How to Get More from Organic
Who do you turn to when you need expert industry guidance? How do you stay current on the ever-changing organic rules and regulations? How do you tackle problems that are bigger than your business alone? The Organic Trade Association can help you get more from organic.
We are stronger together.
The organic industry’s total is greater and more influential than the sum of our parts. By joining OTA, you can amplify your voice with the strength of the entire membership to shape the future of organic. With your participation, we can ensure a thriving, diverse, collaborative, organic trade and community.
OTA works for you.
The Organic Trade Association works to create a strong, valued, and equitable organic brand by protecting the USDA Organic seal and developing a marketplace where our diverse members can flourish. We help protect and grow your businesses.
The single most effective way you can address the range of critical issues facing your organic business is by joining OTA. We have worked to strengthen the organic business community for thirty years and have the strategic know-how to address issues that impact your bottom line, both large and small.
Green
OTA membership offers an investment with high returns:
- Participate in OTA Task Forces, Sector Councils, and Member Forums to influence, get informed, network, and collaborate with other organic businesses.
- Get expert guidance and one-on-one support on organic regulatory issues, government affairs, global trade, and marketing trends related to your business.
- Receive timely and vital updates to stay informed on changes to the U.S. organic standards and National List and stay up to date on activities and developments at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and National Organic Standards Board (NOSB).
- Directly influence elected officials and policymakers by advocating for organic priorities on Capitol Hill.
- Watch live and recorded webinars on the latest topics and trends relevant to organic businesses.
- Download the latest market research to develop your business strategy and promote the benefits of organic to your customers.
- Receive exclusive marketing tools and directory listings to increase your visibility with customers and suppliers.
- Access international distribution channels through OTA’s global market programs and trade missions.
OTA Member Forums, Sector Councils, and Task Forces encourage communication and collaboration among our diverse members so we can work collectively to address the issues impacting your unique business and sector.
OTA is the premier source of information about organic. We provide members exclusive access to market data products on the size of the organic market, industry trends, and insights into the organic consumer.
Organic Industry Survey
The Organic Industry Survey is OTA’s flagship research product and has been the definitive source for business intelligence on the rapidly growing U.S. organic sector for more than 20 years. Each year, we provide our members with the most accurate and comprehensive quantitative picture of the organic industry available. The report includes organic food and non-food sales and growth figures, category data, trends, and forecasts for one of the fastest-growing sectors of agriculture. The Organic Industry Survey is available for purchase for non-members.
Consumer Perception of USDA Organic and Competing Label Claims Report
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) recently partnered with Euromonitor International to conduct a comprehensive consumer survey to evaluate shoppers’ knowledge, attitudes and willingness to pay regarding organic products. The report evaluates how USDA Organic stacks up against various claims and certifications, including regenerative, natural and more, to assess its standing in the marketplace.
Organic Opportunity Communications Toolkit
In 2020, OTA regulatory staff worked closely with Amazon to ensure that the USDA Organic seal was added as a recognized certification in its Climate-Pledge Friendly Initiative. That work launched the Advocating for Organic within National Retailers Sustainability Initiatives Task Force, which developed the Organic Opportunity Communications Toolkit. The toolkit is full of resources the industry can use to collectively advocate the benefits of organic to consumers, retailers, and the government alike.
With a fast-changing marketplace, an evolving political climate, and ongoing consumer confusion, it is vital to be part of a strong trade association working proactively with USDA and Congress to defend and strengthen organic.
Strengthening Organic Enforcement
The Organic Trade Association works to protect the organic industry by advocating for strong organic regulations that safeguard consumer trust while ensuring new regulations are practical in application to limit the regulatory burden for our members.
Fraud cannot be tolerated in organic, inside or outside of the United States. Anytime there is fraud anywhere in the organic system, it takes value out of the organic chain. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), certifiers, inspectors and organic businesses all have a shared role in protecting the integrity of the seal.
The Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) final rule supports the continued growth of the organic market and improves oversight at critical links in the supply chain. The new regulation represents the biggest change to organic regulations since the creation of USDA’s National Organic Program. The rule closes gaps in current organic regulations and builds consistent certification practices to prevent fraud and improve the transparency and traceability of organic products. Fraud in the organic system – wherever it occurs – harms the entire organic sector and shakes the trust of consumers in organic.
Farm Bill
The Farm Bill is an omnibus package of legislation that is renewed every five years. It sets the agenda for agriculture policy and spending for years to come and is critical to the success of the organic marketplace.
