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Organic Industry Event

CCOF Annual Meeting

Tuesday, February 9, 2016 - 9:00am to Saturday, December 10, 2016 - 5:00pm

California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF’s) 2017 Annual Meeting and Conference events will take place February 9-10, 2017, in Visalia, California. This year’s theme—Organic Innovation and Inspiration—will feature the innovative techniques organic producers, handlers, retailers, and other change-makers are using to address current economic and environmental issues, as well as big ideas for tackling the challenges of tomorrow. We invite you to join other innovators to change the world by changing the way we grow.

The festivities begin Thursday evening with the first annual CCOF Foundation Awards Feast. Hear from the next generation of organic producers and the champions who are helping them build their careers in agriculture. Friday’s full-day conference will focus on the innovations that are shaping our organic world. From new technology to out-of-the-box solutions for sustainability, you won’t want to miss this show and tell from some of organic’s biggest thinkers.

OTA's CEO Laura Batcha will discuss the GRO Organic Check-off, including what’s at stake for organic producers and processors and how to weigh-in as the process unfolds. 

BioFach

Wednesday, February 15, 2017 - 9:15am to Saturday, February 18, 2017 - 5:15pm

OTA staff will attend BIOFACH - The World's leading Trade Fair for Organic Food - will be held February 15-18 in Nuremberg, Germany. OTA's CEO Laura Batcha, Vice President of Regulatory and Technical Affairs Gwendolyn Wyard, and Director of International Trade Monique Marez will all be attending and presenting. Be sure to visit the OTA booth! 

OTA SPEAKER SESSIONS AT BIOFACH CONGRESS 2017

Be sure to join us for a pre-show reception on February 14, 2017 at the Maritim Nuremberg! All are invited but RSVP is required. Please sign-up here. If you have any questions about Biofach, the program, or if you will be attending please contact Contact Monique Marez for more information. 

 

Mexican Healthy Products Summit

Friday, January 27, 2017 - 9:15am to Sunday, January 29, 2017 - 5:15pm

OTA will present to the most influential buyers in Mexico at the Mexican Healthy Products Summit in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico. This is the key gathering for buyers of natural and organic products throughout Mexico. We will share updates on the US organic industry and discuss impacts of the potential organic equivalency arrangement with Mexico. To learn more, contact OTA's Director of International Trade Monique Marez

 

National Organic Standards Board Fall Meeting

Tuesday, October 31, 2017 - 9:00am to Thursday, November 2, 2017 - 6:00pm

The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), which recommends organic policy to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program, will hold its fall public meeting October 31 through November 2 in Jacksonville, FL. The draft agenda for the upcoming meeting is now posted. OTA will keep you informed of issues to be discussed and commented on for this meeting.

For information on previous meetings, visit the NOSB meetings page.

Meeting Information:

October 31-November 2, 2017

Omni Jacksonville - Jacksonville, FL
 

Organicology

Thursday, February 2, 2017 - 9:00am to Saturday, February 4, 2017 - 5:00pm

The 2017 Organicology Conference, featuring the latest research and education and networking for organic stakeholders, will take place Feb. 2-4 in Portland, OR. Organicology, held every two years, is organized by the Organically Grown Company, Oregon Tilth, Sustainable Food Trade Association, and Organic Seed Alliance.

OTA's CEO Laura Batcha will speak during a workshop session on Selling to the Masses on Friday, February 3 from 3:30 - 5:00pm and during a roundable discussion on Sustainable and Organic Agriculture Policy in the Next Farm Bill on Saturday, February 4 from 10:00am - 12:00pm. 

OTA's Vice President of Regulatory and Technical Affairs Gwendolyn Wyard will present in the panel Organic Regulatory Update and Policy Primer on Friday, February 3 from 10:00am - 12:00pm. 

OTA's Farm Policy Director Nate Lewis will present in an All-day solution-shop on Transition and Growth in the Organic Sector on Thursday, February 2 and in the session Organic Integrity: Managing the seemingly impossible on Friday, February 3 from 3:30 - 5pm. 

 

Organic at Natural Products Expo East

Wednesday, September 13, 2017 - 9:15am to Saturday, September 16, 2017 - 5:15pm

The Organic Trade Association will host a full schedule of membership activities and events in conjunction with Natural Products Expo East from Wednesday, September 13 through Saturday, September 16, 2017. This exciting week in Baltimore serves as one of the primary, annual gathering places for the OTA membership. From our our annual Membership Meeting to the All Things Organic conference series, we look forward to connecting OTA members, Board and staff for association business, member meetings, and social and networking events again during Expo East 2017. 

