The Canada Organic Trade Association's Board of Directors is pleased to announce it has appointed Tia Loftsgard as Executive Director of the association, effective March 21, 2016.
After five years of ongoing negotiations, the European Union Regulatory Committee on Organic Production has voted on March 2nd on the expansion of the current scope of the Canada-EU Organic Equivalency Arrangement. Process products with imported ingredients certified in accordance with Canada's organic legislation will now be cover under the agreement.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced its intent to assist organic farmers with the cost of establishing up to 20,000 acres of new conservation buffers and other practices on and near farms that produce organic crops.
When it comes to checkoffs, the proposed organic one isn’t just the new kid on the block. It’s more like the alien who landed in the middle of the block.
Growers in the three-year transition period from conventional to organic production methods have new crop insurance options from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Interest in organic farming is ballooning in Idaho, to the point that the state Department of Agriculture is seeking to up its staffing from three inspectors to five, with one of them coming on board right away. “We don’t have much choice – we had to get going on it,” said state Ag Director Celia Gould. “It’s a big deal.”
Washington State University researchers have concluded that feeding a growing global population with sustainability goals in mind is possible. Their review of hundreds of published studies provides evidence that organic farming can produce sufficient yields, be profitable for farmers, protect and improve the environment and be safer for farm workers.
I did a little experiment the other day. I stood outside a Whole Foods Market in Washington, D.C., with two cartons of large brown eggs. One carton had the words "Non-GMO Project Verified" on it, with a little orange butterfly. It also said cage-free.
Can Organic Agriculture Contribute to Increasing Income for the Larger Community?
Do clusters of organic farming activity lead to higher income for farmers as well as others in their community? A recent study suggests that producing organic foods is correlated with lower poverty and increased household incomes in rural communities.