general organic
USDA’s Ag Outlook Forum To Feature Marketing and Organic Sessions
USDA’s 99th Annual Agricultural Outlook Forum will take place over the course of two days, both online and in person in Arlington, Virginia. On Thursday, February 23, between 11:25 and 11:55 a.m. Eastern, Jenny Lester Moffitt, USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, will moderate a session on Strategies for More and Better Markets.
UC Extension Releases Guidance on Assessing Food Safety After Flooding
Erin DiCaprio, associate professor of cooperative extension at the Department of Food Science and Technology at University of California, Davis has summarized information and resources for assessing crop food safety after a flooding event.
The publication includes links to the Leafy Green Marketing Agreement flood fact sheet and also a presentation made by Trevor Suslow, emeritus UC Cooperative Extension specialist.
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USDA National Organic Program’s Strengthening Organic Enforcement Coming Soon!
Although the final regulations have yet to be released, the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) will soon implement a new rule called Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE). NOP has stated that they will publish the rule in a matter of weeks. Once the rule is published, there will be a one-year implementation timeline before full compliance is required. This rule will increase oversight of organic products throughout the supply chain.
California Names Organic a Key Climate Strategy
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has established a new goal that 20 percent of California’s cultivated land be farmed organically by 2045.
Ag Order Workshops Offered for Growers in Central Coast Region
Beginning January 1, 2023, all growers with ranches located in Groundwater Phase 1 Areas must start maintaining records for all nitrogen applied to crops, total nitrogen removed during harvest, and irrigation management information. This information will be used to submit the Irrigation and Nutrient Management Plan (INMP) summary report, which is due March 1, 2024.
UC Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology Officially Recognized as an Agricultural Experiment Station
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.
CCOF To Lead Discussion on Regenerative Agriculture at Organic Grower Summit
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.
Bagrada Bug Natural Enemy Found; Research Sites Sought
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.