Long overdue rule underscores the cost and care of raising organic calves [This article was previously published in the summer issue of the Cultivator, Cornucopia’s quarterly newsletter. Donate today to protect organic integrity and receive our fall issue in print.] For years after they purchased their land, and before they even welcomed their first calf,… Read more »
After decades of pressure from Cornucopia and its colleagues in organics, USDA is moving forward with the long-overdue final rule on Origin of Livestock. The final rule underscores a key value of authentic organic dairy: the cost and care necessary to raise organic calves on farms. Unbeknownst to many consumers, “organic” factory dairies have been… Read more »
An update from Policy Director Kestrel Burcham, JD Even though it is not always front and center, policy undergirds Cornucopia’s work. Policies steer legislative outcomes, and we carefully follow the agricultural strategies of each administration. Climate Policy President Biden’s Executive Order, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, laid out the administration’s plan to… Read more »
The Winter 2021 Cultivator, Cornucopia’s quarterly print showcase, is off the press. Featuring independent journalism and stories you won’t read anywhere else; the Cultivator is mailed to supporters as a benefit of their gift. For a look at what supporters receive, download the PDF here. Highlights of this issue include: Updates to our Organic Scorecards… Read more »
The National Organic Program (NOP) recently re-opened the comment period on the 2015 Origin of Livestock rulemaking, soliciting stakeholder input on a few questions that will likely inform the rule’s next iteration. Despite the clear intent of organic law, some organic certifiers allow dairies to transition conventional cows into their operations. Offending dairies with established… Read more »
Authentic organic farmer and former NOSB member Francis Thicke appeared before the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) during the public comments webinar on Thursday, April 22 to share concerns regarding the integrity of the national organic standards. He was speaking on behalf of 40 former NOSB members who served on the Board from 1992 to… Read more »
A new rule is coming. And it’s desperately needed to ensure that healthy calves from organic cows grow up eating grass alongside their relatives. That scenario is commonplace among Cornucopia’s five-cow-rated dairies. But in industrialized organic dairies, scofflaws have long flouted existing “origin of livestock” rules, continuously transitioning conventional animals into production despite the fact that the organic… Read more »
The Winter 2020 Cultivator, Cornucopia’s quarterly newsletter, is now available online. Download the PDF. In it you’ll find: Why I farm, by Cornucopia Board President Cameron Molberg Exposing Organic Grain Fraud North Dakota Seed Breeders, Prairie Road Organic Seed Welcoming Back Charlotte Vallaeys We Need You Revisiting the Origin of Livestock Rule
Comment by December 2 [This action alert is over.] Under pressure from organic dairy farmers, farmer and consumer groups, and Congress, the National Organic Program (NOP) recently re-opened the comment period for the 2015 proposed rule on Origin of Livestock. Despite overwhelming support in 2015 for closing this loophole via the proposed Origin of Livestock… Read more »
The crisis in organic dairy is ongoing, with many family scale organic farms barely staying afloat or already out of business. Source: Taylor Bennett, Flickr Ethical farmers believe this crisis is perpetuated by differing applications of the “origin of livestock” rules in the organic standards. And some certifiers do appear to allow their dairy clients… Read more »
