From Field to Forum
Written by Cathy Calfo
on Thursday, January 10, 2013
on advocacy, genetic engineering, services
It's a New Year!
Our first CCOF staff meeting of the new year began with sharing personal resolutions and words of wisdom with each other. Our vows to get in better shape, be more present, and take on new challenges match well with CCOF’s organizational goals:
Provide more personalized certification services (faster, less paper).
Talk directly to local congressional offices for action on a new U.S. farm bill and investment in organic. While averting the fiscal cliff, Congress eliminated nearly all farm bill support for organic agriculture.
Remind our friends and neighbors to say “No” to GMOs...
Written by Brise Tencer
on Tuesday, January 8, 2013
on advocacy, food safety, policy, standards
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released two proposed rules for implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), signed into law on January 4, 2011. One of the rules is about produce safety and other is about processing. Both rules have 120-day comment periods. Additional rules related to implementation of FSMA are expected.
The proposed Produce Safety Rule would establish standards for growing, harvesting, packing, and holding produce on domestic and foreign farms in light of identified routes of microbial contamination of produce, including agricultural water;...
Written by Guest Blogger
on Friday, January 4, 2013
on farming: materials and inputs, grower, help and tips, inputs, water
This article was written by Jane Sooby.
Widespread leakage of nitrogen from agricultural production has become a huge problem worldwide. Recent news articles have reported that numerous small towns in California’s central valley, the country’s most productive agricultural region, must use bottled water because their municipal water supplies are contaminated with dangerous levels of nitrates. A report issued by UC Davis in early 2012 documented that in California’s Tulare Lake Basin and Salinas Valley, “roughly 254,000 people are currently at risk for nitrate contamination of their drinking...
Written by Guest Blogger
on Monday, December 10, 2012
on advocacy, CalCAN, policy
This article was written by Renata Brillinger, California Climate & Agriculture Network.
This is a good news and a bad news story. First, the bad news…
In June 2012, an international team of researchers released a report in the journal Nature warning that climate change, population growth, and environmental destruction are leading to a “tipping point” that will cause disastrous and irreversible biological changes across the globe. The authors say that we are poised at the point in history when uncontrollable ecological events are beginning to take place and without bold and immediate...
Written by Guest Blogger
on Monday, December 3, 2012
on biodiversity, funding, member news
This interview originally appeared in Certified Organic magazine, fall 2012, by Matt Boitano, CCOF Intern
Most people think of mobile homes as a place to live, but not Chris Hay. He uses them for pest management on his eight-acre farm in Woodland, California, where he harvests a variety of fruits, vegetables, and chickens.
For the last two years, Chris has been running what he calls “an integrated farm,” in which each aspect of the land and its inhabitants is cultivated for multiple uses to maximize conservation and functionality. The mobile homes, for instance, carry around his hens, which...
Written by Cathy Calfo
on Monday, November 26, 2012
The organic equivalent of “Got Milk?” may be on the way. Interest in creating an organic research and promotion order (or check-off program), which would generate between $30 and $50 million annually for organic research and promotion, is nothing new. But the Organic Trade Association (OTA) is taking a fresh approach to exploring this mechanism to boost U.S. organic sales.
The approach first takes some old baggage off of the table by explicitly stating that an Organic Research and Promotion Program (ORPP) should support and not burden organic farmers: check-off assessments would not be made...
Written by Guest Blogger
on Monday, November 19, 2012
on book review, CalCAN, policy
This book review was written by Renata Brillinger, California Climate and Agriculture Network.
Part history text, part socio-political commentary and part call to action, Dan Imhoff’s new book offers something for everyone from the seasoned agriculture advocate to the newcomer on the food systems scene. “Food Fight: The Citizen’s Guide to the Next Food and Farm Bill,” published just a couple of months ago by Dan’s company Watershed Media, comes just as the federal debate over the 2012 Farm Bill is heating up.
The book is divided into three sections: Why the Farm Bill Matters; Wedge Issues;...
Written by Jake Lewin
on Monday, November 12, 2012
on livestock, materials and inputs, services
From livestock to residues, unannounced inspections, and materials, CCOF is always trying to stay ahead of the curve.
Have you heard about our Livestock Unannounced Compliance Initiative? The “LUCI” program was launched the 2008. This innovative program is leading U.S. organic certifiers in their approach to organic dairy inspections. In fact, the National Organic Program liked it so much that they asked CCOF to write about it for the April/May 2011 National Organic Program newsletter; check out page five.
The LUCI program affirms the value of organic integrity initiatives and has taught us...
Written by Tina Cosentino
on Friday, June 1, 2012
We served over 150 participants through five educational webinars this spring: Marketing 101, Organic Sales Basics, U.S.-EU Organic Equivalency, and Organic Labeling for processors.
This time we brought more interactivity to these trainings by creating supplementary videos and incorporating special guest speakers. Our Marketing 101 webinar now has a supplementary video featuring 30-year farmers’ market veteran Jeff Larkey of Route One Farms. Filmed from his stand at Santa Cruz’s Westside Farmers’ Market, Jeff shares his expert tips on how to set up a dynamic display to help your produce fly...
Written by Elizabeth Barba
on Friday, May 18, 2012
CCOF-certified member Mile High Organics is now the second U.S. online grocery retailer to earn USDA organic certification! The company, based in Boulder, Colorado, provides organic produce, milk, soup, granola, coffee, juice, spices, and body care products by home delivery to online shoppers located in the surrounding areas of Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, and Colorado Springs.
"We are motivated to lead the industry in establishing the gold standard for food quality and safety," said Michael Joseph, CEO and co-founder, in a press release. "Our objective is to be the most transparent,...
Written by Brise Tencer
on Friday, May 11, 2012
After much uncertainty about the timing of the 2012 Farm Bill, the legislation is finally moving forward. On April 26, the Senate Agriculture Committee passed a farm bill that included $23 billion in cuts. Although the farm bill still has a long way to go before becoming law (the House has not yet acted), things are happening fast, with the full Senate expected to consider the bill in May and the House Agriculture Committee suggesting they will likely consider the bill in June or July.
The Senate Committee’s version of the 2012 Farm Bill is a revolutionary piece of legislation in that...
Written by Brise Tencer
on Friday, April 27, 2012
This past week I joined fellow CCOF staff and board members in traveling to Washington D.C. to advocate for organic farm bill programs and participate in the OTA Policy Conference. This year, the whirlwind trip coincided with the Senate Agriculture Committee consideration of the 2012 Farm Bill.
The OTA Policy Conference & Hill Visit Days had a great lineup of high profile speakers and addressed a range of topics from food safety and GMO labeling to research needs and the OTA organic marketing order proposal. It was a fantastic time for all of us to reconnect with the broad spectrum of...
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