OTA - Science and Research

Teaching and living the organic way in the heart of Nebraska

icardozo — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 20:44:49 +0000

September 10, 2024

Repost from The Organic Center.

September is not only Organic Month; it’s also Whole Grains Month. The Organic Center is thrilled to recognize The Grain Place Foundation in Nebraska, and its new communications coordinator and rising organic advocate Jane Coghlan.

For more than 6 decades, The Grain Place farm in central Nebraska has shown the way for organic grains production in the “Cornhusker” state and the Midwest and far beyond. Three generations of the Vetter family – dedicated to growing food and raising livestock in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way – have inspired and mentored countless numbers of farmers, agricultural professionals and food industry experts to work towards a healthier food production system.

When Jane Coghlan began her summer internship at The Grain Place farm in 2019, her family predicted the “city girl” from Dallas, Texas, wouldn’t last for more than a week. Then an undergraduate at Arizona State University, Coghlan not only lasted the entire summer but eagerly returned the following summer to work on the farm. Fast forward a few years, and Coghlan is now the newest and youngest member of The Grain Place Foundation board of directors and is Communications Coordinator for the foundation, heading up its communications and social media strategy.

Coghlan attributes her current path to those two impactful summers and the inspiration of David Vetter, the man at the helm of The Grain Place for over thirty years and one of the country’s most eminent organic pioneers.

“Being an intern at the Grain Place Farm was an incredible and life-changing experience for me. At the time, I had no farming knowledge whatsoever, but I was an undergraduate at Arizona State University studying sustainability and was curious about organic farming. David inspired me to study sustainable food systems at ASU and become a changemaker in transforming our food system to become more equitable and environmentally sustainable. The Grain Place continues to inspire me every day,” says Coghlan.

During her summer internships, Coghlan grew from a city kid to an experienced farm hand. She irrigated fields, installed electric fencing, drove tractors and harrowed fields on her own. Over time, she learned a wide range of skills, including animal husbandry, beekeeping, welding and composting. David Vetter took her under his wing and made sure her time on the farm was rich with opportunities, including visiting other farms in the area and attending an agricultural policy meeting with a Federal Trade Commissioner and other D.C. officials.

Coghlan’s focus now is to share the Grain Place’s story with a broader audience, and she says she’s especially excited to “continue building an online presence that reflects the farm’s rich history and David Vetter's deep knowledge.”

The Grain Place’s roots go back to 1953 when the Vetter family purchased the farm that was to become The Grain Place. David Vetter’s father Don, in charge of the family farm, began to question the science and ethics of the emerging use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers and began to adopt organic farming methods. Vetter grew up working alongside his dad on the farm, but went off to college to earn his Bachelors in agronomy and soil science and a Masters of Divinity. He returned in 1975 and led the farm through the transition to becoming certified organic. For Vetter, organic and sustainable farming methods were the way he integrated his studies of biological and theological principles.

The Grain Place farm has been certified organic since 1978. The farm produces organic heirloom barley, soybeans, corn, popcorn and grass-finished beef in a nine-year rotation. In 1987, the family operation took the next step of establishing Grain Place Foods to process its own grains into value-added products onsite. Today, Grain Place Foods employs more than two dozen people, several of whom have worked there for over 15 years. Grain Place Foods also sources organic grain to supplement what is grown on the Vetter farm because the family business has expanded so much. It purchases organic grains from over 100 organic farm families, including more than four dozen neighboring Nebraskan farms.

The Vetter family established The Grain Place Foundation in 2016 as a way to invest the 280-acre family farm for the common future and with the goal for the private educational and scientific foundation to help spread the family’s vision of a way of farming for the health of the soil and the health of communities. Through the foundation, the family continues to work steadily to help steward other farms into making the transition to organic.

Healthy soil, crop rotation, and lots of bees

Coghlan stresses that it all starts with healthy soil at The Grain Place: “Everything we do starts with building and protecting soil health – that's always our top priority. Through our rotation and organic farming practices, we’ve created soil that’s rich in nutrients and teeming with microbial life. This healthy soil supports strong, resilient plants and a robust ecosystem that can better handle whatever Mother Nature throws at us.”

The Grain Place practices a unique 9-year crop rotation to achieve its healthy soil. The farm’s 280 acres host 18 fields, all farmed in the rotation schedule. In addition to its cash crops, the farm plants green cover crops like legumes, alfalfa, red clover and chicory to replenish the soils on the fields that are grazing its cattle. Its rotation includes four years of pasturing to supply the primary nutrients and micro nutrients for plant growth and creating organic matter. Bordering the farm and between fields, rows of trees have been planted to prevent pesticide drift from neighboring farms and enrich the farm’s ecosystem.

“By incorporating a wide variety of crops and pastures, we bring an incredible amount of diversity and life to the farm. It’s a beautiful experience to stand in one of our pastures, surrounded by native plants, and listen to the pollinators buzzing around happily. It’s good for the soul,” says Coghlan.

The farm also maintains an active beekeeping operation. The bees play a crucial role in pollinating many of the crops grown on the farm, contributing to better yields and more robust plants. Healthy pollinator populations help the farm support the biodiversity critical to organic farming, they play a role in seed production and ensure genetic diversity in organic crops, and they help manage pests and diseases naturally. The farm’s bees are an essential topic in its educational outreach about sustainable farming practices and in its campaign to raise awareness about the importance of pollinators.

“Maintaining bees on the farm also helps to build a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of our agricultural practices and natural systems,” says Coghlan. “Bees are a great indicator species – if they’re thriving, it’s often a good sign that the ecosystem on our land is healthy.”

