Comment by December 2 Under pressure from organic dairy farmers, farmer and consumer groups, and Congress, the National Organic Program (NOP) recently re-opened the comment period for the 2015 proposed rule on Origin of Livestock. Despite overwhelming support in 2015 for closing this loophole...
Dean Foods, the largest domestic milk producer, announced on November 12 that it was filing for bankruptcy. The company’s organic portfolio is anemic after packaging its former branded products division as WhiteWave Foods in 2013. In 2017, Organic Valley controversially partnered with Dean Foods on a joint bottling venture....
Fueled by organic Equal Exchange coffee and chocolate, the board and staff of The Cornucopia Institute gathered in Minneapolis for three energizing days of staff and board meetings. Led by Jonathan Rosenthal, Cornucopia’s new interim executive director, the retreat marked a new chapter for the organization, as well as...
At the October National Organic Standards Board Meeting, National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) Chair Harriet Behar identified several troubling issues that have plagued the organic program in recent years. These issues included the languishing origin of livestock, pasture, and native ecosystems rules, and the certification of hydroponic production in...
You may have seen the study suggesting that organic agriculture actually creates more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional agriculture. The Cornucopia Institute has observed research on this topic often comes from an industrial agriculture viewpoint. For more on this issue, read “Big Ag’s Long Arms in Scientific Research.”
Join The Cornucopia Institute as we keep you informed via live tweet and web updates from the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meeting in Pittsburgh, PA October 23-25th. We will be sharing the play by play both below and with our Twitter followers, at #NOSB or by simply following...
The Cornucopia Institute is thrilled to announce the hiring of Jonathan Rosenthal as the new Interim Executive Director. With this hire, Cornucopia is moving confidently to evolve into a more sustainable, relevant, and powerful voice in the good food movement. Rosenthal will shepherd the organization through a just, transparent,...
Cornucopia’s director of domestic policy, Marie Burcham, JD, attended the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) pre-meeting webinars on October 15 and 17, where the NOSB heard comments from the public. Our notes from this meeting are below. Tuesday, October 15 NOSB members present: Harriet Behar (January 2016 – January...
The fall 2019 Cultivator, Cornucopia’s quarterly newsletter, is now available online. Download the PDF here. In it you’ll find: Bird by Bird Import Fraud Conventional Soy Damages the Environment Gatekeepers of Organic Integrity Good Tilth Toxins Found in Conventional Milk Co-creative Culture
The Prevailing Winds of Weatherbury Farm by Rachel Zegerius, Assistant Director of Development and Communications at The Cornucopia Institute Nestled in the tightly woven hills of the Washington Valley, 35 miles southwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,...
The Challenges and How Consumers Can DIY Farmers markets are in full swing. Whenever possible, we urge consumers to support certified organic farm vendors first. But not all small-scale farmers choose to certify. To help...
USDA Secretary Perdue made comments at the World Dairy Expo this week that have inflamed family-scale dairy producers across the country: Small dairies and other family-scale farms support rural areas with food and local investment. They are a critical part of the fabric of the rural United States. Many...
The Cornucopia Institute, through research and investigations on agriculture and food issues, provides needed information to family farmers, consumers and other stakeholders in the good food movement and to the media.
