Organic News

Iowa, Minnesota farmers plead guilty in organic fraud schemes

Two farmers, one in Iowa and another in Minnesota, recently pleaded guilty to selling conventionally grown crops as organic in multimillion-dollar fraud schemes. According to court records, Mark Lynn Haines, 48, of Sigourney, Iowa engaged in a scheme to defraud and obtain money from 2015 to 2018 concerning sales of grain as organic, when in […]

Ronnie Cummins, 1946-2023

Ronnie Cummins, a powerful advocate for regenerative organic agriculture and food production, passed away in Mexico on April 26, 2023 to recently diagnosed bone and lymph cancer. Cummins was the Co-founder and International Director of the Organic Consumers Association, (OCA) and its international affiliates, Regeneration International and Vía Orgánica. Ronnie was a leading figure in […]

Nature’s Path supports 15 community gardens with more than $100,000 in grants through its Gardens for Good Program 

Nature’s Path, North America’s largest certified breakfast and snack food company, is awarding 15 community gardens $7,500 each through its annual Gardens for Good program. Gardens for Good celebrates the meaningful work organic community gardens do across North America. “Community gardens play a vital role in increasing access to organic food for everyone,” says Jyoti Stephens, VP Mission & Strategy at Nature’s […]

USDA restores Organic Certification Cost Share Program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) recently announced that they would be restoring reimbursement rates for the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP), which provides reimbursements to organic farms and handling operations, to 75% of the certified organic operation’s eligible expenses, up to a maximum of $750 per scope. This brings the […]

Senator Welch introduces bill to reduce barriers to organic agriculture

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has supported a new senate bill reducing challenges to switching to organic agriculture. Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced the Opportunities in Organic Act of 2023 to help farmers embrace organic through easy-to-access tools, expert technical assistance, and flexible funding for underserved farmers and ranchers.  The legislation will likely be followed […]