The Grain Place partners in USDA initiative to support farmers transitioning to organic

In 2022, the USDA announced its Organic Transition Initiative (OTI) to expand organic agriculture by providing more direct support and technical assistance to producers across the United States. The $300 million program is the biggest single investment into organic ever made by the department. The program provides locally based farmer training and education in six regions across the U.S., with the Plains regions of the country – Nebraska, Colorada, Kansas, Oklahoma, and North and South Dakota – one of the designated regions.

The Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA) is the regional lead for Plains TOPP, and has put together a coalition of organizations providing technical assistance and wrap-around support for transitioning and existing organic farmers. OCIAreached out to The Grain Place Foundation last year to partner with it in its educational and mentoring activities through TOPP, and the results have been more than positive.

“When the TOPP program came along, it felt like a perfect fit,” says Coghlan. “Thanks to TOPP, we’ve been able to expand our efforts even further. We've hosted numerous webinars and informational events, reaching a broader audience of farmers interested in making the transition to organic.”

TOPP-sponsored Grain Place webinars have included an in-depth briefing by Vetter on the process of transitioning to organic farming, one on applying soil health principles in organic row crops with an organic specialist from the University of Nebraska, another on the connection between soil and human health with an ecology expert from Kansas State University, and more. A local farmer gathering was held at The Grain Place to discuss transitioning to organic agriculture. And The Grain Place’s annual field days, a tradition for over 30 years, are now also supported by TOPP to share the ongoing story of the Grain Place.

“The support we've gotten through TOPP has not only enabled us to continue our mission but also to strengthen and grow the organic community,” says Coghlan. “We’re seeing more farmers than ever take an interest in organic practices, and TOPP has played a vital role in making that happen. We’re optimistic that this momentum will improve local and regional infrastructure for organic agriculture in the grain belt—a critical need for sustainable growth in our sector.”

Patience, resilience and dedication

While Coghlan is in the early stages of her organic journey, her work and hands-on experience at The Grain Place and the teachings from Vetter and other organic experts at the farm have given her some important insights for farmers considering going organic.

“Farmers interested in the transition to organic grain production need to first understand that this journey is more of a marathon than a sprint. Transitioning to organic is not just about changing your inputs or practices; it’s about adopting a new mindset and commitment to ecological stewardship and soil health,” notes Coghlan.

She encourages farmers to build strong relationships within their local farming community, and to not hesitate to go to other organic producers for advice. She also invites farmers interested in transitioning to organic to take advantage of the resources of The Grain Place Foundation, noting that its field days, workshops, and mentorship opportunities provide practical knowledge and a supportive network.

But most importantly, Coghlan urges patience in the road to organic: “Remember that transitioning to organic is not an overnight process; it requires patience, resilience, and dedication. While there may be challenges in the short term, particularly with adjusting to new methods and navigating certification, the long-term benefits—healthier soil, increased biodiversity, and potentially higher premiums for your products—make the effort worthwhile.”

Mentoring, educating, inspiring, building community. Sustainability, environmentally friendly, healthy. All steadfast principles of the organic movement, of The Grain Place, and of venerable visionaries like David Vetter and of rising change makers like Jane Coghlan.

Original article found here.

U.S. organic raises its global profile in 2023

vbatcha — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 18:39:54 +0000

December 21, 2023

Organic Trade Association and The Organic Center increase organic’s visibility around the world

While international trade expert Sarah Gorman was in Germany this fall helping to showcase American organic products to thousands of fair goers at the biggest food and beverage trade show in the world, scientist Dr. Amber Sciligo was on the other side of the globe trekking across China with a small group of international organic researchers and lecturing on organic agriculture at Chinese universities.

Gorman is the Manager of International Trade for the Organic Trade Association (OTA). Sciligo is the Director of Science programs for The Organic Center. For over a decade, OTA and The Organic Center have collaborated to advance organic and educate the public on organic’s many benefits, while also working separately to fulfill their related missions. This past year the two organizations reached more people than ever outside the borders of the United States.

“Organic is a global movement,” says Sciligo. “Exchanging knowledge about the successes and challenges facing organic farmers across the globe strengthens the relationships between leaders in organic research and encourages collaboration that allows organic research projects to build off one another. This global interaction enchances the work of researchers and results in more impactful outcomes.”

“Global demand for organic just keeps growing,” says Gorman. “For more than 20 years OTA has represented the face of U.S. organic abroad through the Department of Agriculture’s Market Access Program (MAP). This coming year, with some potential additional funding from USDA, we look forward to expanding our activities to untapped markets around the world.”

Mongolia to the Middle East, with many stops in between

In September, Sciligo went to China at the invitation of IFOAM Asia to represent the U.S. alongside organic researchers from 14 countries on a tour of four major growing areas. The two main goals of the tour: to exchange knowledge about the successes and challenges facing organic farmers across the globe, and to develop connections between international organic scientists, researchers and educators.

For two weeks, Sciligo rubbed elbows and traded information with organic researchers from India, Indonesia, Korea, Tunisia, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Italy, Argentina, Germany, South Africa, Nigeria, Uganda, Australia and various regions of China. When not speaking at four organic research events, Sciligo and the group learned about the organic supply chain in China and toured several organic farms, including an organic farm oasis in the middle of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia where sand dunes had been transformed into a fully functioning farm growing alfalfa, corn, sunflowers and supporting one of the country’s largest organic dairy operations.

“When resources are limited, as is often the case when it comes to most things organic versus its counterpart, more can be accomplished through partnerships,” says Sciligo. “These partnerships must be built at all scales from local communities to global cooperation. I look forward to nurturing the relationships built in China and to growing The Organic Center’s international network of organic scientists to collectively advance impactful research that benefits the organic sector worldwide.”

