CCOF-Sponsored Bills Pass Out of California Assembly Agriculture Committee
Both bills sponsored by CCOF were passed out of the California Assembly Agriculture Committee at the hearing on April 27th.
advocacy
CCOF Expands Access to Organic Certification
“I was on the verge of losing my farm.” These words haunted Maria Narez of Narez Organic Vegetables as she navigated the complexities of becoming certified organic.
Comment Period Open for Fall National Organic Standards Board Meeting: Carrageenan at Risk of Removal
This week the agenda and all proposals and discussion documents for the fall 2021 National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meetings were posted online. Sign-up for public comment during October 13 and 14 online webinars is now open. If you want to make an oral comment, register now because the slots can get filled up quickly.
New CDFA Planning Grant Program Open for Comments
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is accepting public comment through June 15 on the funding rules for its new Conservation Agriculture Planning Grant Program. Please consider making a comment using the points outlined below.
An outcome of CCOF’s advocacy for CDFA support for organic farmers in its Climate Smart Agriculture programs, this new program received $20 million in Governor Gavin Newsom’s May revision of the state budget.
CCOF Launches Organic for Everyone Campaign
Eating organic food should not be a privilege; organic is for everyone.
Yet today, widespread economic inequality prevents many families from accessing organic. Income inequality is at its highest in California’s history, with a pay disparity almost double today what it was in 1980.
Jenny Lester Moffitt Nominated for Top USDA Position
Longtime farmer advocate and state administrator with deep roots in the organic community Jenny Lester Moffitt has been nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as U.S. Department of Agriculture undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs.
Agriculture Resilience Act Meetings with California Representatives
Last week, Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME) and Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) introduced the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA), which outlines a national roadmap for reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. agriculture by the year 2040.
Central Coast Water Board Adopts New Ag Order
After three years of public hearings, numerous revisions, and intense deliberations, on April 15, 2021, the Central Coast Water Quality Control Board approved a new agricultural order regulating discharges from irrigated lands.
Five Reasons Why Organic Ranchers Are Essential to California’s Future
CCOF recently launched our “Meat Matters” Campaign with the goal of expanding meat processing capacity in California and advancing organic livestock production as a solution to California’s toughest challenges.
We started by asking: Why should California support ranching?
Here are just five reasons why we need ranchers more than ever:
Food and Agriculture Bond Passes Through Assembly Agriculture Committee
On Thursday, April 15, CCOF–co-sponsored AB-125 passed the Assembly Agriculture Committee with a bipartisan 10–0 vote, moving on to the Natural Resources Committee. The “Equitable Economic Recovery, Healthy Food Access, Climate Resilient Farms, and Worker Protection Bond Act of 2022,” which would invest $3.302 billion across the food and agriculture system over five years, would constitute the largest state investment in organic agriculture in California’s history.