Why Organic News

March 22, 2019 – We were thrilled to offer scholarships to attend our Organic Agriculture Research Forum in February and wanted share feedback we received from some of the recipients. Thanks once again to Ceres Trust for funding the scholarship program. As you will see from the comments below, their investment yields a strong return in the continuing education of both farmers and researchers.

DeLisa A. Lewis, Green Fire Farm

I came to the Organic Agriculture Research Forum in Portland wearing two different hats, farmer and researcher. My family and I own a diverse, 40-acre farm in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and I teach and carry out on-farm field trials, focused on soil health assessment, with the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia (UBC), in Canada. My goal was to hear from and connect with other organic systems researchers, farmers, and farm systems suppliers, and the research forum and trade show gave me all that and more! Over the delicious breakfast, a former co-worker from the UBC Farm found me, and we enjoyed a good catch-up session on family and farming. Grafting has been an interest for both of our farming operations since 2014, and the first Research Forum session was an outstanding, fast-paced overview of practical progress on that front. As an on-farm researcher, improving outreach efforts and field research design are ongoing areas of focus, and the lively Q&A sessions following each talk provided useful synthesis and additional connections for each of those key points. Break times and lunch were great opportunities to enjoy the bounty of the Pacific Northwest growing region, and to connect with growers and trade show vendors. With plastic bag bans and the food systems waste stream challenge at the forefront of the conversation in many of our Vancouver Island cities, I especially appreciated the award- winning packaging display of A&A produce. Also, during the break, I re-connected with Diane Nichols, of the UC Santa Cruz Farm & Garden Project. My organic farming life began in Santa Cruz, farming under the mentorship of a former Apprentice leader, Dennis Tamura. The deep and wide roots of the organic farming, research and teaching communities that reach up the west coast and into British Columbia were well represented at this Forum, and I am deeply appreciative for the opportunities to be present and recharge.

Brian A. Mitchell, Colorado State University

As a PhD student and researcher at Colorado State University, I value the science-backed information that was presented at the OARF. It was interesting to listen to and engage with more than a dozen speakers, who discussed topics ranging from mycorrhizal fungi use in organic systems to the economics of utilizing whole-farm insurance to climate change modeling for organic agriculture. There are so many exciting projects going on at universities around the country focused on understanding and improving organic agriculture!

Nicolette Lax

During the two years I conducted my thesis on season extension practices for organic agriculture, many sunny days in the lab were spent thinking about working more outside, on the farm. Every field day left me inspired to get back out to the farm, and helped me see the importance of the research I was conducting.

Now, having spent three seasons out of the lab and permanently on an organic farm, I often daydream about researching the questions and problems we encounter every day. When we’re in the hustle of the summer season we only have time to postulate solutions to our pest problems, more efficient cultivation practices, or more quantitative evaluations of our soil. This winter, upon reflection, I realized there shouldn’t be such a dichotomy between my love for farming and my interest in research.

At the forum, I was finally able to wear both hats, of a farmer and a researcher, and gain a broader perspective from having both backgrounds. It seemed many other folks in the room where also of these mixed backgrounds, which made for very interesting and relevant research being shared. The forum offered a glimpse into the possibilities of connecting farmers and researchers, and inspired me to pursue this collaboration. I felt that I left the forum with an array of resources that I’m excited to bring to the farm this season, as well as an understanding of other research opportunities and connections that exist in the sustainable agriculture community.

Sarah Barney

MS student and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow in the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan

My first time at Organicology went above and beyond my expectations. As an academic by training and a beginning farmer, I enjoyed the diversity of the participants and content at the conference. While I have attended many academic conferences in the past, I appreciated the Organic Agriculture Research Forum as it allowed for discussion of agricultural research with non-academics. This kind of bridging across industry, academia, grass-roots organizations and farmers is critical to the continued success of sustainable agriculture and its contribution to a more just food system. This will definitely not be my last Organicology!

Tessa Barker

Oregon State University, incoming Crop Science Graduate Student

As a graduating senior and soon-to-be graduate student, this was my first time attending the forum. I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity in oral presentation and poster topics, ranging from crop insurance, to pest management, and whether or not organic farmers were ready for new food safety regulations. At the same time, throughout the day I started to see connections between the array of topics, and the projects my own research team works on. One presentation that we all found intriguing was Amanda Marabesi’s talk, entitled, “A phenomenological inquiry into producers’ experiences growing organic produce.” As part of the social science segment, this presentation centered on a survey of growers and extension agents, regarding their experience with organic agriculture in Georgia. Our team has conducted a number of surveys, and I am currently in the midst of conducting interviews with olive growers in Oregon. Despite the different regions and questions our surveys focused on, I found it enlightening to see how Marabesi presented her findings, and how she used the data to tell a larger story about the organic industry in Georgia.

