OTA Hosted Event

Join Gwendolyn Wyard, Vice President, Regulatory & Technical Affairs, OTA for an Organic Hemp Listening Session, taking place August 5, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. EST. 

We want to hear from the organic hemp sector about the challenges, barriers and opportunities that are unique to certified organic production, handling and the organic certification process. Participants will have an opportunity to learn more about the work of the Organic Trade Association and share their views on how we can best support the growth of organic hemp production and hemp products. 

This Listening Session will take place online using Zoom. 

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Join The Organic Center on Friday, July 23, 2021 - 12:00 pm Eastern / 9:00 am Pacific for a Webinar on Science-Based Composting Practices. 

Soil amendment use is one option among a number of management practices that growers have to support plant growth and build healthy soils. Some soil amendments are biological soil amendments of animal origin (BSAAO) and they are primarily used as a nutrient source and to build up organic matter in the soil. However, the use of BSAAO in produce production can present a microbial food safety risk by introducing human pathogens into the soil as well as the broader farm environment. This two-part webinar series will outline benefits and risk reduction practices when using manure, compost, and other BSAAO often used on produce farms. The relationship between these BSAAO recommendations and the requirements in the National Organic Program, Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule, and third-party Good Agricultural Practices audits will also be explored. Both webinars will include a Q&A session at the end.  

The second presentation in the series will highlight science-based composting practices that growers can use to minimize microbial food safety risks while reaping the soil health and production benefits from the use of BSAAO. A discussion will follow about the treatment status and documentation requirements for other common BSAAO such as vermicompost, fish emulsion, and pelletized poultry litter.

• Esteemed Panelists:
• Donna Pahl Clements, M.S., Product Safety Alliance's Southwest Regional Extension Associate | Cornell University
• Elizabeth A. Bihn, Ph.D., Senior Extension Associate, Department of Food Science | Cornell University
• Amber Sciligo, Ph.D., Associate Director of Science Programs | The Organic Center (Discussion Leader)

Open to all. This Webinar will be recorded and shared on demand approximately 2 business days following the presentation.

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Join The Organic Center on Thursday, July 15, 2021 - 2:00 pm Eastern / 11:00 am Pacific, for a Webinar on Managing Soil Amendments for Food Safety and Soil Health

Soil amendment use is one option among a number of management practices that growers have to support plant growth and build healthy soils. Some soil amendments are biological soil amendments of animal origin (BSAAO) and they are primarily used as a nutrient source and to build up organic matter in the soil. However, the use of BSAAO in produce production can present a microbial food safety risk by introducing human pathogens into the soil as well as the broader farm environment. This two-part webinar series will outline benefits and risk reduction practices when using manure, compost, and other BSAAO often used on produce farms. The relationship between these BSAAO recommendations and the requirements in the National Organic Program, Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule, and third-party Good Agricultural Practices audits will also be explored. Both webinars will include a Q&A session at the end.  

As the first presentation in a two-part series, this session will introduce how the use of BSAAO improves soil health. Research on pathogen survival in BSAAO-amended soils will be presented, as well as how growers can minimize the risks of using untreated soil amendments through proper application, storage, handling, and recordkeeping practices. Other common practices will be introduced, including rotational grazing.

• Esteemed Panelists:
• Donna Pahl Clements, M.S., Product Safety Alliance's Southwest Regional Extension Associate | Cornell University
• Elizabeth A. Bihn, Ph.D., Senior Extension Associate, Department of Food Science | Cornell University
• Amber Sciligo, Ph.D., Associate Director of Science Programs | The Organic Center (Discussion Leader)

Open to all. This Webinar will be recorded and shared on demand approximately 2 business days following the presentation.

