Organic Industry Event

The Textile Exchange Sustainability Conference will be taking place October 15-18, 2019 in Vancouver, Canada. Textile Exchange is a global non-profit that works closely with it's members to drive industry transformation in preferred fibers, integrity and standards and responsible supply networks. They identify and share best practices regarding farming, materials, processing, traceability and product end-of-life in order to reduce the textile industry’s impact on the world’s water, soil and air, and the human population.

Organic Trade Association's Fiber Council will be exhibiting at the Conference. For more information, contact Gwendolyn Wyard. 

Conference Information:

October 15-18, 2019

Vancouver Convention Center, East Building

Vancouver, Canada

SANA, taking place September 6-9, 2019 in Bologna, is Italy’s leading international trade fair for organic and natural products. It is the go-to event for the business community and trade operators, an unmissable opportunity for checking out what’s new on the market, building new partnerships, benefiting from learning opportunities and boosting competitive intelligence. The event encompasses three areas: Food, Care & Beauty, and Green Lifestyle. The entire natural and organic products industry under one roof!

Johanna Mirenda, Organic Trade Association's Farm Policy Director, will be attending SANA and speaking at two sessions in coordination with the show. First, Jo will speak on a roundtable on September 5th offering an analysis of the develoment guidelines for the organic market. Then, she will participate in a workshop on September 7th addressing organic integrity and residue testing. For more information on these sessions, contact Johanna Mirenda. 

Tradeshow Information:

September 6-9, 2019

Bologna, Italy

The National Industrial Hemp Council [NIHC] Business Summit is taking place August 12-13, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. The Summit will provide an educational and networking opportunity for those currently in or soon to be entering the industrial hemp industry. Attendees will learn about the current legislative and regulatory landscape at both the federal and local level with speakers from the federal government, Pacific Northwest state officials, and leading legal experts from the law firm of Beveridge and Diamond.

Gwendolyn Wyard, Organic Trade Association's Vice President of Regulatory and Technical Affairs, will be speaking at the Summit on the morning of August 12th from 9:30am - 10:15am. Find more information on that session below. For more information, contact Gwendolyn Wyard. 



Panel Discussion: Organic Hemp – Truth in Labeling, What does it Mean? The Consumers’ Right to Know

Gwendolyn Wyard, Vice President, Regulatory and Technical Affairs, Organic Trade Association

Callie Uhan, Certification Officer, Oregon Tilth

Angela Wartes-Kahl, Fiber and Textiles Coordinator, Oregon Tilth

Moderator: Nate Lewis, Oyster Bay Farm



Organic is the fastest growing segment in American food and agriculture.  Topping over $50 billion per year in sales, the USDA organic label is the gold standard for product differentiation in the marketplace.  Hemp producers and processors can also benefit from this voluntary labeling program by obtaining premiums for their products and meeting their consumers’ demands.  Hear from experts in organic regulatory policy and certification on how organic can support the entire industrial hemp supply chain from seed to food to textiles.

Summit Information: 

August 12-13, 2019

Benson Hotel

Portland, Oregon

The Northeast Organic Farming Association [NOFA] Summer Conference is a dynamic and diverse gathering of people working at the intersections of organic agriculture and gardening, food justice, land management, education, carbon sequestration, environment and health.

At the Conference, Organic Trade Association’s Farm Policy Director, Jo Mirenda, will debate Dave Chapman of the Real Organic Project on whether the National Organic Program is doing it’s job of protecting the values of traditional organic agriculture and meeting consumer expectations. The debate will take place on Saturday, August 10th, from 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m in Hampshire College’s Franklin Patterson Main Auditorium. For more information, contact Jo Mirenda. 

Conference Information: 

August 9-11, 2019

Hampshire College

Amherst, MA

The Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting will be taking place November 17-20, 2019, in St. Louis, MO. Follow the links for more information on confirmed symposia, workshops and organized meetings.

Dr. Amber Sciligo, The Organic Center's Science Project Manager, is organizing a symposium at the Meeting titled "Finding Common Ground: Non-chemical Pest-Management to Protect Organic and Conventional Crops". For more information, contact Amber Sciligo. 

Meeting Information:

November 17-20, 2019

St. Louis, MO

The American Agricultural Law Association 2019 Annual Educational Symposium will be taking place November 7-9, 2019 in Washington D.C. This annual event brings together over 300 international, national, and regional legal and policy experts to discuss and address issues in agriculture, trade, natural resources, water, food, environmental and agribusiness law. Attendees include policy makers; in-house counsel; large, small and solo practitioners; academics; government attorneys; and students.

Organic Trade Association's CEO/Executive Director, Laura Batcha, will be speaking in the following session at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 9th: 

National Organic Program - Legal Update | Georgetown Ballroom 

A number of Washington Post stories in past year have challenged the organic industry’s integrity for imported organic products and livestock/pasture compliance. This panel will provide a legal overview and reports on organic integrity, livestock and pasture rules, organic enforcement and FOIA issues. The session will be moderated by Chip English, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP. Laura Batcha will speak alongside Jenny Tucker, Deputy Administrator NOP, Agricultural Marketing Service.

Conference Information:

November 7-9, 2019

Washington, D.C. 

For more information contact Adrienne Messe.