During the poster session, I presented on my team’s research on containerized strawberry transplants, and experienced the thrill of sharing this project in which I had invested so much hard work and effort. Due to the small size of the poster session, I was able to walk around and meet the other presenters, and connect with those doing work that was similar to mine. The poster I found most interesting was Claire Hodge’s, exploring deep winter greenhouses in Minnesota. Again, this research involved a very different climate than Oregon, where I have done all of my student research. However, we found common ground in that both of our research teams are exploring season extension.

Attending this conference allowed me to see people at all stages of their careers, asking important questions about organic agriculture. But perhaps more importantly, it reminded me of the value of connecting across different regions, different crops, and different disciplines in terms of natural or social science. In my day-to-day student research, I tend to be fairly focused on the crops our team focuses on. However, not all of the resources and connections I find concern organic production of these crops. Events like the OARF are unique in that they bring organic researchers together, not only to find what we have in common, but also to inspire one another and consider approaches we may never before have encountered.

March 22, 2019 – Recordings from the 2019 Organic Agriculture Research Forum held in February are now posted. There are 15 sessions covering a wide range of topics available to view. View 2019 Organic Agriculture Research Forum sessions.

Thanks to eOrganic for recording the sessions and making them available!

March 12, 2019 –  By Lauren Snyder, Research & Education Associate, OFRF

March 12, 2019 – As I was eating my breakfast this morning, I looked out the window and caught a glimpse of a bobcat passing through our field. It was such an incredible way to start the day; feeling inspired by nature and grateful to live in such a beautiful environment. However, my cheery mood quickly evaporated when I got to the office and skimmed the latest headlines. These days, it seems every time we open our devices, we are confronted with another bleak article explaining that “we’re going to hell in a handbasket,” as one of my mentors likes to put it.

For example, many of us have heard that there will likely be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050, and we are already experiencing the devastating effects of anthropogenic climate change in the form of more frequent and severe fires, floods, droughts, and storms. Now, add to that depressing list the alarming news from a recent scientific review revealing dramatic losses in insect biodiversity that could lead to the extinction of 40% of the world’s insect species over the next few decades (Sánchez-Bayo & Wyckhuys, 2019). With this news, you may be tempted to throw up your hands in frustration and walk away, but I encourage you to read on because this is an issue you have the power to tackle—just by eating. Let me explain.

The Problem

We are living through the sixth major extinction—species around the globe are disappearing at never-before-seen rates. While most attention is focused on vertebrate species loss, such as mammals and birds, a recent article in the journal of Biological Conservation indicates that the local extinction rate of insect species is eight times higher than that of vertebrates. That is something we should all be very concerned about. As the authors of the study explain, “because insects constitute the world’s most abundant and speciose animal group and provide critical services within ecosystems, such an event cannot be ignored and should prompt decisive action to avert a catastrophic collapse of nature’s ecosystems.”

Insects may be more discrete than their charismatic vertebrate counterparts, but the ramifications of their dramatic decline will be anything but inconspicuous. Individually unassuming, insects comprise roughly one gigaton of biomass carbon on Earth (Bar-on et al., 2018) and support a number of valuable services that we rely on every day, such as pollination, pest control, and nutrient cycling (Aizen et al., 2009). Insects also play an essential role as food resources for many vertebrates, including moles, lizards, birds, bats, and fish.

The new study documents a reduction in a large number of insect species concurrent with an increase in a small number of adaptable (often non-native) species that are filling vacated niches. The overall result is that insect communities are, in general, becoming more uniform and less diverse. This shift will have major repercussions for the ecosystem services provided by insects.

The mass decline we are witnessing in insects is particularly concerning because it includes not only specialist species, which rely on a specific habitat or resource and are therefore more susceptible to subtle shifts in the environment, but also generalist species, which we would expect to be more resilient to external stressors because they tend to be more flexible in terms of their food and/or living preferences. The fact that we see a decline in both specialist and generalist insects suggests the causes of the decline are not isolated to specific habitats or traits, but are more broad-reaching and affect traits shared among all insects.

