After decades of pressure from Cornucopia and its colleagues in organics, USDA is moving forward with the long-overdue final rule on Origin of Livestock. The final rule underscores a key value of authentic organic dairy: the cost and care necessary to raise organic calves on farms. Unbeknownst to many consumers, “organic” factory dairies have been… Read more »
Pointing to a decade’s loss of 100,000 small family farms, Organic Valley recently announced a plan that will hopefully distance 80 Northeast organic dairy farms from that bleak statistic. Organic Valley is offering those 80 farms, most of which were deserted by Danone in its quest for improved financial performance, a new market for their… Read more »
An update from Policy Director Kestrel Burcham, JD Even though it is not always front and center, policy undergirds Cornucopia’s work. Policies steer legislative outcomes, and we carefully follow the agricultural strategies of each administration. Climate Policy President Biden’s Executive Order, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, laid out the administration’s plan to… Read more »
The Winter 2021 Cultivator, Cornucopia’s quarterly print showcase, is off the press. Featuring independent journalism and stories you won’t read anywhere else; the Cultivator is mailed to supporters as a benefit of their gift. For a look at what supporters receive, download the PDF here. Highlights of this issue include: Updates to our Organic Scorecards… Read more »
Step #1: Know Your Farmer Your food has a story to tell — your food’s packaging has a story to sell. Shoppers who look beyond marketing gimmicks to seek out the whole story behind their food can meaningfully impact their food system. Chipping away at Big Ag starts by investing in operations that are growing… Read more »
The Fall 2021 Cultivator, Cornucopia’s quarterly newsletter, is now available. Download the PDF. In it you’ll find: Heartbreak and Hope: The diagnostic story of California Cloverleaf Farms Dairy Growing a Fresh Start at Rockside Ranch Savannah Stalwart & The Nonagenarian Farmer Why Breeds Matter A 40-Year Soil Study
This week’s National Organic Standards Board meeting was lively. Dr. Jennifer Tucker, Deputy Director of the National Organic Program, announced encouraging news: The NOP will hopefully publish the final Origin of Livestock and Strengthening Organic Enforcement rules in spring 2022, with the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices Rule to follow on their heels. [More on this as it unfolds.] Dr. Tucker asked that oral comments avoid disparaging remarks, noting that she and… Read more »
The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) fall proceedings kick off at noon ET October 13 with a public comment session continuing through October 14, followed by the public meeting October 19-21. Cornucopia supplies NOSB members with independent analyses of agenda items, relying on publicly funded research and input from authentic organic farmers, consumers, and other… Read more »
The news that Danone is terminating 89 milk contracts with its Horizon brand farmers in the Northeast underscores a food system that prioritizes efficiency over resilience. Danone claims that this move will help the company meet its goal of becoming carbon positive by 2025. This is a farce. Danone sources milk from industrialized operations that… Read more »
By Rachel Zegerius This past Memorial Day marked the 100-year anniversary of the Tulsa Race Riots. Generally known as the single worst incident of racial violence in American history, the massacre decimated the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma — once the wealthiest Black community in the United States, referred to as “Black Wall Street.” The… Read more »