Gorman led a full plate of international activities supporting American organic growers and businesses in 2023. Backed by a record amount of funding from USDA’s Market Access Program of over $1 million, the Organic Trade Association showcased American-produced products to a wide and diverse global audience stretching from the world’s biggest organic trade fair in Germany to market development across Europe, Asia and the Middle East. More than three dozen organic brands producing a wide array of organic products ranging from spices and nuts to dairy products and frozen fruits participated in OTA’s activities. The trade association facilitated exposure to thousands of potential customers at international trade shows, through OTA-hosted events that linked buyers and sellers, and in consumer promotion work through social media campaigns, retail promotions and consumer education.

Gorman and the OTA team not only promote American-produced organic products around the world, but also act as thought-leaders and information-providers to the international audience. Case in point is Biofach, the world’s largest trade fair devoted to organic, which takes place in Nuremberg, Germany. About 36,000 trade visitors from 135 countries attended the 2023 event. OTA sponsored 10 companies at the show, and those companies reported amazing success with projected sales of over $2 million. Almost 150 new foreign buyer contacts were made, as well as over 100 solid leads for future sales.

While the companies were drumming up new business, OTA staff participated in five different panels within the Biofach Congress, discussing topics ranging from U.S. market updates to policy initiatives and regulatory changes with the recent passing of USDA’s Strengthening Organic Enforcement regulation. OTA CEO Tom Chapman additionally moderated a panel with USDA Under Secretary Jenny Lester Moffitt to discuss U.S./EU organic policy issues and collaboration opportunities.

“Our global activities not only benefit the participating organic brands but provide our staff with critical perspectives and information to help form and advance the association’s international trade development strategy,” says Gorman. “We learn so much by participating in these global events, and with this knowledge we can better promote American organic around the world.”

More global outreach ahead

Both Gorman and Sciligo are looking forward to more global connections in 2024.

The Organic Center is exploring ways to boost the knowledge exchange between researchers and farmers from the U.S. and abroad – sharing international research results from organic farmers abroad with U.S. researchers and farmers, and likewise with American data and research to the international community. The goal will be to share knowledge that will benefit all participants.

The Organic Trade Association is aiming for an even bigger presence in the global arena for American organic. Plans are already underway to sponsor the largest organic contingent at Biofach to date, with some 16 sponsored companies. OTA supported activities will again occur all over the world, including new and untapped venues.

Organic. A global movement indeed.

The Benefits of Organic Spices, Herbs and Teas—An Upcoming Report from The Organic Center

stephanie@llmpubs.com — Fri, 09 Sep 2022 17:41:02 +0000

September 9, 2022

Spices and aromatic dried herbs impart ample flavor when added to foods. Akin to spices, brewed tea leaves center many a daily ritual promoting mental stimulation or relaxation. Together, spices, herbs, and teas find use because of their desired flavors and medicinal and nutritional benefits, and their consumption is growing. Where do organic standards and production methods reveal noteworthy benefits?

This fall, The Organic Center will release a report showcasing how organic spices, herbs, and teas benefit people and the planet. Specifically, the Center will present science that shows: 1) quality benefits to consumers, 2) benefits for worker health and safety, 3) socioeconomic benefits, and 4) environmental benefits related to organic production and processing.

The report will also spotlight case studies from organic companies that are working above and beyond the organic standards to enhance environmental or socioeconomic outcomes along their supply chains. In conjunction with this report, The Organic Center will run a social media campaign featuring recipes from organic spice, herb, and tea companies to highlight their products.

Below is some of the content that will be expanded in the upcoming full report.

Organic Standards: What Does Organic Mean When It Comes to Spices and Teas?

Dried spices, herbs, and teas are subject to organic standards that apply to both farming and processing. This means that wherever these crops are grown, agricultural practices must maintain or improve the natural resources on and around the farm, and this must occur without the use of synthetic fertilizers and most chemical-based pesticides. This improves biodiversity and soil health, and reduces human health risks, greenhouse gases, and energy consumption associated with the manufacturing of these chemicals.

In non-organic processing, irradiation and ethylene oxide chemicals are allowed to manage food safety risks associated with the storage and transportation of spices, herbs, and teas. However, both of these practices, which have been linked to negative health outcomes, are prohibited in organic processing. Organic processors must use other effective and allowed practices, such as steam sterilization, to manage food safety risks.

Reducing chemical use during production and processing is especially important for dried botanical products, as the dehydration process concentrates any existing chemical residues on the fresh product. And the brewing process of teas can influence the transfer of residues by increasing the infusion of water-soluble pesticides. In short, organic standards help protect consumers, farming communities, and the environment.

Quality Benefits for Consumers

In addition to averting chemicals in the final products, organic production of spices, herbs, and teas allows consumers to avoid risk of dietary exposure to harmful chemicals and offers nutritional benefits like reduced heavy metals and more antioxidants in final products.

Several studies from various countries have tested for and detected pesticide residues in non-organic spice and tea products. Detected pesticides range from organophosphates to pyrethroid insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides. Detected levels range from trace to exceeding maximum allowances. Because most of these chemicals are prohibited in organic production, consumers can reduce their risk of dietary exposure when they consume organic products.

But the benefits of organic don’t stop there. Science also shows that organic spices, herbs, and teas can have higher concentrations of beneficial bioactive substances like vitamin C and antioxidants.

Benefits for Worker Health and Safety

Consumers should know that the benefits of organic spices, herbs, and teas go beyond quality when considering the numerous individuals who are involved in their production—from growing to processing—and where there may be less regulation of pesticides and their use. Research shows that occupational exposure to harmful pesticides is prevalent in conventional production of spices, herbs, and teas, and that organic production reduces this exposure.

