CCOF Blog

Join the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) for a workshop that reviews what it takes to be a USDA-certified organic farmer. The two-part hybrid workshop includes both an online session and an in-person farm tour with a mock organic inspection. 

On July 28 at 7 p.m. Central Time, join NCAT staff for an online session that will introduce participants to organic regulations. 
Then, on August 5, attend an in-person farm tour at Alchemy Farms and Plants in Owens Cross Roads, Alabama. Through a mock inspection, participants will learn firsthand what steps a producer…

CCOF led the charge to create an Organic Transition Program in California. And on June 30, the governor signed into law the 2022–2023 state budget that includes $5 million for grants, technical assistance, education, and outreach to support farmers and ranchers to transition to organic. The program also sets aside funds for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. 

This win builds on CCOF’s bill, AB 2499, that outlines the structure of an Organic Transition Program, including what practices should be eligible for grant funding and how mentorship of transitioning producers by…

Along the coastline of Oaxaca, a southern state of Mexico, lies a mountain range called Sierra Madre del Sur. In the fog-draped trees, Emilia Santos Perez was raised in a pueblo called San Pedro el Alto in the region of Pochutla. The predominant language and people of the area are Zapotec, one indigenous group of sixteen distinct groups known in Oaxaca

At 15, Emilia…

The UC Davis Food Systems Lab, CCOF’s partner in the California Meat Processing Coalition, has launched a new project to connect farmers and ranchers, slaughter and processing facilities, and meat purchasers in new local and regional meat supply chains in California. The project will focus on building supply chains in the Sacramento Valley, Sierra Foothills, and North Coast regions of California.  
If you are interested in learning more and potentially participating in new regional market channels for organic meat and meat products, please fill out the appropriate survey below:

Following an unprecedented year marked by pantry loading and supply shortages, the latest Organic Industry Survey from the Organic Trade Association (OTA) shows consumers returned to more stable, buy-as-you-need shopping patterns in 2021. Between 2020 and 2021, organic sales surpassed $63 billion, with $1.4 billion (2 percent) total growth over the year. Food sales, which accounts for over 90 percent of organic sales, rose to…

Dear CCOF Members and Supporters,

Last year, 2021, was a year of internal reflection and focused action. We’re navigating a new world after a tumultuous couple of years. This time of change gifted CCOF with the opportunity to home in on who we are and how we do our work while also taking strategic action to grow and…

Radtke’s past, present, and future visions are grounded in her family’s roots in organic dairy. She was brought up in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, a region known for rolling savannas and prairies, mostly developed into agriculture. Radtke’s family is proud of their operation and are advocates for the benefits of organic in their community. While Radtke was enrolled in 4-H, she…

This event has been postponed. The new date will be announced when available.

Join the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) in Brookhaven, Mississippi, on June 17 for an in-person workshop that reviews what it takes to be a USDA-certified organic farmer.

The workshop, taking place both in the classroom and out in the field, will introduce participants to organic regulations. Come learn the basics of organic regulations, then see what they look like on a working organic farm! 

Workshop participants will tour CCOF-certified Ole Brook Organic Farm with an…

CCOF and CalCAN hosted a virtual briefing for California state legislators and agency officials to learn about current opportunities in California’s organic marketplace. This briefing provided context for CCOF-sponsored AB 2499 (Maienschein), which creates an Organic Transition Program to provide underserved farmers with financial and technical assistance to transition to organic and requires a statewide market analysis of the organic sector.

We heard from four experts during the briefing:

CCOF is working to pass two organic bills in California this legislative session. AB 1870 will streamline the state program that oversees organic food manufacturers and handlers, and AB 2499 will create an organic transition pilot program to support socially disadvantaged growers in becoming certified organic.

Both bills moved forward during deliberations on the Assembly floor in late May, and next, they will be taken up by the California Senate Agriculture Committee. 

AB 1870, authored by Assemblymember Mark Stone, supports California food processors by streamlining the…

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is now accepting applications for the 2022 California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program. California producers are eligible to apply for Track 4, the California Farm to School Producer Grant, which covers costs related to producing, processing, and distributing food to schools as well as establishing or enhancing climate smart agriculture practices and hands-on educational opportunities.

Eligible expenses include infrastructure such as greenhouses and building upgrades, equipment such as refrigerated trucks and coolers,…

The USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has opened two organic cost-share programs for applications. Certified organic operations may apply for and receive reimbursement from both programs.

“Original” cost share offers organic operation reimbursement of 50 percent of eligible expenses related to certification, including State Organic Program registration fees up to a maximum of $500 per scope. Find more information on the “original” cost-share program at the USDA’s website. 

“New” cost share is open to certified organic and transitional producers. It offers to pay 25 percent…

A new long-term lease partnership between CCOF-certified Spade & Plow and the legendary Van Dyke Ranch was announced this month. This collaboration will preserve Santa Clara Valley agricultural land and bring the valley’s rich farming history into the future.

Spade & Plow is the result of five generations of family farming. Mike and his two sons Nick…

CCOF-sponsored bills AB 1870 and AB 2499 are headed to the California Assembly floor this week. Ask your assemblymember to vote “yes” on AB 1870 and AB 2499. Click here to find out who your assemblymember is.

AB 1870, authored by Assemblymember Mark Stone, supports California food processors by streamlining the registration process and creating more transparency in the Department of Public Health’s oversight of organic processors. 

AB 2499, authored by Assemblymember Brian Maienschein, creates an Organic Transition Program to provide underserved farmers with financial and…

"I am proud to be a field worker’s daughter …. I am one of nine children; my father was a bracero." Agriculture has always been a part of Magdalena Vigil Garcia’s life—it is her past, present, and future. Vigil’s history and family heritage introduced her to farming initially, and as a graduate of the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association’s Farmer Education Course…