Members at Work

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is a longstanding advocate for increasing federal funding for organic transition to increase organic acreage and production and to strengthen the domestic supply chain.

In today’s politically charged environment engaging in public policy seems more like a contact sport than an exercise in civic dialogue. I’ve done it; you’ve done it – turned off the TV, changed the radio station, or avoided social media altogether because you’re exhausted and frustrated by the polarizing and fractured state of political affairs. 

For more than 6 decades, The Grain Place farm in central Nebraska has shown the way for organic grains production in the “Cornhusker” state and the Midwest and far beyond. Three generations of the Vetter family – dedicated to growing food and raising livestock in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way – have inspired and mentored countless numbers of farmers, agricultural professionals and food industry experts to work towards a healthier food production system.

Last week, the Organic Trade Association gathered with organic businesses from across the supply chain, coalition partners, scientists, advocates and policymakers in the nation’s capital for Organic Week 2023. Leaders in organic farming, business and science discussed complex organic issues including plastics in the supply chain, cultivating diversity in the sector, and projects to maximize the industry’s climate benefits.

What can you do to protect your business from organic fraud?

The success of the organic sector relies entirely on consumer trust in the USDA organic seal. Supply chains compromised due to fraud can erode consumer trust in the integrity of the organic brand and hurt organic farmers everywhere. It is critical that every organic business has a system in place that will prevent fraud and support the promise of providing organic products that people can trust.

Organic supports climate resilience, economic security, and health equity. CCOF’s goal is to expand the benefits of organic to all of California by transitioning 30 percent of California’s agricultural land to organic by 2030. Currently, just under 10 percent of farmland in California is organic. To reach this target, we took a deep dive into the research on the benefits of organic and how organic can be supported at the policy level. We developed nearly 40 recommendations in our Roadmap to an Organic California: Policy Report. And now, we’re enacting these recommendations.

Two years into the pandemic, there is perhaps no more familiar cultural phrase describing the past year than “You’re on mute.” It immediately conjures memories of a 2021 filled with […]