“There’s a history of intense pesticides used in tea, which led to skin diseases and growths,” says Raj Vable from Young Mountain Tea about tea estates in India. “They have pictures in the processing facilities warning tea farmers to use organic, otherwise this is what happens.”

In the southern state of Kerala, where spices have been produced for centuries, a survey identified that all 300 pesticide applicators reported at least one symptom of acute pesticide poisoning (APP) from 30 cardamom plantations in the Idukki district region. APP is a major occupational hazard, especially for women, where pesticide use in these plantations is some of the highest in the world.

Organic production promotes alternative measures for pest control and when necessary, allows for the use of less-toxic pesticides, reducing the potential risk for harm to those who apply them.

Socioeconomic Benefits

With deep colonial roots, oppressive systems currently exist in many historical spice and tea producing regions today. For instance, business models from the colonial British era are still present in Indian tea estates: private entities own the land and facilities where the tea is grown and processed, and where tea farmers and workers live, controlling their choices for housing, food and healthcare, and subsidies for their children’s education.

Multiple studies show that producing spices and teas for the organic supply chain offers many social and economic benefits that help combat these oppressive systems. Organic production of spices, herbs, and teas can improve livelihood, opportunities, and social benefits for resource-poor, small-scale farmers, including more options for paid, local work that disproportionately benefits women of reproductive ages. The organic premium increases household incomes, and this can be boosted even further when combined with fair trade premiums.

Environmental Benefits

The body of science that shows the environmental benefits of organic farming is vast and growing, and these benefits also flow through the production systems of spices, herbs, and teas. The bulk of available studies focus on tea production and showcase benefits related to soil health, biodiversity, the reduction of heavy metals, and climate change mitigation.

Specifically, the reduction of chemical fertilizers and pesticide use in organic tea plantations improves soil microbial communities and water quality and has a positive impact on soil acidification. In one study, organic soil fertility management improved tea quality and reduced heavy metals in the soil and tea leaves.

Organic tea production, like organic production in general, is climate smart. Multiple studies found that when organic practices are used, soil in organic tea plantations sequestered more carbon, and more stable carbon. This was an especially strong outcome of long-term organic management of over 10 years, where gaps in yield also decreased. Improving the storage of soil organic carbon not only helps mitigate climate change for everyone, but is especially important locally, where it helps farmers better cope with the impacts of extreme weather.

Katrina Hunter is the Manager of Science Programs at The Organic Center (organic-center.org).

This article was originally published in the Fall 2022 Organic Report, you can view the full magazine here.

Climate-Smart, Organic Practices Build Soil and Improve Farming Under Changing Conditions

stephanie@llmpubs.com — Fri, 09 Sep 2022 17:37:27 +0000

September 9, 2022

Soil Health on Organic Farms

Healthy soils are essential for resilient crop production and supporting the ecosystem. They retain water, support a diversity of organisms vital to decomposition and nutrient cycling, provide crops with essential nutrients, and store away carbon, helping to mitigate global climate change. The growing demands for food, feed, fiber, and fuel cannot be met without healthy soils.

Unfortunately, soils in the United States are being degraded by unsustainable agricultural practices. Techniques used by organic farmers can help stop soil health degradation, and even restore health in previously degraded soils, because they replenish organic carbon and preserve underground biodiversity.

Many studies have shown that organic soils tend to score higher when it comes to soil health metrics than conventional soils. Organic soils have greater biological activity and stability, more biomass, and higher diversity than conventionally managed soils. Organically managed soils also tend to have higher water-holding capacity, porosity, and aggregate stability than conventionally managed soils, which can lead to yield advantages in extreme weather events such as droughts and flooding, meaning that organic may fare better as our planet continues to experience climate change.

Healthy Soils Help Mitigate Climate Change

Climate change is causing both gradual and extreme changes in weather conditions like temperature, rainfall, and devastating storms. These changes influence the success of crops by causing stress to the crops during drought, flood, or extreme temperatures. Populations of beneficial biodiversity like pollinators and natural enemies of pests are also impacted, while all kinds of pests and pathogens also change with the weather, typically increasing with more heat and humidity. Farmers are faced with fluctuating extremes in nearly every growing condition, which makes it challenging to produce reliable yields each year.

Carbon sequestration is a critical tool for building soil health and combatting climate change—locking carbon away in soil reserves reduces greenhouse gases. By using farming practices that reduce GHG emissions and draw carbon back into the soil (such as reducing tillage, pesticide use, and reliance on synthetic fertilizer) not only helps mitigate climate change, it also improves the soil structure, which helps farmers cope with changes in weather conditions associated with climate change.

Specifically, storing carbon sequestration:

Reduces erosion
Reduces compaction
Improves aeration, filtration, and water holding capacity
Provides a reserve of essential nutrients for plants
Supports soil organisms by providing a food source that in turn helps fight soil-borne diseases and supports more above-ground diversity

Organic Soils and Climate Change Mitigation

The Organic Center partnered with Northeastern University to explore how organic farming impacts carbon sequestration in the soil and found that not only do organic farms store more soil carbon in general, they also store more of the type of carbon that stays in the ground for longer periods of time. By analyzing more than a thousand soil samples from organically and conventionally managed soils from across 48 U.S. states, this ground-breaking work found that organic soils had 13 percent higher soil organic matter and 44 percent higher long-term carbon storage than conventionally managed soils.

These results highlight the potential of organic agriculture to increase the amount of carbon sequestration in the soil, contributing to climate change mitigation.

Digging Deeper: Specific Organic Practices That Increase Soil Health and Carbon Sequestration

While a growing body of scientific literature suggests that soil management strategies commonly used in organic systems improve overall soil health, there is less research on specific practices within organic systems that have the greatest potential to build healthy soils and sequester carbon.