The Causes

So what underlies this broad decline in insect diversity and abundance? While there are several causes, the biggest culprit appears to be agriculture; or more specifically, intensive agricultural practices that rely on the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. “The intensification of agriculture over the past six decades stands as the root cause of the problem, and within it the widespread, relentless use of synthetic pesticides is a major driver of insect losses in recent times (Dudley & Alexander, 2017),” says the review.

Habitat loss and pollution are the biggest drivers of insect declines and both are associated with modern day agriculture. As the review describes, in the first half of the 20^thcentury, the conversion of forests, wetlands, grasslands, and other natural habitats to agriculture in North America and Europe negatively affected overall biodiversity. Today, roughly 40% of terrestrial surfaces are dedicated to agricultural uses (FAO 2009). These land use changes negatively affected insect communities, but we began to see even larger insect declines during the Green Revolution when traditional, low-input farming practices were largely replaced by industrial practices heavily reliant on synthetic inputs to control pests and support crop yields. While the changes associated with the Green Revolution did not necessarily involve further loss of natural habitats, the widespread implementation of monocultures led to a significant reduction in insect biodiversity—creating prime conditions for agricultural pests to flourish. According to the review’s authors, “the conclusion is clear: unless we change our ways of producing food, insects as a whole will go down the path of extinction in a few decades.”

How We Can Solve It

Ironically, while agriculture has been identified as one of the main drivers of the major insect decline, it also has potential to be the solution. The solution, say the authors of the review, requires “a rethinking of current agricultural practices, in particular a serious reduction in pesticide usage and its substitution with more sustainable, ecologically-based practices.”

Organic agriculture has the potential to provide this solution, as it prohibits the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and therefore reduces environmental pollution associated with the reduced abundance and diversity of insects. A recent publication in Nature demonstrated that organic farming systems enhanced pest control services compared to conventional systems and that implementation of organic practices can reduce the use of synthetic pesticides (Muneret et al. 2018). Moreover, best management of organic systems involves implementing practices such as wildflower strips, hedgerows, and diversified crop rotations, which have been shown to enhance the abundance of wild insect species (Kremen & Merenlender, 2018).

This is where you, the reader, come into the story because you have the power to change the way we grow our food. Remember how I said you can tackle this issue just by eating? Well, by electing to eat organically produced food, you are sending a message that you care about where your food comes from and the impact its production has on the environment and its inhabitants. Eating organic supports farmers who implement practices that promote biodiversity and good stewardship of the land.

It can be debilitating to confront the myriad of seemingly apocalyptic environmental issues our society is facing, but there are straightforward decisions you can make today to resolve these issues. And, it all starts with what you’re putting on your plate.

References:

Aizen, M. A., Garibaldi, L. A., Cunningham, S. A., Klein, A. M. 2009. How much does agriculture depend on pollinators? Lessons from long-term trends in crop production. Ann. Bot. 103: 1579-1588.

Bar-On, Y. M., Phillips, R., Milo, R. 2018. The biomass distribution on Earth. PNAS. 115 (25): 6506-6511.

Dudley, N., Attwood, S. J., Goulson, D., Jarvis, D., Bharucha, Z. P., Pretty, J. 2017. How should conservationists respond to pesticides as a driver of biodiversity loss in agroecosystems? Bio. Conserv. 209: 449-453.

FAO 2009. Statistics from www.faostat.fao.org, Rome, Italy: FAO

Kremen, C., and A. M. Merenlender. 2018. Landscapes that work for biodiversity and people. Science. 362.

May, R. M., 2010. Ecological science and tomorrow’s world. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B Biol. Sci. 365: 41-47.

Muneret, L., Mitchell, M., Seufert, V., Aviron, S. Djoudi, E. A., Pétillon, J., Plantegenest, M., Thiéry, D., Rusch, A. 2018. Evidence that organic farming promotes pest control. Nature. 1: 361-368.

Sánchez-Bayo, F., and K. A. G.Wyckhuys. 2019. Worldwide decline of the entomofauna: A review of its drivers. Biological Conservation. 232: 8-27.

February 12, 2019 – Newly appointed to the External Advisory Board of the UC Davis Agricultural Sustainability Institute (ASI), OFRF Executive Director Brise Tencer was introduced at the annual meeting in January in Davis, California.

