USDA: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) just kicked off the Organic Survey to gather detailed data on U.S. organic agriculture production.
Iowa Farmer Today: The air is cold and crisp today on Roger Lansink’s Sac County farm. Everything seems crystal clear. But, in the world of organic agriculture, one thing is still a little murky. The industry is discussing whether to establish an organic checkoff, and if it does, just how that checkoff might work.
Houston Chronicle: Q&A with OTA member Barry Cik of Naturepedic on the health and safety of organic mattresses. An organic mattress eliminates questionable materials and chemicals that are commonly used in mattresses, and instead uses only GOTS approved...
NPR: OTA's Nate Lewis weighs in: When it comes to organic certification, there are strict guidelines for food producers to follow. Think about an organic steak. The cow it came from has to be raised on organic feed. The feed mix can’t be produced with pesticides, chemical fertilizers or genetic engineering.
The Produce News: At two Organic Trade Association-sponsored seminars in Japan in late 2014, more than 100 of that country’s top grocery retail food importers and distributors learned that athletes competing in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo will be eating organic.
The Packer: The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced a proposed rule to exempt more organic growers and handlers from paying into conventional commodity check-off programs. The check-off programs are traditionally funded by producers of a specific commodity, with funds used for commodity promotion and research.
PRNews: Public awareness of the benefits of organic food is growing exponentially, but that alone won't be enough for traditionally niche products to flourish in the restaurant industry. A new app aims to help.
2014 was the year of science supporting the benefits of organic food and farming: for human health, pollinator health, and the health of the environment.
As the demand for organic produce aggressively jumps boundaries, and with no signs of slowing down, the Organic Trade Association is working hard to keep spreading the message and reporting about organic conditions across the nation.
The biggest roadblock to an even-more rapid growth of and acceptance for the industry in the U.S. is a lack of organic literacy.