However, a recent study conducted by the University of Maryland in collaboration with The Organic Center—and supported by the GRO Organic research fund, Annie’s Homegrown of General Mills, and Patagonia—provides a big-picture understanding of the organic techniques that have the most impact on soil health. The review of more than 150 studies from around the world on the benefits of organic farming to soil health and climate change mitigation illuminates specific organic farming practices that are the best of the best in supporting healthy soils.

The study identifies four practices that are the most critical to good soil health:

Planting cover crops
Applying combinations of organic inputs
Increasing crop rotation diversity and length
Conservation tillage

Not surprisingly, these practices have also been found to be important for boosting carbon storage in organic soils.

Another recent collaboration between The Organic Center and University of Maryland quantified how specific organic soil management techniques can optimize carbon sequestration within organic farms to show how organic farming can be used as a tool to move the needle even further in mitigating climate change.

For this meta-analysis, researchers sifted through more than 4,000 scientific articles to find data that put numbers behind the soil carbon-building techniques that organic farmers use. The results show that by adopting best management practices, organic growers can boost their soil organic carbon by an average of 18 percent, and increase microbial biomass carbon by an average of 30 percent.

The second major finding of this study is that organic soil amendments are key players in carbon sequestration—using best practices when it comes to biological soil amendments boosts soil organic carbon by an average of 24 percent. And because much of that carbon was found in the top 50 cm (20 in) of soil, using organic amendments is one of the most impactful strategies to quickly replenish carbon in the soil. Conservation tillage added another layer of benefits and cover cropping showed a significant increase in carbon sequestration after five years, rivaling that of conservation tillage.

The study authors also stress that diversifying key practices makes a difference. While each individual practice has benefits to carbon sequestration, challenges associated with organic farming can be better mitigated by a holistic suite of conservation tools when they are implemented in tandem.

Key Research Gaps

To better understand how organic farming can continue to lead the way in increasing carbon sequestration and soil health, more scientific exploration is needed of the length and diversity of crop rotations, as there is a dearth of research on how crop rotations impact carbon sequestration within organic systems. There is also little information about the impact of climate engineering tools such as biochar. Verification of organic practices through soil health measurements across the broad range of organic cropping systems and regions will also help farmers make informed decisions to optimize their practices and continually improve organic’s ability to build healthy soil to support organic production and the health of our communities.

You can find more soil health and climate related reports at The Organic Center’s Resource Library page at organic-center.org.

www.organic-center.org/organic-farming-practices-improving-soil-health

www.organic-center.org/maximizing-carbon-sequestration-organic-systems

This article was originally published in the Fall 2022 Organic Report, you can view the full magazine here.

Regulatory Round-up, April 2022

Anonymous — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 21:28:10 +0000

April 5, 2022

Over the last week, a flurry of regulatory activity has taken place across organic agriculture. In addition to the formal publication of the Origin of Livestock Final Rule in the federal register, which was previously announced during Organic Week by USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt, the Organic Trade Association (OTA) has submitted 63 pages of recommendations across four unique comment opportunities in the past week. These regulatory comments represent over a decade of work by OTA to safeguard organic and firmly entrench it as the gold standard for agricultural products. This work reflects OTA and the organic industry's commitment to continuous improvement, modernization, and climate-smart agriculture.

Prioritizing NOP Rulemaking on Organic Standards

The National Organic Program (NOP) recently opened a comment period to gather feedback on how to prioritize the backlog of National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) recommendations for organic practice standards (e.g., greenhouse/container production, mushroom production, strengthening organic seed usage). OTA’s comments urged NOP to prioritize capacity-building for ongoing development and implementation of standards, and to devote additional resources and staffing exclusively to standards writing and development. OTA also presented NOP with a multi-stage action plan (developed by OTA’s Continuous Improvement and Accountability in Organic Standards Task Force) to advance all outstanding recommendations over a reasonable timeframe. The Association's action plan streamlines the workload by grouping multiple NOSB recommendations together into a single action, which will help to ensure efficient and resourceful rulemaking.

Upcoming Issues for Spring 2022 NOSB Meeting

OTA has submitted comments on multiple topics to help inform the Spring 2022 NOSB Meeting. The Association's comments address a variety of issues, including: restricting the use of highly soluble nitrogen fertilizers in crop production, clarifying the use of cell and protoplast fusion in seeds used in organic agriculture, and strengthening NOP risk mitigation when accrediting certifiers. OTA will also provide oral comments next week. The public NOSB Meeting will take place on April 28-30 via online webinar.

Allowing Paper-based Planting Aids (Paper Pots and Tapes)

NOP recently proposed an amendment to their regulations that would formalize and clarify the allowance of paper-based crop planting aids (including paper pots, seed tape, and collars) under a new definition that sets minimum composition requirements for biobased and cellulose content. OTA’s comments supported the NOP proposal and NOSB and NOP conclusions that the use of these materials are consistent with organic farming principles and necessary for use on organic operations. Allowance of paper pots and tapes is critical to the success of organic operations at all scales due to the absence of natural alternative products and management practices that would achieve the equivalent level of efficiency, crop quality, and waste reduction.

Ensuring Food Safety, Requirements for Agricultural Water on Produce

In response to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) proposed amendment to the Produce Safety Rule under Food Safety Modernization Act concerning requirements for pre-harvest agricultural water for produce (other than sprouts), OTA submitted comments verifying that the amendment did not conflict or duplicate the requirements of USDA organic certification. The trade association raised concern in its comments, however, that the rule’s ambiguity may present challenges to producers. OTA called for FDA to dedicate resources, tools, and technical assistance to help organic operations understand and comply with this final rule.

