Organic News

The end of organic (as we know it)

By Jim Riddle, Organic Independents LLP, Blue Fruit Farm The fundamental concepts of organic farming have always been, “Feed the Soil, not the Plant,” and “Healthy Soil leads to Healthy Crops, Healthy Animals, Healthy People, and a Healthy Planet.” Now, those concepts have been turned on their heads with a recent Appeals Court ruling that […]

Crisis coalition seeks to help drought-impacted organic dairy farmers

Emergency relief is required for Western organic dairy producers to stave off shutdowns due to ongoing drought conditions. Straus Family Creamery of Petaluma, CA organized the Western Organic Dairy Farming Crisis Coalition in August 2022 to seek immediate help. Several organic dairies anticipate an average loss of $250,000 this year, to follow into 2023 if […]

USDA grant to support intensive research on ecological processes affecting organic farming

Purdue University has received a four-year, $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to explore the ecology of organic cropping systems in Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Purdue, in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Western Illinois University in Macomb, will assess weed, insect, and pathogen pressure […]

New program will reward organic farmers for conservation practices

The Ecosystem Services Market Consortium (ESMC), SLM Partners, and Carbon Yield are pleased to announce a project to reward corn and soy farmers in Illinois and Michigan for conservation practices that result in measurable climate impacts. The project will test and streamline the creation and sale of environmental credits from organic farming systems—ESMC’s first project […]

Tuskegee University receives a $1 million organic research endowment from Clif Bar & Company

Tuskegee University recently announced it had received a $1 million endowment from Clif Bar & Company. The funds will support the advancement of organic agriculture and farming practices through the University’s College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences (CAENS). With this investment, Tuskegee University becomes the first Historically Black College and University (HBCU) to receive a Clif Bar […]