Organic Industry Event

The NOSB Fall Meeting will be taking place October 13-21, 2021 in Sacramento, CA. 

The NOSB will meet to discuss substances petitioned for addition to or deletion from the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List), substances due to sunset from the National List in 2023, and recommendations on organic policies. Please visit the NOSB Meetings page for further information and instructions.

The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) typically meets twice per year in various locations around the United States. During meetings, the NOSB listens to public comments, discusses agenda items, and then votes on recommendations to the Secretary in a public forum. Detailed meeting information, including agendas, location, proposals and how to participate will be posted below as it becomes available.

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

Natural Products Expo West will be all virtual this year. Organic Day takes place Tuesday, May 25, from 10 - 11:30 a.m. Pacific/ 1 - 2:30 p.m. Eastern. 

Registration for the all virtual Expo West is complimentary for qualifying business types.

The Organic Center’s Virtual #OrganicBenefit Event

Join The Organic Center on May 26 at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET for our Organic Benefit Premiere from the comfort of your office, couch or kitchen. The premiere will feature organic recipe tutorial videos by Chef Megan Mitchell, the latest research behind organic food and farming from Dr. Jessica Shade, and an opportunity to dig deeper into your organic education! This premiere is open to all and there is no cost to participate. To join us at the premiere on May 26, simply grab your favorite organic beverage, follow this link, and settle in for a fun celebration of the (in)credible science behind organic. The Organic Center is also hosting a Twitter Party during the premiere, so be sure to participate (and encourage your consumer networks to join in) for a chance to win amazing organic giveaways from generous sponsors! 

Organic Education at Expo West

Surveying the Organic Landscape (10 a.m. Pacific / 1 p.m. Eastern) A 15-minute keynote from Organic Trade Association CEO/Executive Director Laura Batcha will bring in topline 2021 market data, and touch on how climate, pandemic, and social issues intersect with organic. We will also discuss the Continuous Improvement and Accountability in Organic initiative.

 

The Organic Center Presents: Impacts of Pesticides on Communities of Color (10:15 - 11 a.m. Pacific / 1:15 - 2 p.m. Eastern) Join Jessica Shade, The Organic Center’s Director of Science Programs, for an important conversation about the outsized and often hidden toll of the use of agricultural pesticides on communities of color. The discussion will incorporate a diversity of perspectives from those working directly in agriculture, and scientists examining the human and environmental effects of its practices. Panelists include Jade M. Algarín from USDA, Earcine Evans from Francis Flowers and Herbs, Brian Williams from Mississippi State University, and Javier Zamora from JSM Organics.



Organic Learning Salons (11 - 11:30 a.m. Pacific / 2 - 2:30 p.m. Eastern) Organic experts will host networking rooms with a focus. Have a question, or a topic you’d like to discuss with organic industry colleagues? Drop in for a half hour of conversation and connection.  

• Organic Compliance & Fraud Prevention (with Gwendolyn Wyard and Adrienne Messe)
• What’s New and Next in Fiber? (with Michael Twer and Angela Wartes-Kahl)
• What is your Organic Brand’s Sustainability Plan? (with Lisa Braun)
• What you need to know about changes to Organic Equivalence Arrangements (with Alexis Carey)
• The Science Behind Organic (with Amber Sciligo)

Foreign Buyers’ Mission Meetings

The Organic Trade Association will again partner with Food Export Midwest to bring a diverse set of buyers to Expo West from around the world. We will be organizing 1 on 1 meetings for U.S. organic companies with buyers from a variety of foreign markets. Meetings will take place either in person or virtually. For more information on this Buyers Mission and OTA's other international activities contact Alexis Carey.

What’s new with organic? Visit our virtual booth to learn more!

Be sure to visit our booth in the Natural Products Expo West Spark Change Virtual Exhibits! Whether you are interested in discussing critical issues facing your organic business, checking out OTA’s global trade resources to help you expand your business overseas, or understanding what we're doing to elevate the footprint of organic on Capitol Hill, our knowledgeable staff is eager to connect with you. Contact Adrienne Messe to set up a meeting with us!

The American Spice Trade Association, the voice of the U.S. spice industry in the global market, is hosting their conferenece online May 10-13, 2021. 

Gwendolyn Wyard, Organic Trade Association's Vice President, Regulatory & Technical Affairs, will be a featured expert in the "Ask the Export - Organic Regulations, EMA" session taking place Thursday, May 13, 2021, 2:45 - 3:15 p.m. EST. This “Ask the Expert” session is an informal opportunity for members to raise questions and discussion topics of interest on organic regulations. Come prepared with specific questions on organics.

Wild Farm Alliance is pleased to be partnering with The Organic Center, CCOF and an organic farmer on a webinar and live Q&A session discussing How Can and Why Should Certifiers Address the NOP Requirements for Biodiversity?

Even though the National Organic Program (NOP) requires biodiversity, growers benefit from it and consumers expect it, the NOP did not clarify what that means until they published their guidance in 2016. This has led to disparities in on-farm biodiversity strategy and certifier oversight, resulting in an unfair playing field for growers and certifiers. This webinar and live Q&A will focus on the importance of biodiversity for organic growers, biodiversity disparities, tools that certifiers are using to ensure that farmers are in compliance, and farmer strategies for maintaining and improving biodiversity. WFA also just updated a new resource for inspectors and certifiers that outlines positive indicators and red flags to look for when inspecting organic farms for biodiversity measures. Click here to download the resource.