Origin of Livestock Webinar Announced, April 20

On Wednesday, April 20, 2022, from 1:00pm-1:30pm Eastern, NOP will hold an informational webinar to provide an overview of the changes this rule makes to the USDA organic regulations and how they may impact organic farms and businesses. USDA has also released this helpful infographic to explain how the new rule works.

Webinar details:

Wednesday, April 20, 2022 1:00pm, Eastern Time
Click this Zoom link to join: https://www.zoomgov.com/s/1601769899
Join by phone: US: +1 669 254 5252 or +1 646 828 7666
Webinar ID: 160 176 9899
International numbers available: https://www.zoomgov.com/u/ac4jNxLv1K

Exploring the Need for AgTech for the Organic Sector

admin — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 22:28:52 +0000

February 28, 2022

Because organic farmers are banned from using common conventional materials such as most synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, the tools available for them to tackle common agricultural challenges are limited. Agricultural technology (AgTech) can provide the opportunity to develop sustainable, organic-compliant methods for addressing organic obstacles, but there has been a disconnect between what has been built by the AgTech industry and the needs of organic producers.

Historically there have been a lack of communication and a paucity of organic-AgTech collaborations. Additionally, the diversity of organic farming operations presents the need for AgTech discussions that include issues such as accessibility of technology for small and low-income farms, equity around tech use and adoption, and inclusion of marginalized farming communities in the development of AgTech. Specifically, AgTech tools are often developed:

Without farmer input
More for the goal of making the most money rather than what will benefit the farming community
Using proprietary software that is costly to purchase, update, and fix
To collect farmer data for profit without giving farmers access or control over their data

To explore the potential promises and pitfalls of AgTech and organic, The Organic Center developed a December 2021 virtual conference that focused on how AgTech can help organic move toward the future, while highlighting current technological trends that can empower farmers rather than exploit them.

Dr. Kathleen Merrigan, the Kelly and Brian Swette Professor in the School of Sustainability and Executive Director of the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems at Arizona State University, kicked off the event with a talk entitled “Organic Ag-Tech: Oxymoron or Golden Opportunity?” Focusing on how the collective community of organic activists can best help shape the next 30 years of organic food and agriculture, she shared current innovations in AgTech that fit within organic values, concluding that AgTech, when done right, could be a boon for organic.

Dr. Steven Mirsky, a USDA Research Ecologist in the Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, continued Dr. Merrigan’s theme on the opportunities of AgTech for organic, sharing the perspective of the expansive possibilities of technology when it comes to agriculture. “Organic could see the biggest impact from advances in agricultural technology, because of the challenges and constraints that go into organic agriculture,” said Mirsky. “What technology brings is really transformative, so the future is very bright.”

Dr. Andrew Hammermeister, Director of the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada and Associate Professor in the Faculty of Agriculture at Dalhousie University, finished the first conference block on AgTech opportunities in organic, discussing the intersection of organic, smart agriculture, and ecological intensification. Dr. Hammermeister noted that the future of organic agriculture should include a coupling of smart technologies with ecological knowledge.

One of the reasons that AgTech overlooks organic is the monetary opportunities available from large-scale conventional agriculture. To discuss organic AgTech funding opportunities, we heard from Revathi Kollegala, the Executive Director of the Regen Foundation, and Dr. Steven Thomson, a National Program Leader with the USDA National Institute Food and Agriculture. They highlighted both private foundation support, as well as federal programs such as the AFRI and SBIR Small and Medium-Sized Farms, which aims to promote and improve the sustainability and profitability of small and mid-size farms and ranches (where annual sales of agricultural products are less than $250,000 for small farms and $500,000 for mid-size farms); the Engineering for Agricultural Production Systems program, which invests in agricultural production research, education, and extension projects for more sustainable, productive, and economically viable plant and animal production systems within the priority areas of plant health and production and plant products; animal health and production and animal products; food safety, nutrition, and health; bioenergy, natural resources, and environment; agriculture systems and technology; and agriculture economics and rural communities; and the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI), which seeks to solve critical organic agriculture issues, priorities, or problems through the integration of research, education, and extension activities. The purpose of this program is to fund projects that will enhance the ability of producers and processors who have already adopted organic standards to grow and market high-quality organic agricultural products.

Despite the opportunities of AgTech for organic, there are many potential pitfalls, such as a lack of data sovereignty, which was highlighted by Dr. Sarah Rotz, a professor at York University, who focused on how agricultural technologies and data bias reinforce agri-food inequities. The Gathering for Open Ag Tech Team spoke about how the open source movement could help overcome these inequalities, as open source tools afford farmers’ and food stakeholders’ ability to exert control over where the data is stored, how it is used, and who uses it. Dr. Julie Guthman, Professor of social sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz, extended the discussion to suggest circumstances in which AgTech can exacerbate the economic challenges of organic farming and in which it might mitigate them. “If AgTech means producing corporate cooperation with organic farmers geared toward enabling agroecological practices cooperatively funded by universities or other non-profits, and made available to coders or produced with open source technology, then we’re talking,” said Dr. Guthman, highlighting the elements that would enable organic and AgTech to complement one another.

Dr. Heather Darby of the University of Vermont discussed ways that farmers could be supported to make appropriate tech choices. She noted that AgTech tools should be looked at critically to determine if they meet the needs of the people who are expected to use them. “In my mind, technology should serve a purpose,” said Darby. “It shouldn’t just be there because it’s the newest greatest coolest thing everybody else is doing it.” She also highlighted that some older farmers are less familiar with smartphones and their apps. This is exacerbated in remote rural areas that lack access to strong broadband and even cellular service. Apps that are designed to work offline will help farmers without reliable cell service, and Darby suggested that the younger generation of farmers could become important mentors to older farmers, helping them improve their technological literacy (or increase their experience).