Check out our full schedule of activities   

Natural Products Expo West

Wednesday, March 8, 2017 - 9:00am to Sunday, March 12, 2017 - 6:00pm

Natural Products Expo West will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. OTA will host a full schedule of membership activities and events in conjunction with the trade show. This exciting week in Anaheim serves as one of the primary, annual gathering places for the OTA membership. We look forward to connecting OTA members, Board and staff for association business, member meetings, and social and networking events including The Organic Center's Annual Benefit Dinner. Contact Tracy Campany to learn more.

FULL SCHEDULE OF OTA EVENTS AT EXPO WEST

EcoFarm Conference

Wednesday, January 25, 2017 - 9:00am to Saturday, January 28, 2017 - 5:45pm

EcoFarm Conference will be held January 25-28, 2017 at the Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, CA.


Pre-Conference Organic Produce Meeting Series

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) will host a pre-conference organic produce meeting series in Pacific Grove, California prior to the conference.

The event will be broken into two meeting sessions. The morning session will address the urgent need to develop an organic substitute to the currently allowed use of non-organic celery powder to cure organic processed meats such as organic bacon and sausage. The afternoon session will be an informative and solution-oriented conversation covering multiple critical topics the organic produce sector is facing.

The event is held in conjunction with the EcoFarm Conference; it's a great opportunity to meet and engage with organic produce farmers and handlers prior to the conference. Please join us!

Schedule: 

Wednesday, January 25

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM: 
OTA's Celery Powder Working Group will facilitate a stakeholder discussion identifying specific target challenges that must be overcome to develop organic substitutes for non-organic celery powder used to cure organic meat products.

12:00 PM - 2:00 PM:
Lunch is available separately from Noon to 2 p.m. for $18/per person.

2:00 PM - 4:30 PM:
Facilitated business conversation covering topics germane to the organic produce sector. Topics covered will include Container Production and Hydroponics, Farm Bill Priorities, Transitional Certification, the proposed GRO Organic Checkoff and Organic Seed Usage Requirements.

RSVP

Space is limited for this special meeting series. Register yourself and a colleague.
For questions, please contact Tracy Campany, OTA's Events & Projects Manager.


OTA Presentations at EcoFarm Conference

The USDA Organic Check Off: Friend or Foe? 
Thursday, January 26, 3:30 PM
The Organic Trade Association created and promoted the USDA-administered Gro Organic Check Off program. If approved by the vote of certified organic farmers, the program will create a $30 million annual tax on U.S. organic farmers, designed to advance research and promotion for organic foods and fiber. Concerns have been raised by numerous critics. This is the first check off or marketing order to attempt to promote a broad spectrum of crops. All others were developed for a single crop. This is also the first check off designed exclusively for organic foods and will feature a USDA advisory board comprised of farmers and others in the organic food business, including processors and sellers. Numerous issues have arisen, yet the USDA is moving toward an organic farmer vote on the issue. This session will feature two advocates of the program and two who oppose it, in a facilitated, polite discussion between panelists and the audience.

Presenters: 
Laura Batcha, Organic Trade Association
Phil LaRocca, LaRocca Vineyards
Steve Sprinkel, The Farmer and the Cook
Tom Pavich, FMP Vineyards

Organic Container Production: Embracing Innovation and Respecting Traditions
Friday, January 27, 10:30 AM
Organic specialty crop producers are facing tremendous pressures on their resources with record droughts and high land prices. Many are looking to innovative production systems to overcome these pressures, and there is a growing trend in some crops to grow in containers. Join Ian Justus (Driscoll’s Berries), Theojary Crisantes (Wholesum Harvest), and Cecille Madriz (Fennell Farms) in a panel discussion around why these producers have embraced container production, how their systems respect organic traditions and meet organic regulations, and where they’re seeing the benefits of container production in their operations.  

