organic Coalition (NOC) to increase support for organic agriculture to help build a more ecologically sound, resilient, and climate-friendly food and farm system.

“We applaud the Secretary for this public commitment to organic agriculture, and for recognizing that organic farming is critical to…

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…

The National Organic Certification Cost Share Program is still open for 2022 applications, but only a few months remain to apply for funds. Through this program, eligible operations will be reimbursed up to 50% of their organic certification costs, not to exceed $500, for each NOP scope of organic certification. Eligible operations can also receive a refund of California State Organic Program registration fees.

Any operation that is located within the United States and received organic certification between October 1, 2021 and September 30, 2022 may apply for reimbursement. The…