Summer Sullivan, a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of California, Santa Cruz followed Dr. Darby’s talk by examining how collaborations between engineers and ecological agronomists and farmers could be developed, highlighting synergies and frictions of agroecology and AgTech using a case study from the University of California, Santa Cruz, which developed an initiative in 2013 focused on AgTech. One of the main challenges that need to be overcome when bringing these distinct groups together is the difference in perspectives: engineers tend to focus in on specific phenomena and processes, while agroecologists see things from a systems-based perspective.

To highlight AgTech projects that include organic perspectives, the conference included talks by Dr. Paula Ramos of North Carolina State University and Dr. Dorn Cox of OpenTEAM and Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture & the Environment. Dr. Ramos discussed projects she has been working on with smart, IoT, and low-cost systems to bridge the technology gap in agriculture. In addition, Dr. Cox spoke about OpenTEAM innovations in collaboration, digital equity, and data sovereignty.

The conference concluded with a farmer panel, highlighting the perspectives of five farmers, including Nate Powell-Palm of Cold Spring Organics, Philip LaRocca of LaRocca Vineyards, Earcine Evans of Pure Ciné, Wa Kou Hang of Twin Cities Green Farm, and Jon Bansen of Double J Jerseys / Organic Valley. The farmers spoke about current technologies that they found useful, but also highlighted needs for future technological development, such as a focus on usability.

Dr. Jessica Shade is Director of Science Programs at The Organic Center (organic-center.org).

This article was originally published in the Spring 2022 Organic Report, you can view the full magazine here.

Agrochemicals’ Harm on Social Justice

admin — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 22:20:33 +0000

February 28, 2022

The history of pesticide manufacturing and use in the United States reveals an enduring legacy of environmental racism against communities of color and their collective action for environmental justice. Humans have harnessed the toxicity of chemicals to kill agricultural insects for millennia. However, the rapid proliferation of conventional synthetic agrochemicals increased how much agriculture itself could hurt places and people. The burden of protecting people and places has always fallen on communities rather than governments and institutions.

History of Agrochemicals and Social Justice

Insecticides and fertilizers gained new popularity as labor-saving technologies after the abolition of slavery in 1862. Without enslaved Black field hands to pluck insects from crops and clear new lands, cotton planters invested in agrochemicals to kill insects and revitalize the land. However, agrochemicals did not simply replace Black labor, they also placed the burden of harm on Black laborers who had to use them with little to no educational support.

On the West Coast, the formation of California’s vast agricultural infrastructure also relied on environmental racism and modern agrochemicals. White settlers weaponized ideas about efficiency and proper land use to seize lands from dozens of Indigenous communities, and passed legislation (such as the Chinese Exclusion Act, among others) preventing farmers of color from participating in the agricultural boom as landowners.

New technologies did not replace migrant laborers but encouraged investment in modern, capital-intensive agriculture that further discredited their traditional knowledge and access to land. The overlapping nature of technology and labor continued to make pesticides an occupational hazard for farmers of color.

Environmental Racism and Agrochemicals

Environmental racism intersects with sites of agrochemicals production in urban areas and use in rural areas. Agrochemical production shaped urban industrial centers in urban waterfront communities like the South Bronx and South Baltimore. In South Baltimore, in particular, the history of agrochemical production in Curtis Bay is one factor that resulted in that community having some of the nation’s highest asthma rates in the country. Even though Curtis Bay is no longer a principal producer of agrochemicals, a wide range of chemical manufacturers continue to plague the health of residents.

Agrochemicals production also left a similar stain on the strip of the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, known as Cancer Alley. Due to pollution from nearly 30 chemical manufacturers, cancer rates for the historically Black communities in this industrial corridor are 50 times higher than the national average.

Agrochemical Racism in Agricultural Production

Agrochemicals also have a direct impact on poor health outcomes in sites of agricultural production. This is especially true in California, where nearly one-third of the nation’s farmworkers live. Combined with a legacy of racial segregation, California is also a site of environmental racism. Over half of California pesticides are used in five majorities Latinx and low-income counties. This parallels the patterns in the U.S. South, where the government spends nearly eight times more money on pesticides in counties with populations over 40% people of color than in counties with less than 6%.

In the case of California, counties with Latinx majority populations use 906% more pesticides than counties with fewer than 24% Latinx residents. A high percentage of residents encounter pesticides in the fields, and entire communities experience effects of pesticide drift and pesticide runoff, which contaminate the air and water shared by communities and cropland. School children are especially vulnerable where planners nestled schools between fields. Latinx students are 91% more likely to attend schools with the highest exposure to agrochemicals.

Studies of the impact of prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticides on low-income Mexican and Mexican-American farmworkers are numerous, complex, and troubling. They generally highlight how unequal protection from pesticides causes several respiratory, stress-related, and developmental illnesses. Despite California’s regulatory system for pesticides and record environmental protection, pesticide-related illnesses continue to harm farm-working communities due to environmental racism.

Environmental Justice and Agrochemicals

In response to the unequal burden of harm environmental racism placed on communities of color, those communities nurtured environmental-justice movements to advocate for themselves. Environmental justice consists of social-justice oriented and life-affirming environmental practices, and it intersects with agrochemicals in many ways. The recent federal ban of chlorpyrifos, led by the Latinx farmworker community, is a case in point: with strategic legal and scientific support, farmworker community organizers made the federal ban possible.