The Organic Center's, Dr. Jessica Shade, will be speaking on the webinar, taking place Tuesday February 23rd 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. EST. It is free to attend but you must register in advance. 

Speakers:

• Dr. Jessica Shade, Organic Center
• Peter Martinelli, Fresh Run Farm
• Sean Feder, CCOF
• Jo Ann Baumgartner, Wild Farm Alliance 

The NOSB will meet April 28-30, 2021 in Arlington, Virginia, to discuss substances petitioned for addition to or deletion from the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List), substances due to sunset from the National List in 2023, and recommendations on organic policies.

The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) typically meets twice per year in various locations around the United States. During meetings, the NOSB listens to public comments, discusses agenda items, and then votes on recommendations to the Secretary in a public forum. Detailed meeting information, including agendas, locations, proposals, and public comments, will be posted below as it becomes available. For information on previous meetings, visit the NOSB meetings page.

Organic Trade Association's VP of Regulatory and Technical Affairs, Gwendolyn Wyard, will be attending the meeting and submitting written and oral recommendations to the NOSB on behalf of Organic Trade Assocation Members. For more information or to connect at the meeting, contact Gwendolyn Wyard.

Meeting Information:

The Westin Crystal City

1800 Richmond Highway

Arlington, Virginia 22202

The Minnesota Organic Conference, hosted annually by the Minnosota Department of Agriculture, is a conference and trade show for farmers and others interested in organic agriculture. The 2021 conference will be taking place virtually January 7, 14, 21, 28, 2021. All sessions begin at 3:00 p.m. Central Time. Recordings will be available for one week following each session. Registration is $10 per session or $30 for all four. Click here for more information and to register! 

The Organic Center's Dr. Amber Sciligo will be speaking about Soil Health on Organic Farms on January 28th at 4pmEST. Find more info on the full conference programming below! 

January 7, 2021 - Back to the Future: Regenerative-Organic Food Production for Good Health

• Bob Quinn, Ph.D., Organic Farmer, Entrepreneur, Author

January 14, 2021 - The Connection Between Farm Ecosystem Health and Human Health

• Silvia Abel-Caines, DVM, Ph.D., Organic Valley Ruminant Nutritionist

January 21, 2021 - The Challenges of Our Times: Climate Change, COVID, and Organic Farm Viability

• Carolyn Dimitri, Ph.D., New York University Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health
• Andy Pressman, National Center for Appropriate Technology
• Cristel Zoebisch, Organic Farming Research Foundation

January 28, 2021 - Soil Health on Organic Farms

• Amber Sciligo, Ph.D., The Organic Center Science Program Manager

The 2021 MOSES Conference will be a 5-in-1 virtual event taking place February 22-27, 2021, in partnership with GrassWorks, Iowa Organic Association, OGRAIN, the University of Wisconsin, and Fairshare CSA Coalition.

The theme for the 2020 MOSES Conference is Growing Stronger: Collaborative Conference on Organic & Sustainable Farming. Learn the latest on organic and sustainable production during the 5-in-1 virtual event that combines the MOSES Organic Farming Conference, GrassWorks Grazing Conference, OGRAIN Organic Grain Conference, Midwest Organic Pork Conference, and Organic Vegetable Production Conference. With more than 60 workshops and opportunities to connect through roundtables on food system and farming issues, and more than 70 exhibitors, this event has the content you need to make critical decisions for your farm. Learn more! 

The Organic Center's Dr. Jessica Shade will be speaking in the following conferece workshop:

Build Soil Health & Suppress Pathogens in Organic Systems | February 24, 2021 | 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. EST

Organic farming techniques have long been proven to help foster and restore soil health, replenish soil organic carbon, and preserve underground biodiversity. But, some organic strategies provide a bigger boost to soil health than others. Discover which practices are most effective at building soil health and sequestering carbon, and their impact on organic yields. We'll also discuss the connections between building soil health and suppressing pathogens.

Speakers:

• Dr. Jessica Shade, The Organic Center 
• Timothy Bowles, University of California Berkeley
• Robert Crystal-Ornelas, University of Maryland
• Alda Pires

The pandemic is having a profound impact on the food industry. It has disrupted raw material supply chains, changed the way products are distributed, and the way food is bought and consumed. Learn about the sustainability implications of the coronavirus crisis at this new North American virtual edition of Sustainable Foods Summit. 

The Sustainable Foods Summit will be hosted on an online platform January 25-28, 2021, the summit is comprised of four conference sessions:

• Session One: Sustainability Update
• Session Two: Food Ingredients
• Session Three: Supply Chains
• Session Four: Future of Sustainability Schemes

Organic Trade Association is sponsoring the event, and OTA's Farm Policy Director, Johanna Mirenda, will be speaking on the morning of January 28th as a part of Session Four: Future of Sustainability Schemes. For more information, contact Angela Jagiello. 

Anuga will be taking place October 9-13, 2021 in Cologne, Germany. This is the world’s largest trade fair for food and beverages, breaks new grounds for the developments of the entire industry. It is the most important industry meeting point as the figures of 2019 once again impressively demonstrate: With 7,972 exhibitors and about 169,653 visitors, Anuga Cologne is clearly the number one food fair!

Organic Trade Association will host a pavilion at the show for 8 U.S. organic companies. If you are interested in participating, contact Alexis Carey, International Trade Manager.