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The Organic Trade Association’s Sustainable Food Trade Action (SFTA) Council is aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and will be helping to bring diverse views to the United Nations 2021 Food Systems Summit by organizing the Independent Dialogue outlined below. This event, taking place virtually May 10th 2:00 – 4:30 p.m. EST, will bring together a diverse group of stakeholders to look at the ways organic can be part of the solution. Paul Schiefer, Sr. Director of Sustainability at Amy's Kitchen & Chair of OTA's Sustainable Food Trade Action Council, will lead the conversation. Six small breakout discussions will take place to ensure a deep dive into separate issues. Facilitators of these breakout groups will be members of the SFTA Council:



Organic as a solution to meet increasing demands from consumers and global markets, to address environmental pressures, and to achieve the UN sustainable development goals.

1. Feeding the world -- Olga Borquez, Wholesum Family Farms

2. Human health and wellbeing – Kevin Lee, Dr. Bronner’s

3. Climate action – Britt Lundgren, Stonyfield Farm

4. Socially responsible economic growth -- Tracy Favre, Fig Hill Farm Consulting

5. International trade – Emily Musgrave, Driscoll’s

6. Innovation – Matt Landi, Awe Sum Organics



Join us and be a part of the solution. We are allocating seats for 60 diverse stakeholders that will include organic farmers, scientists, food manufacturers, organic fiber, nutritionists, international players, and more. Register now, we might not be able to accommodate everyone who expresses interest, we will start a waitlist once we reach 60 attendees.



By registering for this event you are committing to being available to attend and be an active contributor in this conversation on May 10th from 2:00-4:30 p.m. EST. If you’re interested in participating in this important dialogue but unavailable to attend on May 10th, please contact Adrienne Messe to stay informed of the outcomes.

Organic has the advantage when it comes to mitigating climate change and building soil health by quantifying the carbon sequestration potential of organic soil management practices. Join The Organic Center on April 15 to learn more from the Robert Crystal-Ornelas, PhD, co-author of a recently-published paper that looks within organic management and builds on The Organic Center’s continued delivery on GRO Organic’s climate change and soil health portfolio. The project not only highlights the areas where organic excels at locking greenhouse gas in the soil, but also identifies the areas that are having the biggest beneficial impact, allowing organic growers to maximize their climate change fighting power.

• Esteemed Panelists: 
• Robert Crystal-Ornelas, PhD, Postdoctoral Scholar in the Energy Geosciences Division | Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
• Amber Sciligo, PhD, Associate Director of Science Programs | The Organic Center (Facilitator)

Open to all

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This Webinar will be recorded and shared on demand approximately 2 business days following the presentation. Register to learn when it will be available. 

The Organic Trade Association will host a special briefing for USDA-accredited certifying agents about Organic Fraud Prevention Solutions on Wednesday, April 7th 2021, 2:00-3:00 p.m. EST. Attendance at this briefing is limited to Accredited Certifying Agents and IOIA Members only. If you are not an ACA or IOIA Member, please contact Adrienne Messe to attend one of our regular monthly info sessions to learn more about Organic Fraud Prevention Solutions. 

Organic Fraud Prevention Solutions is a program that organic businesses may voluntarily enroll in to help minimize or eliminate organic fraud. The program is based on buyer responsibility and supply chain management, and provides companies with a risk-based process for developing and implementing an organic fraud prevention plan. The program complements and reinforces organic certification and enforcement efforts of USDA’s National Organic Program and accredited certifiers through promotion of industry-wide, best practices for improving the resilience and overall integrity of global organic supply chains. Check out the Organic Fraud Prevention Solutions Participant Handbook that provides an overview of this fraud prevention program and the steps required to successfully complete the enrollment process. Please note 7 and 8!

The final steps of the Organic Fraud Prevention Solutions enrollment process is for the participating company to update its Organic System Plan with their completed Organic Fraud Prevention Plan. This info session will provide an in-depth opportunity to learn more about the role of the accredited certifier in this process, what to expect and how to prepare. Our first participants started the enrollment process in late 2020, and some have begun to submit their Organic Fraud Prevention Plans in 2021. This session will be your best opportunity to learn more, ask questions and help make this important program a huge success. For more background information, please reference the presentation we provided at the January 2019 ACA Training.

Register here!