May 1, 2019
The Cultivator – Spring 2019
The spring 2019 Cultivator, Cornucopia’s quarterly newsletter, is now available online.
April 30, 2019
Organics’ Relationship to Climate Change
by Kestrel Burcham, JD Director of Domestic Policy at The Cornucopia Institute Introduction Discussing soil health at Vilicus Farms in MT Source: USDA, Flickr People choose organic food over conventional food for many reasons. Organic products are nutrient-dense and have fewer pesticide and other toxic chemical residues than conventional...
April 24, 2019
Follow the National Organic Standards Board Meeting in Seattle, WA #NOSB
Join The Cornucopia Institute as we keep you informed via live tweet and web updates from the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meeting in Seattle, WA April 24-26. We will be sharing the play by play both below and with our Twitter followers, at #NOSB or by simply following...
April 18, 2019
Spring 2019 NOSB Meeting – Webinars: April 17 & 18
Cornucopia policy staff members attended the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) pre-meeting webinars on April 17 and 18, where the NOSB heard comments from the public. Our notes from this meeting are below. Wednesday, April 17 Fourteen NOSB members present: Source: Alan Clark, Flickr Harriet Behar (January 2016 –...
April 17, 2019
Cornucopia is Looking for a Development and Communications Director!
The Cornucopia Institute is seeking candidates for its Development and Communications Director position. Applicants for this position should possess fundraising and member stewardship expertise and an ability to oversee the organization’s communications efforts. A heartfelt passion for protecting the environment, the good food movement, human health, humane livestock husbandry,...
April 16, 2019
Cornucopia’s Updated Core Values
Cornucopia staff and board members are grateful for the outpouring of kind and encouraging words from our supporters during this time of transition. We and our members remain dedicated to the important work before us as watchdogs of the organic industry. Our energized staff members have co-authored a list...
April 11, 2019
“Organic” Hydroponic Operations Allowed to Spray Glyphosate on the Soil
With No Soil to Certify, They Can Contaminate the Earth and Sell Faux-ganic Produce to Unsuspecting Consumers “Organic” hydroponic production is a form of factory farming: the ground is leveled, compacted, and often covered with plastic, while plant roots bathe in synthetic nutrients or are supported by sterile substrates...
April 11, 2019
Missing: The Organic Label
How Cornucopia’s DIY Certification Guide helps you determine which farms provide the best food in the absence of organic labeling Spring marks the return of fresh eggs, colorful produce, and more diverse offerings at farmers markets and CSAs. Signs and advertisements make many claims about production methods, but it...
April 10, 2019
Cornucopia’s Investigative Findings on Import Fraud Confirmed
Cornucopia’s Take: Last year, Cornucopia publicized the identity of multi-billion dollar agribusinesses and their affiliates, located in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, which have been connected to grain imports of questionable organic status. The article from Organic-Market, below, credits Cornucopia with uncovering organic grain fraud and chronicles the...
April 9, 2019
NOP Allows Glyphosate in “Organic” Hydroponic Production
Cornucopia’s Take: The Real Organic Project has brought to light a shocking practice in large-scale, “organic,” hydroponic production. Many of these facilities are being built on land that has been compacted and doused with herbicides, including glyphosate. While the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) uncomfortably insists that this practice...
March 30, 2019
Cornucopia Change in Leadership
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The Cornucopia Institute’s Board of Directors would like to thank Mark Kastel for nearly 15 years leading the organization. His foresight, dedication, and guidance have been instrumental in building Cornucopia into the preeminent organic watchdog and champion for family scale organic farming. As one of The...
March 20, 2019
Who Certifies Livestock Factories and Hydroponic Operations and What Does It Pay?
Cornucopia’s Take: Cornucopia has heard from organic farmers and businesses who have asked their certifiers for a moratorium on hydroponics and to identify fraudulent dairies and egg operations. Cornucopia’s infographic, A Perfect Picture of Corruption, shows an example of the some of these conflicts of interest. The organic food...
