News From Other Sources
There’s a lot going on in the world of organic farming. Our community is always striving to grow and educate. We’ll aggregate and share other organic news from a variety of sources in this section.
Media
Uneasy with herbicides and sensing opportunity, some Northwest Iowa farmers go organic
It’s Time to Break Our Addiction to Farm Chemicals
Organic Plant Breeding Yields Superior Varieties for Cucurbit Growers
2019: Be a part of the solution, and make your new year an organic one!
Opinion: The Climate Change Mitigation Potential of Organic Agriculture
Organic Farm on Cutting Edge of New Fruits and Consumer Education
Environmentally friendly farming practices used by nearly 1/3 of world’s farms
Opinion: Senate Farm Bill Supports Agricultural Research
Microgreens business, Yah-Whooo, hits 20-year mark
At FARM, Veterans FInd Peace Through Organic Gardening
Like your organic food? Pennsylvania’s young farmers are growing it.
In High Demand, Organic soy and Corn Farmers Stand to WIn
Rural Kansas is dying. I drove 1,800 miles to find out why
Organic Pioneer Growing in Paradise
Tiny but mighty: Farm bill programs punching above their weight
Brise Tencer: Research, Education and Policy is essential for Organic Agriculture
OFRF News
Letter from the Executive Director – Fall 2021
Over 20 years ago, I joined the OFRF team to help advocate on behalf of organic farmers across the country. Organic was a fledgling industry with farmers in grave need of science-based resources and support. As part of these efforts, OFRF successfully advocated for Congress to create a new staff position at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Salinas research station that would focus fully on organic agriculture research, the country’s first. Dr. Eric Brennan, the scientist who took that role 20 years ago and continues to hold it today, was [...]
OFRF Attends USDA Briefing with Under Secretary Moffitt and Rep. Panetta
Two USDA COVID assistance programs were discussed, including the Pandemic Response and Safety Grant Program which has an approaching deadline of November 22. The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) recently attended a USDA press with USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt and Congressman Jimmy Panetta (CA-20). The event discussed two federal pandemic assistance programs, the USDA’s Pandemic Response and Safety Grant and the Farm and Food Worker Relief Grant, which total over $1 billion for affected workers and business. "OFRF is excited to show support [...]
OFRF Asks Congress to Increase Funding for Organic Research
The OFRF policy team has been hard at work advocating for more federally funded organic agriculture research. Congress is currently in the midst of budget reconciliation, a process that allows them to fast-track legislation related to spending, revenue, the surplus or deficit, and public debt. The current budget resolution calls for $3.5 trillion in spending, and OFRF wants to make sure that organic research receives a share of the increased spending. More specifically, OFRF has asked members of the House and Senate to support an increase in funding for the [...]
OFRF Meets with Under Secretary Lester Moffitt to Ask USDA to Prioritize Support for Producers Transitioning to Organic
OFRF and its advisors recently met with organic farmer and newly-confirmed USDA Under Secretary Jenny Lester Moffitt and Senior Advisor Mike Schimdt to discuss the department’s plans to help producers transition to organic production. USDA Secretary Vilsack has previously announced that the department will spend a couple hundred million dollars to help farmers and ranchers transition to organic. Given OFRF’s research focus and in-depth analysis in the National Organic Research Agenda, OFRF is well-equipped to provide the department with recommendations that will help producers transition to organic farming. Based on [...]
