General News
Observations from Spring NOSB Meeting
May 8, 2018 – At the end of April, the organic community descended on Tucson, Arizona for the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) spring public meeting. These meetings allow organic stakeholders from across the sector to give input on the shape and direction of organics. OFRF’s Policy Associate attended to engage in discussions around organic research needs, as well as ensure that OFRF stays plugged in to the continuous development and discussions of organic policy. The day before the official meeting, National Organic Coalition hosted their regular pre-NOSB meeting. This [...]
OFRF Announces First Research Grant of 2018
May 2, 2018 – OFRF’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce a research grant award to Edmund Frost of Common Wealth Seed Growers. The project will assess resistance to both Bacterial Wilt and Cucurbit Downy Mildew among selected cucumber and muskmelon seedstocks, continuing with the development of a pickling cucumber that is resistant to both diseases. Frost has been producing certified organic vegetable seeds at Twin Oaks Seed Farm in Louisa, Virginia since 2008, and pursuing variety trials and breeding work since 2011. He leads Common Wealth Seed Growers, [...]
Initial Draft of Legislation to Reauthorize the Farm Bill Released
April 13, 2018 – Working closely with both Republicans and Democrats, OFRF has been advocating strongly for the inclusion of important organic provisions in the Farm Bill. We are very pleased the House Agriculture Committee has included increased support for organic research, data collection, and organic enforcement in the initial draft (House mark). The language will be discussed, debated, and potentially amended by the House Agriculture Committee next week. Once the Committee votes to pass the bill to the floor of the House, the Farm Bill will be subject to [...]
Congressman Davis Visits Central Coast
February 23, 2019 – Congressman Jimmy Panetta brought a group of organic growers and researchers to his office in Salinas on February 22nd to discuss organic production on the Central Coast with Congressman Rodney Davis (R-IL). Davis serves on the House Committee on Agriculture and is chair of the Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research. The discussion focused on the needs of the industry going into the 2018 Farm Bill. OFRF Executive Director Brise Tencer was invited to talk about the importance of organic research in helping farmers meet the [...]
OFRF Board Approves New President
February 22, 2018—Today, longtime board member and organic farmer Jeremy Barker Plotkin, was approved by unanimous vote to serve as OFRF’s Board President. Jeremy has been a vegetable farmer for 19 years. After earning his M.S. in Plant and Soil Sciences from the University of Maine, he founded Simple Gifts Farm at the New England Small Farm Institute in Belchertown in 1999. Over the next seven years, he grew the farm tenfold, from a half-acre to five. In 2006 he moved his operation to the 37.8-acre North Amherst Community Farm and brought [...]
Brise Tencer Interview in Organic Matters
February 21, 2018 – Organic Matters is a highly influential blog published by Melody Myer, a longtime leader in the organic industry. Melody currently serves as Vice President of Policy and Industry Relations for United Natural Foods (UNFI) and her career spans several decades in the organic and natural foods industry. Melody recently published an interview with OFRF's Executive Director, Brise Tencer in which the two discuss the importance of research, education, and policy in advancing organic agriculture, in particular, OFRF's work to increase investment for organic research in the [...]
Soper Farms
February 15, 2018 – OFRF board member Harn Soper is part of a four-generation Iowa farming family based in Emmetsburg, Iowa. Soper Farms is a century farm, having been in the family for more than 100 years. The Soper family voted to transition the farms, which comprise about 800 acres, to organic, starting in 2010. When I was eleven and working on my family farms in Emmetsburg, our license plate proudly stated “Iowa, A Place To Grow”. That has never been more true than today. What has changed for [...]
OFRF’s Conference Draws Researchers from Near and Far
January 30, 2018 – OFRF’s 2018 Organic Farming Research Conference was held on January 26th.in partnership with the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Jersey (NOFA) and Rutgers University. The day-long session included twenty presentations by researchers from up and down the East Coast—including Rutgers University, University of Maine, University of West Virginia, and New York University—and as far away as the University of Hawaii and USDA-ARS North Dakota. Topics ranging from fertility, soil health, and climate change, to animals, pests, nutrition, biodiversity and the environment, provided for a well-rounded [...]
NIFA Announces Support for Organic Agriculture, Research, Extension, and Education
January 2, 2018 – The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has announced the availability of $17.6M in grants focused on organic agriculture research, education, and extension activities. These grants are funded through a competitive process by NIFA’s Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI), authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. “America’s organic industry continues to be one of the fastest growing segments of U.S. agriculture,” said NIFA Director Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy. “NIFA strives to support the development and deployment of science-based best knowledge and practices to organic [...]