“As a member of the ASI Board, I am honored to have this opportunity to represent the needs of the organic community,” said Tencer, adding that she looks forward to seeing organic initiatives and education grow within the UC system.

ASI brings together the expertise of more than 70 UC Davis faculty, staff, postdoctoral fellows, graduate student researchers, and undergraduate student assistants to address emerging issues related to food and farming sustainability. They partner with farmers, ranchers, agribusiness, non-profits, policy makers, and local communities to ensure their research and teaching are responsive to current needs.

The meeting included an update from Founding Director, Professor Tom Tomich of UC Davis, and open discussion led by Kat Taylor, Founding Director of TomKat Ranch Educational Foundation. Several questions were posed to the Board to seek guidance and feedback on ASI’s direction moving forward.

Learn more about ASI.

January 29, 2019 – OFRF’s research program got a big boost thanks to a matching grant from the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR). The $66,000 match will be used to support OFRF’s 2019 organic research grant awards related to soil health, including carbon sequestration, reduced tillage systems, and fertility management focused on reducing environmental impacts and improving soil health.

“While modest in size, our competitive grant program plays a crucial role in advancing innovative projects on working farms and ranches, with strong collaboration between organic farmers and researchers,” explains Brise Tencer, OFRF’s Executive Director. “We are so grateful for this matching grant as it will enable us to fund more of the outstanding proposals we received for this year’s grants.”

“Collaboration is a cornerstone of FFAR’s mission,” adds LaKisha Odom, Scientific Program Director at FFAR. “We feel this partnership is a prime example of what we value at FFAR: growing nutritious food sustainably on thriving farms. While FFAR supports research in all types of production systems, we are excited about this first foray into organic agriculture.”

FFAR was established with bipartisan support in the 2014 Farm Bill to build unique partnerships to support innovative science addressing today’s food and agriculture challenges. FFAR matches every federal dollar with private funding, delivering a powerful return on taxpayer investment.

OFRF’s grants program is open to all applicants residing and conducting research in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Proposals must involve farmers or ranchers in project design and implementation must take place on certified organic land. All research projects require strong education and outreach components and contain measurable outcomes. Proposals for the 2019 grant cycle are in review and awards will be announced this spring.

To date, OFRF has invested over $3M in 339 grants across North America. Overall, OFRF grant funding has advanced scientific knowledge and improved the practices, ecological sustainability, and economic prosperity of organic farming. Project results are shared freely at ofrf.org. OFRF also provides free access to all its educational materials and resources.

December 13, 2018 – After years of work and months of back and forth negotiations, the 2018 Farm Bill has been signed by the President.

This bipartisan bill makes long-overdue investments in organics and the future of American agriculture. The bill provides historic permanent baseline funding for the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI), continues to support the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program, provides increased funding and enforcement authority for the National Organic Program, and supports the vital Organic Market and Production Data Initiative.

The bill also makes important changes to conservation programs that support organic agriculture. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) organic initiative had a restrictive funding cap that has been raised, and the Conservation Stewardship Program. (CSP) will provide program funds to States for the support of organic production and transition to organics. This bill also encourages cover cropping, resource-conserving crop rotation, and advanced grazing systems, which are important tools for organic farmers and ranchers. Additionally, the bill makes important policy improvements to support organic crop insurance education, promotion of organic products, and allows for States to mediate farm disputes impacting organic production.

We would like to thank our Congressional Organic Champions Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Susan Collins (R-ME), and Representatives Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), and Chellie Pingree (D-ME). This bill secures historic support for organic research.

Thanks to the hard work of the Agriculture Committee leaders Senators Pat Roberts (R-KS), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Representatives Mike Conaway (R-TX), and Collin Peterson (D-MN), and the diligent staff of the Agriculture Committees for their support of the landmark organic provisions in the Farm Bill, and for their hard work to pass a strong bipartisan Farm Bill.

In addition to organic programs, this bill makes investments in other key programs that support beginning farmers and locally produced foods. The bill provides permanent baseline funding for organic research and also makes significant policy improvements to programs that support beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, local food access and markets, and works to secure key resources to support research at 1890 Land Grant Universities. The bill also legalizes the growing of industrial hemp and paves the way for federal support of hemp production and research.

While there are many outstanding provisions in the Farm Bill, the bill is far from perfect. The final bill did not include many provisions that were intended to weaken environmental protection, and the bill makes no substantial changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) also known as food stamps.

