CCOF Blog

The Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) USDA Rule is a significant change for the organic community and CCOF is here to help you through it. The SOE rule touches on many sections of the organic regulations, but one of the most significant and time-sensitive updates requires some previously exempt operations to become fully certified by March 19th, 2024. 

Every Wednesday from 1 to 2pm PST in January 2024, the CCOF Applicant Support Team will be hosting free-of-charge SOE Office Hours for uncertified operations to discuss compliance under the new rule. We welcome currently…

The National Organic Coalition (NOC) is partnering with the Organic Farmers Association (OFA), and Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), to host a series of virtual farmer-to-farmer networking sessions, Seeds of Success. These facilitated events will be interactive, informal spaces for farmers to share their challenges and successes, and will give farmers an opportunity to have open conversations on topics most relevant to them.

Join in at 1 pm ET on January 30, 2024 for the second session of the series, Demystifying the National Organic Standards Board: What it is, how it…

This year, CCOF celebrates 50 years. We invite you to watch our anniversary video and celebrate along with us as we work towards making organic the norm!

About CCOF

California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) advances organic agriculture for a healthy world through organic certification, education, advocacy, and promotion. CCOF is governed by an elected board of certified organic producers and represents 4,300 diverse organic operations across North America, with almost 3,000 of those operations based in California. 

About the Specialty Crop Trade Mission to Mexico

In partnership with the California Department of Food and Agriculture, CCOF will lead a trade mission to Mexico in June 2024. The goal of this project is…

Farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners who experienced discrimination in USDA farm lending programs prior to January 2021 may be eligible for the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program. This program is an important step in delivering on USDA’s commitment of providing financial assistance to those who have faced discrimination in USDA farm lending programs.

USDA continues to accept applications for the program. The deadline to apply is January 13, 2024. Borrowers can apply for assistance online via 22007apply.gov or through a paper-based form. The application process is not…

(Future Organic Farmer grantee Angelina Olivia with some of her poultry flock)

For the last four years, the National Young Farmers Coalition (Young Farmers) has partnered with Chipotle to support young and beginning farmers and ranchers in starting up and growing their businesses with a flexible funding opportunity each spring. 

Young Farmers is now offering $5,000 and a one-year membership to the National Young Farmers Coalition to 50 farmers/ranchers. Applicants are asked about the barriers to their agriculture career and how the funds would help them address these…

January 31, 2024, is the deadline to apply for reimbursement of food safety certification expenses incurred in the 2023 season. 

The USDA released two years of funding for on-farm food safety expenses, and this is potentially the last year of this program. CCOF is working with allies to try to secure future food safety funding in the farm bill, but for now, we are encouraging eligible specialty crop operations to apply for these vital and rare subsidies. 

To be eligible, an applicant must be a specialty crop operation; meet the definition of a small business (sales during a…

(Wildfire remains Solano, CA by Fusaromike via Getty Images)

CCOF has long offered support to its certified organic members who have experienced losses due to natural disasters including wildfires, earthquakes, and floods. In response to increasing frequency of such disasters, CCOF has created a communications and outreach strategy that will be initiated when a state or federal disaster has been declared. 

CCOF will reach out directly to its members in areas that have experienced a natural disaster to document any impacts it has had on them. CCOF will provide members with…

We at the CCOF Foundation are celebrating a year of giving and growth. Here are four ways the CCOF Foundation made a difference to the organic community in 2023.

Dear CCOF Members,

A concerning fundraising letter was sent to our clients by Mark Kastel under the name of “The Organic Eye.” Mark Kastel has a reputation for harassment and bullying. Despite his rhetoric of shaming companies as sell outs, Mark Kastel seems to target companies that do not donate to his own organization. He ends the letter asking you to send him money.

While we hate to take up more of your time with the silly accusations made in the letter, we are also firm believers in transparency. Here are clarifications:

- CCOF is partnering with the Organic…

(Biofach 2023 courtesy of NuernbergMesse / Thomas Geiger)

Booths are available in the American Pavilion at the upcoming BioFach organic trade show in Nuremberg, Germany, February 13–16, 2024.

Billed as the world’s largest trade fair for organic food, BioFach is the place to be each year for businesses that have organic product for export. Exhibiting at BioFach allows companies to showcase their innovative products and practices in the organic food industry. The trade fair provides a stage to highlight eco-friendly packaging, ethical sourcing, and cutting-edge production…

(Photo by Edible Monterey​)​​​​​​

Are you a farmer who is certified organic or in organic transition who needs help staying in compliance and understanding the organic regulations? Maybe you are a mentor needing to find out how to best help a farmer through the organic process, or an organization tasked with helping a soon-to-be organic farmer? 

If so, Organic Office Hours are for you. Join me every week, Tuesdays at 11:00 a.m. to noon (PST) on Zoom, and ask me all of your organic questions. Find the link to join and more info on the CCOF Events…

(Agrothrive Organic Liquid Fertilzer courtesy of Agrothrive website. Martha Lemus OTP grantee 2023)

AgroThrive donated 275 gallons of fertilizer to CCOF’s Organic Transition grantees on September 12, 2023, ahead of their Get One Give One Campaign for National Ag Week 2024. 

The AgroThrive liquid fertilizer donation will provide transitioning farmers with balanced fertility for their crops to help them achieve increased yields and contribute to their success as they navigate organic farming. With good fertility comes good soil and crop health, which contributes to…

(Organic pepper plants with drip irrigation system courtesy of Diyana Dimitrova)

Note as of 12/19/2023 - CDFA is pausing the SWEEP solicitation. Please refer to the SWEEP website for further updates: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/sweep/ 

Español

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is now accepting applications from farmers and ranchers for the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP), a competitive grant program that incentivizes farmers to invest in irrigation water and energy efficiency. 

Agricultural operations can apply…

One of the exciting things about CCOF’s 50th birthday is that many of our long-time members are celebrating milestone birthdays, too! One of those members is Mark Neal, from Neal Family Vineyards. Next year will mark 40 years of Mark farming organic grapes at the prestigious Martha’s Vineyard in Napa, California. 

Mark has certainly built an organic legacy in Napa over the last 40 years. Since 1984, he’s converted more than 1,000 acres of Napa’s vineyards to organic production. Mark is known in the wine industry for his expertise in organic and biodynamic vineyard management, both…