We provide OTA members with legislative updates, lobby training, and coordinating visits to key Congressional offices so you can directly influence the organic priorities considered by D.C. lawmakers. OTA hosts industry roundtables, Farm Bill listening sessions, and in-district Congressional events and farm visits.
OTA Political Action Committee (PAC)
A Political Action Committee (PAC) is a transparent, legal, and federally monitored way for trade associations like OTA to engage in the political process. OTA’s Organic PAC is our voice in Washington. The OTA Organic PAC is here for you and for our industry, to ensure that our elected leaders make organic food, fiber and farming a priority and an important part of our nation’s agriculture policy.
The Organic PAC is funded by pooling voluntary contributions from employees of OTA member companies. This allows us to leverage every donation into one strong fund for one very strong voice. With these funds, our Organic PAC board identifies political champions to support so that the organic industry can be heard and understood on the Hill. How effective we are depends on how willing elected officials are to understand our perspective. The Organic PAC helps us elect candidates who understand our point of view so that we won’t be shut out of issues affecting our industry. Rather than supporting along party lines, the Organic PAC is completely non-partisan. Instead, we look at where elected leaders stand on a variety of organic issues such as Farm Bill priorities, and how they vote on regulatory mandates. If they share our perspective, they get our support.
Whether we’re bringing the latest news and trends about the organic industry to diverse audiences, sponsoring business networking gatherings, or hosting listening sessions to gather feedback from the sector, you can count on OTA to be part of the action.
Organic Week in Washington, D.C.
OTA hosts our flagship industry event, Organic Week, annually in Washington, D.C. Organic Week is a place of discovery, collaboration, and advocacy for farmers to retailers, and everyone in between looking to shape decisions that impact organic. The event provides an opportunity for member engagement, networking, and working groups, hosts a policy conference with informative sessions and keynotes discussing today’s critical organic issues and policy updates, and facilitates an advocacy day where members work in small teams to attend hundreds of pre-scheduled meetings across Capitol Hill advocating for organic priorities.
Webinars
Since workflows and colleague collaboration leaned into digital engagement in 2020, OTA and our sister science organization, The Organic Center, have built a robust webinar program to educate and benefit our members. We keep you informed on the regulatory, scientific, and business conversations at the heart of organic.
Organic Industry Events
OTA’s calendar is full of events organized or attended by the trade association. Some are signature OTA events hosted for members, while others are regional, national, or international conferences where OTA staff are featured as keynotes and panelists.
OTA supports international trade and strengthening global organic supply chains by promoting U.S. organic abroad and connecting members with global buyers and supply chains.
Connecting members with global supply chains
OTA is present each year at the world’s most promising, high-value international trade shows, promoting U.S. organic products and fostering global trade. We host U.S. organic producers and brands at our large, attractive exhibit as a cost-effective way for companies to reach global buyers and sellers. In addition to these international events, OTA members are given priority listing in our Find.Organic business directory. The directory is your source for information on organic products and services and is the go-to tool for forging links in the U.S. organic supply chain.
Global Organic Trade Guide
Interested in selling your organic products around the world? OTA’s Global Organic Trade Guide has all the resources you need to enter the global marketplace. The site includes country or region-specific information on international organic regulations and standards, special requirements for imported products and certification, and listings of the U.S.'s organic-specific trade agreements with foreign countries.
The Organic Trade Association accepts our social responsibility in helping shape a more inclusive agriculture future for the good of the organic market and our communities. We are committed to bringing into focus the social inequalities that have been allowed to lay blurry around of edges of the organic movement. To realize our vision, we must address the inequalities that prevent all people and communities from benefiting from organic farming and products.
Diversity and Entrepreneurship Fund
In an effort to diversify our membership and include food justice organizations and influencers, we are extending complimentary membership to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) owned farms and businesses. OTA also hosts an “Ask Me Anything” webinar series that offer program participants an informal setting to engage with industry leaders and consultants on specific topics to support their success in the organic industry.
Diversity Resource Library
Diversity Resource Library is a collection of resources that trade association members and the organic community at large can use to diversify their content, conferences, supply chains, and marketing efforts. Together, we can promote a broader awareness of people and places aligned with the ideals of the organic community.
Diversity Council
Our Diversity Council convenes members from across industry sectors to work together to develop practices and processes that embed justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion into the fabric of OTA and the organic movement.
Learn more
The Organic Center, OTA’s sister science organization, is THE trusted source of the science of organic farming and products. They convene credible, evidence-based science to fill knowledge gaps and support organic farmers and businesses.
The Center works collectively with stakeholders across the industry to advance organic by facilitating research, developing resources to promote the benefits of organic, and communicating the organic difference to consumers.
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