Overall, this bill provides much needed support for America’s organic farmers and ranchers, supports beginning farmers, and helps producers and consumers across the country.

December 11, 2018—Thanks to the hard work of OFRF and a broad coalition of organic champions, we have secured historic wins for organic agricultural research in the 2018 Farm Bill, which will provide $395 million for organic agriculture research and education over the next 10 years. This milestone is the biggest win for organic farming in the Farm Bill in decades, securing permanent funding for organic research at USDA.

These funds will dramatically expand competitive grants through USDA’s Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI), ensuring organic farmers and ranchers have the tools and technology to meet their unique challenges and the growing demand for organic products—leading to a more resilient and sustainable agricultural system that values healthy environments and healthy people.

“Throughout our history, OFRF has worked to ensure that organic producers have the science-based information and resources necessary to support the nation’s demand for healthier food and farming systems,” noted OFRF Executive Director Brise Tencer. “Since 2002, OREI research has supported cutting edge scientific inquiry into organic practices and production systems. With this bill, Congress has made progress toward fulfilling organic agriculture’s potential to provide broad environmental and economic benefits for all.”

As the Farm Bill heads to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives for final consideration, we support the landmark wins for organic agriculture, including the significant funding increase for OREI and increased enforcement authority of the National Organic Program (NOP). In addition to these milestones, the Farm Bill includes several other programs that impact organic farmers and ranchers such as the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program (NOCCSP) and funding for the Organic Data Initiative (ODI).

Details on the Organic Provisions in the Farm Bill

• $395 million in OREI funding over the next 10 years. $20 million/FY 2019-2020, $25 million/FY 2021, $30 million/FY 2022, $50 million/FY 2023 and ever year after.
• $5 million for the Organic Production and Market Data Initiative, which helps facilitate the collection of organic production and market data.
• $40.5 million for NOCCSP that offsets part of farmers’ organic certification costs. This program is facilitated by $24 million in new funding, plus an additional $16.5 million in funding that was not used for the program from the previous Farm Bill.
• $5 million for technology upgrades, increased enforcement authority, and increased funding authorization for the NOP.
• Payment limits for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program Organic Initiative are increased to $140,000.
• Organic and sustainable agriculture practice are now part of the continuing education for Crop Insurance Agents and Loss Adjusters.
• Funding from the Conservation Stewardship Program will be allocated to States to support organic production and transition to organic production.
• Current voting and membership practices of the National Organic Standards Board are codified.
• Farmers that have land in the Conservation Reserve Program can being to transition the land to certified organic 3 years prior to the expiration of their Conservation Reserve contract.State Agriculture Mediation Programs shall now cover issues that impact certified organic production.
• The Market Access Program shall encourage export of USDA certified organic products.

“All of the organic policy components of the Farm Bill are important and have far reaching impacts,” said Michael Stein, Policy and Program Manager at OFRF. “We want to thank the Agriculture Committee leadership, our supporters in Congress, and the diverse coalition that has helped make outstanding progress for organic agriculture in this Farm Bill.”

Congressional Champions

Organic agriculture would not be where it is today without the strong support of Congress. We would like the thank the House and Senate Agriculture Committee leaders for their hard work, including Senators Pat Roberts (R-KS), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Representatives Mike Conaway (R-TX), and Collin Peterson (D-MN) and the diligent staff of the Agriculture Committees, without whom we would not have been able to achieve such a historic win for organic agriculture.

We would also like to thank Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Susan Collins (R-ME), and Representatives Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), and Chellie Pingree (D-ME) who championed Congressional support for organic research. Thanks to their help and support, we were able to gather strong bipartisan support for organic research, securing 66 co-sponsors of the Organic Agriculture Research Act.

Other champions for organic agriculture in the Farm Bill process included Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and the Senate’s only certified organic farmer, Senator John Tester (D-MT). Representatives Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Rodney Davis (R-IL), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), and Darren Soto (D-FL), along with outgoing Representatives John Faso (R-NY) and Michelle Lujan-Grisham (D-NM) also supported key organic policies in the farm bill.

