organic production

On Monday August 22nd, USDA rolled out the new Organic Transition Initiative, intended to make it easier to move from conventional farming to organic.  Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack said the department’s hope was to make the transition process easier and more profitable.   “Three...

Consumer interest in organic products continues to grow. Industry analyst Ryan Koory of Mercaris said the latest information is based on 2020, the latest full year data. “Organic food sales reach $20-billion, which is a record setting level.” ...

The Washington State Department of Agriculture announced earlier this month it will stop certifying organic dairies, as well as other livestock operations. The department says there aren’t enough producers to support the service. Producers have until March 15th to find another organization to certify that their operations meet USDA standards. Pro ...

On Tuesday, the USDA extended the deadline for farmers who are certified organic, or transitioning to organic, to apply for pandemic assistance. The Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program helps cover certification and education expenses ...

Washington State University food systems program, Viva Farms and Organic Seed Alliance, will host the first ever Washington Organic Seed Summit. Project manager, Aba Kiser, says organizers hope the three-day event be a network building opportunity for Evergreen State based seed growers of all levels of experience. ...

Late last week, the USDA announced pandemic assistance to cover certification and education expenses to certified organic producers or transitioning to organic. USDA will make $20 million available through the new Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program ...

Last week, Bayer announced it will expand its vegetable seeds offerings under the Bayer umbrella to include organically produced seed. The launch will focus on certified organic production in three key crops for the greenhouse and glasshouse market, including tomato, sweet pepper and cucumber ...

Producers looking to become or stay certified in Organic production have additional costs to do so. But the USDA is trying to help address some of those costs. That includes funding for application and inspection fees, travel expenses for inspectors, and other organic certification costs ...

Organic producers and handlers can now apply for Department of Agriculture funds to assist with the cost of receiving or maintaining organic certification. Announced last week, the funds provide cost-share assistance to producers and handlers of agricultural products for the costs of obtaining or maintaining organic certification under USDA’s National Organic Program. Eli ...

Earlier this Spring, Oregon’s Peter DeFazio and Washington’s Dan Newhouse joined Rodney Davis of Illinois, Ron Kind of Wisconsin, Jimmy Panetta of California and Chellie Pingree of Maine, introducing the Continuous Improvement and Accountability in Organics Standards Act, better known as the CIAO Act. Newhouse ...