News
USDA Amends the National List for Organic Livestock and Handling
The Organic Foods Production Act created the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List) as a tool for managing the substances used in organic production over time. In general, natural substances are allowed in organics and synthetic substances...
USDA Announces Additional Aid to Ag Producers and Businesses in Pandemic Assistance for Producers Initiative
Since January, USDA has allocated $11B to producers and food and ag business Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today additional aid to agricultural producers and businesses as part of the USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative. Earlier this year,...
NOP Origin of Livestock Notice
The AMS National Organic Program (NOP) has announced in a Federal Register Notice the reopening of the public comment period for the Origin of Livestock proposed rule originally published in 2015. The comment period will be open for 60 days: May 12 – July 12, 2021....
NOP Launches New Spanish Resources Web Page
The number of Spanish speaking farmers and business owners certified under USDA organic standards has increased significantly since the National Organic Program (NOP) was established in 2001. Throughout that time, NOP has developed and expanded the resources available...
U.S. and Mexico Keep Organic Trade Open
Mexico’s agriculture secretariat (SADER) has extended the deadline for U.S. organic exports to be certified to its Organic Products Law (LPO). U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack met with his counterpart Secretary Victor Villalobos, and they agreed to extend the...
OCIA Organic Farm Starts Series Goes Virtual
Join OCIA staff and certified organic board members on May 4th, 2021 for a virtual, OCIA Organic Farm Starts Series from noon-3pm (CST). The certification process will be discussed and organic farmers will share their experiences and answer questions. Click the link...
R & E Scholarship Recipient 2021
R & E Scholarship Recipient
Organic Farmer of the year
The 2021 OCIA R & E Farmer of the Year was recognized at OCIA's virtual, Annual Membership Meeting. Click to view this full News Release
National Organic Standards Board Spring 2021 Meeting
The public comment period is now open for the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) Spring 2021 Meeting. Interested parties are encouraged to review the online meeting materials and provide feedback on topics included on the agenda. Meeting materials available...
Certification of Inspections
Please be aware that the United Kingdom requires (just like the EU) that Certification of Inspections (COIs) be issued prior to shipment. The UK has adopted the EU regulations for organic, so all requirements are the same—the only difference is the COI is issued...