MAYBE NOT! BY Jim Slama When you pick up organic milk at your local grocery, you probably have visions of happy cows, frolicking in a beautiful pasture, chewing their cuds and basically hanging out. You may be surprised to learn that this may not necessarily be the case. In recent months there has been a… Read more »
Search Results for: NOSB
NOSB Oral Comments, Fall 2022
DAY 1: October 18, 2022 Jennifer Tucker: Gives introductory remarks; Nate Powell-Palm will be directing the comments as Board chair. Starts with a role-call of the NOSB. https://www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/organic/nosb/current-members Nate: Goes over PPM rules for public comment. Refrain from making any personal attacks or remarks that might impugn the character of any individual. Kiki Hubbard –… Read more »
New Farm Bill Weakens Organic Regulatory Oversight
Congress Agrees with Cornucopia: USDA Undermined Organics and Violated Law The 2018 Farm Bill is one of the biggest pieces of legislation of the year—but getting it off the ground has been a challenge for the divided Congress. With many Farm Bill programs already expired, or set to expire by the end of the year,… Read more »
(ALERT OVER) – Manufacturers Must Use Organic Ingredients When Available
Urge the NOSB to remove soy lecithin from the national list, comments due Monday, April 20th UPDATE: Last fall, we urged members of the organic community to write to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) in support of the first petition in the history of the USDA’s Organic Program to remove a food ingredient from… Read more »
National Organic Standards Board Adopts Pasture Guidance But USDA Staff Rejects Changes and Asks for Further Review
The Cornucopia Institute’s Senior Farm Policy Analyst Mark Kastel journeyed to Washington, D.C. for the August 15-17 meeting of the National Organic Standards Board. He was there to push for final adoption of the proposed pasture guidance for dairy cows and ruminants that would close loopholes being used by several large industrial confinement dairy farms… Read more »
Agrarian Elders Alarmed by Direction of Organic Agriculture, Share Concerns With the NOSB
[This letter was sent to all members of the National Organic Standards Board on April 15, 2016, prior to the recent NOSB meeting. Read more about the Agrarian Elders here.] Source: Adam McLane Dear NOSB Members, As Agrarian Elders we want to tell you how concerned we are about the organic farming movement losing connection… Read more »
Tell USDA You Care About Organic Integrity!
Comment before Midnight ET on March 30, 2022 Industrial “organic” operators are able to keep prices low by cutting corners on animal welfare, biodiversity, care for natural resources, and soil health. Their cheap products undercut authentic organic food in the marketplace. A process exists to counter this threat. The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), a… Read more »
USDA Secretary Asked to Clean Up Organic Mess
WASHINGTON DC: A letter addressed to USDA Secretary Mike Johanns, from The Cornucopia Institute, today asked the Secretary to personally intervene in rebuilding the once promising collaborative environment that existed between the organic community and its regulators. In its letter, the Cornucopia Institute called the current working relationship between the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP)… Read more »
Connecting the Dots
Large Certifiers, the USDA, and Industry Lobbyists Collude [This article was previously published in the fall issue of The Cultivator, Cornucopia’s quarterly newsletter.] by Mark A. Kastel, Codirector at The Cornucopia Institute Mark A. Kastel When I began producing organic food, certification was voluntary. The USDA was years away from being involved. Farmers formed our own… Read more »
Action Alert: Protect Organics from Synthetic Additives and Factory Farms
[This Action Alert is Over] Sign and Mail Your Proxy Letter Protect Organics from Synthetic Additives and Factory Farms Please take a moment to print, sign and mail the proxy letter today! The organic label was founded on the idea that food should be produced in concert with nature, without dangerous chemicals and synthetic ingredients…. Read more »
