Underscoring more than a half century of pioneering work in organic farming, University of California President Michael V. Drake announced today that UC Santa Cruz will be designated as an Agricultural Experiment Station (AES).
UC Santa Cruz and UC Merced are the first campuses to receive this designation in 50 years and join UC Davis, UC Berkeley, and UC Riverside as AES campuses.
As regenerative agriculture is reshaping how food is grown, a panel of organic industry leaders will address the trends and standards of regenerative organic marketing and certification at the Organic Grower Summit 2022, presented by Western Growers and the Organic Produce Network (OPN), slated for November 30–December 1 in Monterey, California.
Dr. Brian Hogg at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service based in Albany, California, is seeking sites for research on a parasitic wasp that his team recently discovered attacking bagrada bug eggs in California.
The wasp can attack eggs in soil, where the bagrada bug lays most of its eggs, and is almost certainly helping to control bagrada bug. The wasp develops within bagrada bug eggs and is quite tiny.
Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the details of a $300 million investment to support organic and transitioning farmers, and to address targeted organic market challenges. The Organic Transition Initiative is consistent with many recommendations made to USDA by the National Organic Coalition (NOC) to increase support for organic agriculture to help build a more ecologically sound, resilient, and climate-friendly food and farm system.
The National Organic Certification Cost Share Program is now open for 2022 applications!
All currently certified organic entities in the United States are eligible to apply for a refund of 50% of their certification-related costs, including inspection fees, up to a maximum of $500 per certification or certified scope between October 1, 2021 and September 30, 2022. Eligible scopes are crops, wild crops, livestock, processing/handling. Operations located in California can also receive a refund of their State Organic Program registration fees.
The 2022 University of California, Davis OIV Wine Marketing Program kicks off next month and runs from July 18 through 22. The program is open to all as part of the Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin, which is part of the M.Sc. in Wine Management at UC Davis. Learn from industry experts how to successfully create a brand and market and sell wine in the United States. Come join us online on July 19 to hear what CCOF Director of Handler Certification Sarah Reed has to say about USDA-certified organic wines.
The USDA has ended the U.S.–India Recognition Arrangement. After July 12, 2022, all imports from India to be represented as organic in the United States must be purchased from suppliers who have been granted certification with a USDA-accredited certifier. The United States will no longer accept certification granted by APEDA-accredited certifiers.
If you source organic products or ingredients from India, visit the Organic Integrity Database to verify your supplier's status as certified.
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.
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.