According to Margaret Reeves and Ángel García, who organized with California farmworkers, communities used their own lived experience and expertise to investigate the environmental injustices they face. In many cases, administrative districting formally excludes communities of color from land-use decisions, and decision-making bodies ignored communities with a perceived lack of scientific credentials. Decades of farmworker experiences, ideas, and efforts generated the local, state, and national momentum necessary to ban the pesticide.

Alternative Agriculture

An environmental justice lens helps us think critically about food systems, even organic farming. For example, organic farming protects biodiversity and soil quality and reduces pollution from fertilizers and pesticide run-off. Since the 1980s, organic farming has advocated for an agriculture free of synthetic agrochemicals as an alternative to conventional agriculture. Organic farmers are also required to use such non-chemical techniques as crop rotation, selecting resistant varieties, using nutrient and water management, providing habitat for the natural enemies of pests, and releasing beneficial organisms such as ladybugs to protect crops from damage.

If all these pest prevention strategies have failed and pests are present, organic farmers may use limited amounts of pesticides, but those chemicals are five times less likely to leave behind harmful residues. However, since organic farming has become more popular and profitable, farmers will have to center on social justice and increase compensation, transparency, and safety standards for their workers.

Black Farmer Justice

Thinking critically about Black-owned farms is another way the organic farming community can address environmental racism through environmental justice. The institution of slavery first took African people from their Indigenous lands and subjected them to lives of hard and unpaid agricultural labor.

According to Leah Penniman, the owner of food-justice certified Soul Fire Farm, the legacy of slavery still stains many Black people’s ideas and relationship with agriculture. Rather than see growing foods as liberating, they can think of slavery and oppression. Anti-Black racism also robbed Black people of positive experiences with the land after slavery. The history of Black agriculture since the Civil War is a history of violent displacement and fearful migration.

In 1920, before the millions of Black people fled southern violence in the Great Migration, over 14% of U.S. farmland was Black-owned. By 1992, Black farmers owned less than 1% of U.S. farmland. Even with the increased attention to Black-owned farms, historical Black-owned farms continue to face racism and injustice today. Lastly, supporting Black-owned land helps center a wide range of Black environmental knowledge and activism. Similar to how

Latinx farmworkers and activists have influenced chlorpyrifos policies, Black ecological knowledge and activism have shaped environmental justice movements in the United States.

Even though agrochemicals are the engine of industrial agriculture, which adversely impacts the environment and communities of color, many of those same communities fight back. Science and technology alone will not reduce inequalities in our food system. Organic agriculture cannot improve how food is grown and distributed by itself either. The future, however, is far from bleak.

Jayson Porter, is a Ph.D. candidate in history at Northwestern University and Social Justice Intern at The Organic Center.

This article was originally published in the Spring 2022 Organic Report, you can view the full magazine here.

Transitioning to Organic to Combat Climate Change

admin — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 20:45:58 +0000

February 28, 2022

Organic farmers are the only farmers required by law to conserve soil, water, wetlands, woodlands, and wildlife. Maintaining these natural resources is critical because organic farmers rely on nutrients in the soil instead of synthetic fertilizers to feed their crops, and they use ecological rather than chemical methods to control pests, weeds, and disease. Not only is building ecological balance good for farmers’ bottom line, but it is also a key climate strategy.

Long-term studies demonstrate the climate benefits of organic. A University of California-Davis Long-Term Research on Agricultural Systems study found that after 10 years, organic systems resulted in 14 times the rate of carbon sequestration as the conventional system. Nationally, the largest study comparing organic and conventional soils in 48 states found that organic farms have 13% higher soil organic matter than conventional farms.

If organic is a solution to climate change, why aren’t more farmers transitioning? In part, it’s because transitioning land to organic is tough. To transition land to organic, farmers and ranchers cannot apply prohibited materials, including synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, to the land for three years prior to their first organic harvest. Farmers do not receive the premium organic price during this three-year transition period, and can experience yield losses and higher costs as the soil adjusts to ecological management and the farmer learns and invests in new practices. Ranchers face a higher cost of feed and new animal healthcare requirements that focus on preventative rather than diagnostic care.

CCOF is working to support more transition to organic to combat climate change. CCOF Foundation is currently giving $10,000 grants to small-scale farmers and farmers from the Latinx communities in the Central Coast of California to transition to organic with the intention of expanding this grant program to other socially disadvantaged farmer communities. The CCOF policy team is building on the Foundation’s grant program by advocating for state investment in California to support:

Direct assistance for farmers and ranchers to implement multiple organic practices that build healthy soils while offsetting the economic risk of transitioning
Organic research, mentorship, and technical assistance that optimize organic systems and support a diversity of farmers and ranchers to go organic
Expansion of markets for organic food, creating opportunities for new and existing organic farmers and ranchers

CCOF is also working closely with the Organic Trade Association to support organic transition at USDA. Throughout our efforts, we are pushing for investment in technical assistance and market development to support all organic producers. We are excited to partner with farmers and ranchers to realize organic’s full potential as a climate solution. Learn more at www.ccof.org.

This article was prepared by Rebekah Weber, CCOF Policy Director.

References

Kong, A. Y., Six, J., Bryant, D. C., Denison, R. F., & Van Kessel, C. (2005). The relationship between carbon input, aggregation, and soil organic carbon stabilization in sustainable cropping systems. Soil Sci Soc Am J., 69, 1078-1085.

Ghabbour, E. A., Davies, G., Misiewicz, T., Alami, R. A., Askounis, E. M., Cuozzo, N.P., Shade, J. (2017). Chapter one—national comparison of the total and sequestered organic matter contents of conventional and organic farm soil. Advances in Agronomy, 146, 1-35.

This article was originally published in the Spring 2022 Organic Report, you can view the full magazine here.