More than 100 groups and businesses have jointly signed a letter to USDA Secretary Mike Johanns asking him to intervene on the organic pasture issue. Those signing the letter represent a range of organic businesses and food cooperatives as well as farm, consumer, animal rights, social justice and environmental organizations. Another 50 individual signers, mostly… Read more »
USDA Secretary Asked to Clean Up Organic Mess
WASHINGTON DC: A letter addressed to USDA Secretary Mike Johanns, from The Cornucopia Institute, today asked the Secretary to personally intervene in rebuilding the once promising collaborative environment that existed between the organic community and its regulators. In its letter, the Cornucopia Institute called the current working relationship between the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP)… Read more »
Pasture Guidance Language Adopted by the NOSB
The following is the exact language that the National Organic Standards Board adopted on August 16 as guidance requirements for pasture and dairy cows and other ruminants.
Groups Endorse Organic Pasture Guidance
NOSB Adopts Guidance Policy at August 16 Meeting Twenty-nine groups and organizations have endorsed the proposed pasture guidance document for dairy cows and other ruminants and have urged the National Organics Standards Board (NOSB) to adopt it at its August 15-17 meeting in Washington, D.C . On August 16, the NOSB concurred with that advice… Read more »
Cornucopia Shares Pasture Survey Results With NOSB
To: National Organic Standards Board c/o Arthur Neil Room 4008–South Building 1400 Independence Avenue SW Washington, DC, 20250-0001 From: The Cornucopia Institute Re: Support of the NOSB’s draft pasture guidance document Date: May 20, 2005 Dear NOSB Members, On behalf of The Cornucopia Institute, our Board of Directors, staff, and members, I want to take… Read more »
Organic Community Sends Clear Signal to “Renegade” Factory Farms
WASHINGTON, DC: Organic dairy farmers from throughout the country descended on the nation’s capital last week in a show of solidarity requesting a USDA crackdown on large industrial dairy farms producing “organic” milk. The farmers present, along with over 8000 submitted comments from consumers and other organic producers, prompted the USDA’s National Organic Standards Board… Read more »
Dean/Horizon Feedlot Dairy Accused of Masquerading as an Organic Farm
CORNUCOPIA, WISCONSIN: The Cornucopia Institute filed two formal complaints today with the USDA’s Office of Compliance asking them to initiate investigations into alleged violations of the federal organic law by factory farms operating in Idaho and California. At issue are fundamental organic livestock management practices that require ruminants, including dairy cows, to consume a significant… Read more »
Organic Manure Hits the Fan in Washington
CORNUCOPIA, WISCONSIN: The Cornucopia Institute, on January 10th, filed a formal complaint with the USDA’s National Organic Program asking them to initiate an investigation into alleged violations of the federal organic law by a factory farm operating in Colorado. At issue is whether it is legal to confine cows in an industrial setting, without access… Read more »
USDA Feels the Heat in Response to Organic Pasture Controversy
CORNUCOPIA, WISCONSIN:The USDA’s National Organic Program immediately responded to sharp criticism from the organic community alleging that, through complacency, they were allowing large factory farms to produce organic milk while skirting the legal requirement that the cows have access to pasture as a fundamental part of their feed source.The NOP late Monday, January 10, issued… Read more »
The Cornucopia Institute Alleges Factory Farms Violating Federal Organic Law
CORNUCOPIA, WISCONSIN: The Cornucopia Institute, today, filed a formal complaint with the USDA’s National Organic Program asking them to initiate an investigation into alleged violations of the federal organic law by a factory farm operating in Colorado. At issue is whether it is legal to confine cows in an industrial setting, without access to pasture,… Read more »
