CCOF Policy Team with CDFA Secretary Karen Ross, and officials from the CA State Assembly Committee on Agriculture, and the Community Alliance with Family Farmers.
CCOF, Inc.’s Advocacy Team advances organic agriculture through policy solutions. Our advocacy efforts help secure funding and progress for organic producers.
With the recent release of CCOF’s 2024 annual impact report, we’re looking back at the accomplishments of our Advocacy Team in 2024.
Over the course of the year, CCOF amplified the voices of organic farmers and processors through virtual lobby days, a farm tour, and bringing farmers to Sacramento to connect directly with their legislators. Working together, we secured a number of wins in 2024, setting organic acreage targets, including organic in the state’s definition of regenerative, and significant investments in sustainable agriculture. Looking ahead, we’ll continue to advocate for organic with a focus on developing the organic market. Elevating the voices of our members is our business!
2024 Advocacy Highlights Include:
- On Earth Day 2024, California released a set of climate change targets and, for the first time, set a goal to bring 10 percent of California’s croplands under organic management by 2030. This win for the organic community would not have been possible without the countless hours of advocacy by organic farmers and processors.
- After a two-year stakeholder process, California finalized a definition of regenerative agriculture. The organic community came out in force throughout this process and the vast majority of commenters favored organic as the baseline for the definition of regenerative. While we did not get everything we wanted, the final definition includes some major wins – it calls out organic as regenerative and it references the climate target to transition 10percent of cropland to organic as a target outcome of the regenerative definition.
- As part of a statewide coalition, CCOF helped secure the approval of Prop 4, a $10 billion climate bond that included over $300 million for sustainable agriculture. This significant investment will support popular programs like the Healthy Soils Program and State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP).
- In October, we partnered with the Moretti Family Dairy and Straus Family Creamery to connect about 40 legislators, agency officials, industry stakeholders, and partners to uplift organic in the marketplace. These kinds of opportunities are essential to ensure that elected officials hear the needs of their organic constituents.
- We ran California legislation to support organic mushroom growers and to improve technical assistance for farmers. While neither bill made it across the finish line, these efforts reflect the importance of CCOF partnering with our members to advance policy solutions.
- CCOF assisted hundreds of farmers to apply for certification reimbursements under the Organic Certification Cost Share Program. We piloted a new cost share workshop that provided in-person and Spanish translation support. Every year, CCOF, Inc.’s Advocacy Team champions organic agriculture. In 2024, our efforts played a key role in securing funding and advancing opportunities for organic producers. We look forward to serving our community in the years ahead.
