Organic News

As the organic industry booms, grower challenges and seed needs loom large

Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) and Organic Seed Alliance (OSA) are proud to announce the release of the National Organic Research Agenda (NORA) and State of Organic Seed (SOS). The two reports, published every five years, examine organic farming challenges in the U.S., identify research needs, and assess the organic seed needs of producers. 2020 organic sales surpassed $56 […]

USDA accepting applications to help cover costs of organic, transitioning producers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program (OTECP) and Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP) are two initiatives that help producers and handlers cover the cost of organic certification, along with other related expenses. Applications for OTECP and OCCSP are both due October 31, 2022. OTECP builds on support offered through OCCSP to […]

Private label provides greater access to organic and healthy foods and beverages as consumers emerge from the pandemic

With two years of a global health crisis under their belts, consumers are seeking to bolster their health with better-for-you foods and beverages, made more accessible through private label offerings. The Hartman Group’s latest report, Organic 2022: Then, Now, Next, finds that this trend is not playing out evenly across the population, with differences driven not just […]

Organic agriculture promotes overall biodiversity, study finds

A Saskatchewan-based study from Dalhousie University concluded that organic agriculture contributes to overall biodiversity, partly due to crop diversity (crop rotation) that accumulates diverse organisms in the soil and maintains fertility. Researcher Wenjie Xu analyzed 71 organic and conventional field pairs and found that organic growers leave more semi-natural vegetation in fields than conventional farmers. […]

Indiana growers steer toward organic farming as market booms

According to the USDA’s 2019 Survey of Organic Agriculture by Commodity.com, the number of organic farms jumped 50% in the last ten years. About 16,500 organic farms now occupy close to 5.5 million acres, a 38% increase from 2008. While Indiana sits approximately in the middle of those stats, with 600 certified organic farms covering about […]