Capital Press by Mateusz Perkowski Deputy Administrator Miles McEvoy Source: USDA Many organic groups that once praised USDA deputy administrator Miles McEvoy are now fighting his policies in federal court. When Miles McEvoy was put in charge of the USDA’s National Organic Program in 2009, the appointment was strongly applauded by organic and environmental groups. Six… Read more »
Search Results for: national organic program
National Organic Standards Board Meeting Report
Economic Power/Corporate Lobbyists Manipulate the System The National Organic Standards Board November meeting in Savannah, GA, held Nov. 29 to Dec. 2, revealed the deep divide that exists in the organic industry between public interest groups (like Cornucopia), farmers and consumers fighting for a strong and meaningful organic label and corporate executives and their paid… Read more »
New Farm Bill Weakens Organic Regulatory Oversight
Congress Agrees with Cornucopia: USDA Undermined Organics and Violated Law The 2018 Farm Bill is one of the biggest pieces of legislation of the year—but getting it off the ground has been a challenge for the divided Congress. With many Farm Bill programs already expired, or set to expire by the end of the year,… Read more »
Support Organic in the Farm Bill
A massive piece of legislation impacting how we grow our food is on the table. During this fleeting moment of national attention, we’re rallying Cornucopia’s supporters to use their voices, keyboards, and passion to advocate for the inclusion of programs that bolster organic. Those initiatives can be found in several smaller bills, known as “marker… Read more »
No Organic Checkoff Coalition Applauds USDA Finalizing Organic Farmers’ Exemption from Commodity Check-offs
No Organic Checkoff Coalition Contact: Kate Mendenhall (585-944-2503) Source: 401kcalculator.org Organic farmers no longer required to pay into programs competing with the organic market WASHINGTON, D.C. (Jan. 6, 2016) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced they will extend the organic farmer exemption from conventional commodity checkoffs to ALL organic farmers, effective February 29, 2016. A… Read more »
Soil Health is the Future of Agriculture
Cornucopia’s Take: The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition notes in the article below, “reforms to conservation, research and the farm safety net present an enormous opportunity to improve the health of our soils.” Cornucopia agrees that changes to the 2018 Farm Bill could go a long way toward healing agricultural lands, now some of the biggest… Read more »
Upper Midwest Farmers Transitioning to Organic Can Get Aid
AP by Blake Nicholson Source: 401kcalculator.org BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota and Minnesota are helping farmers with the three-year transition from traditional crops to organic production, an effort that the industry’s main trade group says could boost the acreage of organically grown crops in the U.S. if it takes root beyond the upper Midwest…. Read more »
USDA Seeks Nominations for the National Organic Standards Board
Four seats are open on the 15-member citizen board that advises the USDA National Organic Program. Nominations to fill the vacancies—for an environmentalist, an organic producer, an organic handler, and a retailer—are due May 15. “NOSB members serve a vital role for the organic community advising the Secretary of Agriculture (mostly through the NOP) and… Read more »
How to Add Oomph to “Organic”
The Feed The New York Times By Andrew Martin The organic industry has gone wild in the last decade, but you wouldn’t know it at the Department of Agriculture. Despite year after year of double-digit growth, organics receive a pittance in financing and staff attention at the department, which is responsible for writing regulations about… Read more »
Leader of USDA Organic Program Subject of Ethics Investigation
Industry Watchdog Re-files Legal Complaints against 13 “Factory Farms” After a request to the USDA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), sworn law enforcement agents from the regulatory agency’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) have begun an ethics investigation into the conduct of the head bureaucrat at USDA’s National Organic Program, The Cornucopia Institute reported. Deputy Administrator… Read more »
