It is now official, the USDA has withdrawn the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices (OLPP) rule, as of May 13, 2018. This action will close one chapter and begin the next in a long-running conflict withing the organic community, and between it and the USDA. The USDA is justifying its actions primarily by pointing to […]
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It is a badly kept secret in Washington, D.C. that the USDA , and the U.S. government as a whole, does more to slow the growth in organic farming than support it. There are several ways that the USDA, other government agencies, and the Congress bring about this unfortunate outcome. #1 Denial of Consumer Health […]
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When Amazon, the king of online retail, bought Whole Foods for $13 billion in 2017, many saw a future of on-demand delivery of affordable organic produce and packaged foods. Financial disclosures revealed in Amazon’s 2017 annual report demonstrate that the company is betting on this future too, in the form of a huge investment in […]
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When General Mills bought the beloved organic food company Annie’s Homegrown in 2014 for $820 million cash, many wondered what this would mean for the future of one of the organic food industry’s iconic brands. When the deal went down, Jeff Harmening, the Chief Operating Officer for General Mills, told the New York Times that […]
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What is driving the growth in organic apple production in WA state? First and foremost, consumer demand. Over the last five years or so, most of the fruit buyers for major supermarkets, food companies, restaurants, and exporters have been pushed by their customers to expand the diversity and quality of organic apple offerings. Since Washington […]
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Part I: A Tipping Point for Organic Apples in the Pacific Northwest? The remarkable growth since 2016 in organic apple production in Washington State has received almost no attention in the media, food industry, and public health communities. I paste in below a recent update from two Washington State University faculty members who follow closely […]
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Note — The following comments were submitted by Chuck Benbrook to the AMS/USDA today, in response to the Department’s proposal to withdraw the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices Rule. I am writing to urge the Department to quickly finalize the OLPP rule, rather than withdraw it. If the USDA continues on its proposed course of […]
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Out west in Washington State, Stemilt is rapidly expanding the acreage producing organic apples. Its supply of organic apples will be up 55% in 2017, compared to the 2016 crop. Honeycrisp volume will rise 250%, and fuji volume will be up 90%. Today, about 30% of Stemilt’s extensive apple acreage is managed organically. Virtually all […]
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By Lynn Clarkson, Chairman of Clarkson Grain Note to Readers – Lynn Clarkson sent the following message, or one very similar to it, to a number of individuals in the Trump Administration, or influential with key players in the Administration. He agreed to share his message with the broader community. So, please enjoy and share […]
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Among the fake news making the rounds is that organic food is no safer than conventional food because organic farmers use pesticides too. Ken Roseboro debunks many of the “alternate” facts circulating about pesticide use on organic farms in a well-researched story in The Organic and Non-GMO Report. Of course organic farmers have to manage […]
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