News & Research
Stay up-to-date on the latest from OCIA International, our operators, and the organic industry.News: Updates from the Organic Industry
We’ve compiled the latest news from the organic industry to help you stay up-to-date on industry innovations and regulatory updates.
Should you transition to organic?
The decision to transition a conventional operation to organic is deeply personal. Organic certification requires resources, like time and money, and perseverance in the face of the challenges that you will inevitably encounter along the way. Is transitioning to organic the right step for your operation?
A Passion for Sustainable Farming: Edelman Certified Organic Farm
Sustainable farming is Brad Edelman’s passion. The Kansas farmer, who began farming full time with his father in the 1980s, hasn’t used chemicals on crops since he was a teenager. “When Brad was around 14 years old, he sprayed corn with 2-4-D,” his wife, Teresa Edelman, said. The year’s wet conditions prevented cultivation, and using the synthetic herbicide to help the crops grow seemed like the best option at the time.
Organic System Plan: what they are, what to include
Everyone seeking organic certification–whether they are applying for initial certification or renewing their certification for the seventeenth year–must submit an Organic System Plan (OSP). The OSP is the foundation of the organic certification application, and it provides certification agents and reviewers with a thorough understanding of how an operation complies with organic regulations.
Variety Coffee: challenges and rewards in organic coffee production
Variety Coffee has a simple mission: provide customers with the freshest, highest quality coffee possible. The Brooklyn based coffee roster and chain of cafes does this by sourcing coffee beans from around the world, focusing on acquiring beans that reflect growing seasons of different coffee producing regions.
Cover Crops: Rye provides exceptional benefits
Winter rye is prized for its versatility. It is a source of grain and also a forage and ground cover that protects the soil from erosion by wind and rain. But the benefits of winter rye don’t stop there. A series of studies, begun in 2015, by a team of Agricultural...
Healthy Soil: The foundation of organic farming
If you’re transitioning your conventional farm to organic, you might be wondering where exactly to start. Taking those first tentative steps into the world of organics can be overwhelming, and it’s all too easy to get lost in a mountain of information. Having a solid foundation for your operation is key.
Jack Geiger: Crisis leads to innovation
The 1980s were not kind to family farms. A decade before, strong national and international economies led to ideal economic conditions for farmers. Farmers took advantage of international markets clambering for American produced food, selling their crops with relative ease.
Ryan Albinger: Parallel Production
Ryan Albinger initially transitioned his entire operation to organic. However, as his farm grew, his needs changed, and he decided to farm newly acquired parcels of land using conventional methods. Parallel organic and conventional production methods, Albinger argues, offer economic and social benefits.
New Course: Keep it Organic When Handling and Processing
Certified operations play a vital role at every step along the organic supply chain. The organic integrity of the products they produce, handle, or process depends on how they carry out their respective roles. The National Organic Program recently published a new...