Cornucopia’s Take: In an apparent handshake with the biotech industry, the USDA has declared that crop insurance does not cover organic crops contaminated by chemical or GMO drift. Other problems also plague crop insurance programs for organic farmers, as the insurance doesn’t include pesticide contamination in inputs like compost. A good insurance program would pay… Read more »
Search Results for: national organic program
USDA Secretary Veneman Pulls Organic Food Directives But Major Program Reform Still Needed
At a news conference this morning USDA Secretary Ann Veneman announced that the agency is withdrawing its recent policy directives clarifying certain organic food production standards. The move comes amidst a rising tide of criticism from organic food producers, consumers and marketers who viewed the directives as a weakening of federal standards and an attack… Read more »
GOP Farm Cuts Target Organic, Avoids Big Ag Subsidies
The Des Moines Register by Philip Brasher The grain and cotton growers that dominate U.S. farm subsidies came out unscathed in the first proposal from some of the most conservative House Republicans to cut spending. Instead, the Republican Study Committee targeted spending for organic farmers, sugar growers and an export promotion program that is popular… Read more »
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Performs Self-Evaluation of National Organic Program — Releases Self-Congratulatory Communiqué
Commentary on the Section 610 Review of the NOP by Jerome Rigot, Ph.D. The conclusion of a review of organic regulations by the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Services (AMS), which administers the organic program, states that “overall, the National Organic Program (NOP), which oversees regulations for the production, handling, and labeling of organically produced agricultural products,… Read more »
Thoughts on an Organic Check-off
By Jim Riddle If an organic check-off is implemented, I am concerned that organic agriculture could be forever relegated to a niche market status, when the larger goal is to change all of agriculture to be ecologically sustainable. Organic should be integrated into all agricultural programs, including research and promotion, rather than being pushed off… Read more »
Will Additional Labels on Organic Food Clarify or Confuse?
Cornucopia’s Take: Cornucopia remains committed to protecting the integrity of organic food and farming. We are neutral on add-on labels for organic products and will judge them on their merits in terms of standards and enforceability (the one outlined in the story, the real organic label, is being developed by some of the true heroes in… Read more »
Student-Led Group Launches $85,000 Organic Gardening Program
New civic/business/education alliance backs sustainable effort in Dunwoody cluster schools Dunwoody Patch by Tom Oder, “Gardening With Tom” GA – Student leaders of Grow Dunwoody are creating a broad-based city-wide alliance of schools, businesses and community organizations as part of an $85,000 organic gardening and sustainability program designed to enhance the quality of education at… Read more »
Amid Controversy, Secrecy, and Lawsuits, 5,000 Organic Stakeholders Call for New Management at USDA National Organic Program
Secret Documents Released: Reading Room Established for Material Obtained from USDA through Federal Lawsuits The Cornucopia Institute has delivered to the USDA more than 5,000 individually signed letters from farmers and consumers calling for new management of the National Organic Program (NOP). The Wisconsin-based organic food and farm policy research group collected the letters from concerned… Read more »
Are Wal-Mart’s “Organics” Organic?
Wisconsin officials have launched an investigation into the giant retailer’s practices after complaints that it may be misleading consumers BusinessWeek by Pallavi Gogoi A year after Wal-Mart (WMT) laid out ambitious plans to become a much bigger player in the organic foods business, the giant retailer is running into trouble over its organic effort with… Read more »
President Trump Proposes Cuts that Would Harm Farmers and Rural America
Cornucopia’s Take: The President’s budget proposal for 2019 is unlikely to be adopted as written, but it shows clearly where the administration’s loyalties lie. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition details what that proposal holds for the sustainable agriculture community, below. PRESIDENT’S BUDGET PROPOSAL THREATENS FOOD, FARM, AND NUTRITION PROGRAMS NSAC’s Blog Source: USDA The deeply… Read more »
