Blog posts by Adrian Fischer

Written by Adrian Fischer on Monday, March 9, 2020

It’s not always easy to transition to certified organic, and we don’t expect farmers to do it alone. That’s why we’ve partnered with Anheuser Busch and their Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold Contract for Change program to provide $5,000 grants for farmers transitioning to organic. The CCOF Foundation also offers a wealth of educational opportunities through our Organic Training Institute. Want to take your farm forward and transition to organic? Maybe you’re already practicing organic methods and needed that final incentive to get certified. Now is your chance to lessen the financial challenge of…
Written by Adrian Fischer on Monday, January 13, 2020

Vote in your chapter election to ensure your business has a voice in CCOF governance!  If you are in the CCOF Fresno-Tulare chapter, click here to vote now. It will only take a moment to cast your vote. CCOF’s chapter system is a powerful tool to connect our members. Chapter leaders have the unique opportunity to leverage the collective power of CCOF’s staff and membership to advance organic in their region and beyond. Supported by CCOF staff, chapter leaders share their passion and experience by setting the agenda for meetings and driving networking, marketing, and educational…
Written by Adrian Fischer on Monday, January 13, 2020

What: Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) Training to help your farm business comply with FSMA legislation, and a second on-farm training covering food safety best practices, business and marketing, and crisis planning at your operation as a follow-up session for interested farmers.  When: Friday, January 24, 2020, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Where: Allan Hancock College, Room G106A/B Cost: Free for small producers of leafy greens To sign up or get more information, contact: At Cal Poly: Jeta Rudi-Polloshkajrudi@calpoly.edu or (805) 756-5021 At Allan Hancock College: Erin Kriererin.krier@…
Written by Adrian Fischer on Monday, November 4, 2019

Vote in your chapter election to ensure your business has a voice in CCOF’s governance!  Processor/Handler Chapter members (your client ID starts with a “pr”): click here to vote now.  San Luis Obispo Chapter members (your client ID starts with an “sl”): click here to vote now.  The deadline to vote is Tuesday, November 12 at 12:00 p.m. Why Vote? CCOF’s chapter system is a powerful tool to connect our members across the United States and Mexico. Chapter leaders have the unique opportunity to leverage the collective power of CCOF’s membership and staff to advance organic. Supported by…
Written by Adrian Fischer on Monday, October 28, 2019

Vote in your chapter election to ensure your business has a voice in CCOF’s governance!  CCOF’s chapter system is a powerful tool to connect our members across the United States and Mexico. Chapter leaders have the unique opportunity to leverage the collective power of CCOF’s membership and staff to advance organic. Supported by CCOF staff, chapter leaders share their passion and experience by setting the agenda for meetings and driving networking and educational opportunities for organic professionals and supporters. Chapter leaders are also instrumental in galvanizing organic advocacy…
Written by Adrian Fischer on Tuesday, October 15, 2019

CCOF’s chapter system is a powerful tool to connect our members from across the United States and Mexico. Chapter meetings serve as an outlet to voice challenges, share successes and advice, and strategize ways of advancing organic for a healthy world. Several chapters are gearing up for another peak in activity with the election cycle just around the corner, a process that occurs once every three years for each chapter.  CCOF is looking for leaders to step up and play a critical role in local governance, and we encourage you to respond to your chapter’s call for leadership nominations. The…
Written by Adrian Fischer on Tuesday, October 1, 2019

The application deadline for the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program is fast approaching!  Any operation that is located within the United States and received organic certification between October 1, 2018 and September 30, 2019 may apply for reimbursement by October 31, 2019. All certified organic entities in the United States are eligible to apply for a refund of 75% of their certification-related costs, including inspection fees, up to a maximum of $750 per scope of organic certification. California State Organic Program registration fees are also eligible for refunding! …
Written by Adrian Fischer on Monday, August 5, 2019

The National Organic Certification Cost Share Program is still open for 2019 applications, but only a few months remain to apply for funds. Through this program, eligible operations will be reimbursed up to 75% of their organic certification costs, not to exceed $750 for each NOP scope of organic certification. Eligible operations can also receive a refund of California State Organic Program registration fees. Any operation that is located within the United States and received organic certification between October 1, 2018 and September 30, 2019 may apply for reimbursement. The Cost Share…
Written by Adrian Fischer on Monday, June 3, 2019

The National Organic Certification Cost Share Program is now open for 2019 applications! All currently certified organic entities in the United States are eligible to apply for a refund of 75% of their certification-related costs paid between October 1, 2018 and September 30, 2019, including inspection fees, up to a maximum of $750 per certification or certified scope. Eligible scopes are crops, wild crops, livestock, and processing/handling. Operations located in California can also receive a refund of their State Organic Program registration fees.  CCOF encourages all members to apply…
Written by Adrian Fischer on Monday, March 18, 2019

The San Luis Obispo Kompogas facility converts municipal organic solid waste into high grade compost, liquid soil amendment, and carbon neutral biogas. Through a controlled 14-day multistage process at a thermophilic temperature of 131 degrees, food waste is converted into compost for agricultural use and carbon-neutral biogas for electricity production. The facility does all this indoors with no runoff while recovering energy in the process. At full capacity, the plant is designed to generate 6.2 million kW/h annually, which is more than enough to power the facility and send excess…
Written by Adrian Fischer on Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Join us for the annual CCOF Processor/Handler Chapter meeting in Fresno, California, on February 27, 2019, at 3:40 p.m. Pacific Time. This meeting is being held at the DoubleTree Hilton at the end of the CCOF Annual Conference. Learn more about the full conference.* If you cannot join the chapter meeting in person you can do so remotely via GoToMeeting: GoToMeeting Virtual Attendance Registration Processor/Handler Chapter Meeting Agenda: Chapter business Call for chapter officer nominations Guest speaker on building your brand through social media  Our guest speaker, Summer Ashley…
Written by Adrian Fischer on Tuesday, January 22, 2019

The CCOF Fresno-Tulare Chapter is working with Fresno State Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology and other stakeholders to develop an Organic Production Systems Certificate of Special Study at Fresno State The proposal to develop this certificate program states:             Over the past several years there has been considerable interest in expanding our faculty expertise, course                            offerings, research and outreach to include a dedicated focus on providing the knowledge and skills necessary for a                growing workforce in organic…
Written by Adrian Fischer on Tuesday, March 6, 2018

PHOTO: Darrell Wood We’re still buzzing with inspiration following our CCOF Annual Meeting and Conference in Sacramento on February 23. This year, 175 attendees joined us to explore the factors that have made California a hotbed of organic hotspots activity and discuss ways to encourage the growth of organic hotspots across rural America. Pennsylvania State University Agricultural Economist Dr. Edward Jaenicke’s research on organic hotspots provided inspiration for the discussion at the conference.   The day of the event began with CCOF’s Annual Meeting, where CCOF Board Chairman Phil…
Written by Adrian Fischer on Monday, March 6, 2017

CCOF hosted over 200 participants at our Annual Meeting and Conference, in Visalia, California on February 9 and 10. Conference attendees, representing a broad spectrum of the organic community, gathered to hear about innovations and inspiration in the organic sector. Keynote speaker Gary Hirshberg gave an insightful speech about the are new opportunities for organic posed by this moment in our country’s history. He called upon those in the room to join with the larger organic community to champion organic with a unified voice. “Organic is about building the next generation of hope,” he said…