Moderator: 
Nate Lewis, Organic Trade Association


The Organic Center at EcoFarm Conference

Annual Research Roundup: Recent Science Supporting Organic
Thursday, January 26, 8:30 AM
Every year scientists release a wide variety of research that supports the benefits of organic food and farming. However, many of these cutting-edge studies are never communicated with the public because they are published in journals that are expensive to access. This workshop will help bridge the gap between science and the public, by covering research on applied solutions for farmers, the environmental effects of organic systems, and the human health impacts of exposure to pesticides. Dr. Jessica Shade from the Organic Center will give a brief overview of the multitude of studies published in 2016 of interest to the organic community. Brise Tenser will give an update on the Organic Farming Research Foundation studies on research needs in organic systems and public funding of organic projects. Dr. Asa Bradman from the Center for Environmental Research and Children’s Health (CERCH) will highlight their recent publications on developmental impacts of prenatal exposure to pesticides.

Presenters:
Dr. Jessica Shade, The Organic Center
Brise Tenser, OFRF
Dr. Asa Bradman, UC Berkeley

Organic Control of Citrus Greening
Friday, January 27, 1:30 PM
The purpose of this workshop is to educate citrus growers about organically approved methods for preventing citrus greening, including the most recent research findings from 2016. Citrus greening disease, or Huanglongbing (HLB), threatens the citrus industry on a massive scale. The highly destructive disease can spread quickly and cannot be cured once a tree is infected. Several researchers have recently started to investigate organically compliant methods such as thermal control, resistant rootstocks, organic-compliant antimicrobials and insecticides, and beneficial insects. This workshop will showcase the results from these recent studies, helping protect California farmers from the threat of HLB spread. Ben McLean of Uncle Matt’s Organic will summarize research conducted in Florida on potential organic control of HLB, and Jeff Steen of Ecosa Properties and the California Citrus Research Board will give an update on the HLB situation in California and the need for research targeting organic prevention of HLB here.

Presenters:
Ben McLean, Uncle Matt's Organic
Jeffrey Steen, Ecosa Properties

Conserving Biodiversity Using Organic Practices
Friday, January 27, 3:30 PM
Learn about a spectrum of easily adopted, on-farm conservation activities that support biodiversity and benefit farm systems. Farm management choices reflect the context of the land and the farm’s need and capacity, but can be improved by following general practices along a continuum from simple to complex. In this talk, results will be shared from research on 54 organic farms on the Central Coast and in the Midwest. Results demonstrate how farm management and landscape complexity affect the abundance and diversity of pollinators, the natural enemies of pests (including birds), soil fertility, and the ability of soils to store greenhouse gases. We will share planning tools from the Organic Center to prioritize, record, and monitor biodiversity, and optimize the multiple benefits of on-farm conservation. 

Presenters:
Jo Ann Baumgartner, Wild Farm Alliance
John Quinn, Furman University
Amber R. Sciligo, UC Berkeley


To learn more, please contact OTA's CEO Laura Batcha or the Organic Center's Director of Science Programs Dr. Jessica Shade

Washington Organic Week

Monday, September 12, 2016 - 9:30am to Sunday, September 18, 2016 - 5:30pm

Governor Jay Inslee has declared September 12-18th, 2016 as Washington Organic Week (WOW!) Join us in Celebrating Washington’s organic bounty! See Governor Inslee’s proclamation.

Washington State Department of Agriculture will host social media and blog posts throughout the week, learning about the history of organic certification, understanding what certification actually means, and highlighting organic statistics. 

Here’s a shortcut to more information about Washington Organic Week:

Facts and Information for 2016 http://tilthproducers.org/wow

Organic Statistics for 2015 from WSU Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources http://csanr.wsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/WA_OrgStats_-ann_rev_2015.pdf

WSDA Organic Program Interested in Certification web page http://agr.wa.gov/FoodAnimal/Organic/NewOrg.aspx

WSDA Blog and Social Media, where we are posting WOW! updates for the week

http://wastatedeptag.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/WAStateDeptAg
https://twitter.com/WSDAgov/  #WAOrganic

Questions? Please contact OTA's Farm Policy Director Nate Lewis.

Montana Organic Association's 14th Annual Conference

Thursday, December 1, 2016 - 9:45am to Saturday, December 3, 2016 - 5:00pm

Montana Organic Association (MOA) will hold their annual conference at Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell, Montana on December 1-3, 2016. Keynote speaker will be John P. Reganold, Regents Professor of Soil Science & Agroecology at Washington State University. OTA's Farm Policy Director, Nate Lewis, will be attending and providing updates on organic farm policy issues. To connect with OTA at the conference, contact Nate. Mark your calendars today and check back soon for details!

 

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