Comments Needed on Draft Guidance for Post-Harvest Handling of Organic Products
Just a quick reminder: There's currently a notice of draft guidance (pdf) on substances used in post-harvest handling of organics available to comment on. The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has a...
View ArticleUSDA is Updating the National Farmers' Market Directory
If you're one of the many organic producers who sells organic products at one of the 8,000+ farmers markets across the country, The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is asking for your help in...
View ArticleWhat are NOP Temporary Variances?
National Organic Program (NOP) temporary variances are simply practices or requirements that vary from set production and handling requirements of the USDA organic regulations §§205.203 through...
View ArticleNew National Organic Program Handbook Revisions
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) recently announced two new revisions to the National Organic Program Handbook. The new updates include one update to the NOP 2024, Information Submission...
View ArticleFour Ways to Assess Your Soil Health
If you're an aspiring organic farmer, you need quite a few skill sets, but one of the most useful is being able to understand what makes healthy organic soil. First learn about basic soil nutrients on...
View ArticleHow can the Organic Materials Review Institute help your organic business?
If you're not familiar with the Organic Materials Review Institute, it might be good to brush up. The Organic Materials Review Institute, or OMRI, is a useful 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that can...
View ArticleCan Synthetic Fertilizers be Used in Organic Production?
Many people think organic agriculture is free from all pesticides and chemicals. That's not exactly true though. The National List allows for some pesticides and chemicals, just not the same harmful...
View ArticleOrganic Agriculture & Carbon Emissions
Rodale Institute's new white paper, Regenerative Organic Agriculture and Climate Change, is worth a read if you're interested in how organics may help combat climate change. The paper notes that...
View ArticleOrganic Seed Webinar Coming Up
Interested in organic seeds? Yes?! The you probably want to join eOrganic and the Organic Seed Alliance for their upcoming webinar on "Understanding the NOP Seed Rule and Sourcing Organic Seed." The...
View ArticleDefining Organic Retail
Defining organic retail can be tricky, mainly because organic retailers aren't required to obtain certification and far fewer clear-cut guidelines have been set for organic retailers. Still, organic...
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