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.
Randy Mosel: chapter support aids organic transition
The loss of his dairy cows led Randy Mosel to transition his operation to organic. “My cows were fed a TMR containing homegrown alfalfa, corn silage, ground corn, and earlage,” Mosel recalled. At the time, Mosel treated his fields with synthetic inputs to control pests and weeds.
TOPP Brings Plains Region Producers Together
USDA Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) events continue to draw members of local and regional farming communities together. In early summer, more than 20 producers from the TOPP Plains region attended an Intro to Organic Agriculture Field Day on John's...
Fraud Plans required under NOP updates
USDA Organic Regulation 205.201 (a)(3) has been updated to indicate the Organic System Plan must include “…description of the monitoring practices and procedures to verify suppliers in the supply chain and organic status of agricultural products received, and to...
USDA Provides $5 Million to Help Organic Dairy Producers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing a second round of payments for dairy producers through the Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program (ODMAP), providing an additional $5 million to help dairy producers mitigate market volatility, higher input...
The Communicator: Fall 2023 Edition
OCIA International's quarterly newsletter, The Communicator, is back with a fresh new look! You can access the English PDF HERE, and the Spanish PDF HERE. Both versions are also readable below. or it is reproduced in full below.Summer Communicator -- English[dflip...
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.