Organic News

USDA invests $30 million to help boost organic farming and ranching

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) recently announced an investment of over $30 million for 33 grants that support farmers and ranchers who grow and market high-quality organic food, fiber, and other organic products. This investment is part of NIFA’s Organic Agriculture Program. NIFA’s investment in Organic Agriculture Research and […]

Third-generation Ohio farmer made successful switch to organic

Although it hasn’t been easy, Scott Myers and his father flipped a 90-year-old farming system into organic in 2018—and are enjoying better yields, higher quality crops, and healthier soil as a result. Woodlyn Acres Farm in Dalton, Ohio used non-organic fertilizers and pesticides on their crops before switching to no till and organic practices such […]

Certified organic packaged foods offer healthier profile with fewer processed ingredients linked to disease

When it comes to processed packaged foods, does it pay to purchase organic? A new peer-reviewed study by Environmental Working Group says it does. The study analyzed over 80,000 foods—8,240 organic and 72,205 conventional—and discovered fewer ingredients in organic products linked to negative health impacts. Packaged foods comprise over 60% of calories consumed in the […]

One-third of Illinois farmland owners have interest in organic practices

Nearly a third of Illinois farmland owners said they have had more interest in organic practices, and this trend continues to pick up interest, according to a recent survey by Illinois Society of Professional Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (ISPFMRA). The surprising finding was one of responses in the survey, which also found that Illinois […]

New paper: Organic farming significantly lessens reliance on pesticides, reduces dietary risks of pesticide residues in foods

A new paper from the Heartland Health Research Alliance (HHRA) published in the peer-reviewed journal Agronomy reports significantly lower use of pesticides in organic farming and reduced risks of pesticide residues in foods. Organic farms use pesticides far less often and less intensively than on nearby conventional farms growing the same crop (see the chart […]