Key Role of Organics

Since its inception, OFRF has worked to cultivate organic research, education, and federal policies that bring more farmers and organic acreage into organic production. In 2002, OFRF was instrumental in securing the first dedicated USDA funding for organic agriculture, $3 million annually. In the 2008 Farm Bill, OFRF worked to secure $78 million for organic research, a historic five-fold increase from the $15 million allocated in the expiring 2002 legislation. Now in the 2018 Farm Bill, we can proudly say that USDA’s funding for organic agriculture research has become permanent, steadily increasing to $50 million annually by 2023.

However, passing the 2018 Farm Bill is only the first step. OFRF will be working to inform this increased investment by ensuring future research and programs are relevant and responsive to the top challenges facing organic farmers and ranchers and producers who want to farm more sustainably, and that education and resources are broadly disseminated.

“It is so exciting to see this increased level of support for organic farming and organic research in the Farm Bill, said OFRF Board President and organic farmer, Jeremy Barker-Plotkin. “Organic farming is good for farmers, consumers, and the environment, and can ameliorate the impacts of climate change by sequestering carbon in the soil. Funding for research into organic farming has lagged behind organic farming’s market share for years, so it’s great to see a movement towards funding parity.”

December 4, 2018—Today the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) released the eighth guidebook in their immensely popular Soil Health and Organic Farming Series. Organic Practices for Climate Mitigation, Adaptation, and Carbon Sequestration examines research related to the capacity of sustainable organic systems and practices to sequester soil carbon and minimize nitrous oxide and methane emissions. The guide includes practical advice for reducing an organic farm’s “carbon footprint” and adapting to climate disruptions already underway.

“Research demonstrates that sustainable organic agriculture has great potential to sequester carbon, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and enhance farm resilience,” said Dr. Diana Jerkins, Research Program Director at OFRF. “We believe it is the best approach because sustainable organic agriculture not only integrates best soil health management practices, it protects soil life from the potentially adverse effects of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers.”

“Transitioning to sustainable organic systems won’t happen overnight though,” cautions Dr. Jerkins. “Many technical, educational, cultural, and policy hurdles will need to be cleared before we’ll see the benefits on a large scale.”

“Farmers and ranchers have a major stake in curbing further climate change and enhancing the resilience of their operations to the impacts of climate change,” adds OFRF’s Executive Director, Brise Tencer. “Ultimately, we believe this guide will be critical to informing the direction of new research, as well as policies and programs that address barriers to the adoption of practices that increase resilience and help reverse the effects of climate change.”

Climate change threatens agriculture and food security across the U.S. and around the world. Rising global mean temperatures have already intensified droughts, heat waves, and storms, and altered life cycles and geographical ranges of pests, weeds, and pathogens, making crop and livestock production more challenging. Intense rainstorms aggravate soil erosion and complicate water management, and higher temperatures accelerate oxidation of soil organic matter. Warming climates modify crop development regulated by growing degree-days or “chill hours,” and threaten production of perennial fruit and nut crops that have strict chilling requirements to initiate growth and fruit set.

Research shows that building soil health through sustainable organic management practices can mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and lessen the impacts of climate change on production. Now, all we need to do is scale it.

The entire Soil Health and Organic Farming series is available to download for free. Printed copies will be available upon request.

View the webinar.

November 30, 2018 – Even in the midst of a tense Farm Bill negotiation, the Senate Agriculture Committee convened to hear from the nominees for key positions at USDA. The nominees are, Mindy Brashears for Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food Safety, Naomi C. Earp for Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Civil Rights, and Scott Hutchins, for Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics also known as the “Chief Scientist” at USDA.

For organic research, it is the “Chief Scientist” who coordinates and oversees a number of federal agencies that impact organics. If confirmed, Dr. Hutchins will be responsible for the coordination of research, education, and extension activities, including the Agricultural Research Service, the National Institute for Food and Agriculture, and the Economic Research Service.

Unlike the previous nominee for USDA Chief Scientist, Dr. Hutchins has a strong scientific background and experience in both agricultural economics and entomology with a focus on integrated pest management. Dr. Hutchins has focused on agricultural innovation and technology in the private sector, most recently with Corteva, a division of DowDuPont. While there are number of potential concerns with his strong ties to the chemical agriculture industry, Dr. Hutchins also has experience working directly on products that are used in organic agriculture. According to his Senate testimony, Dr. Hutchins’ work has focused on helping farmers succeed “with a progressively smaller footprint to the environment.” In fact, Dr. Hutchins was the global project manager for Spinosad, a natural substance made by a soil bacterium that can be toxic to insects, and is approved for use in organic agriculture.

A recent federal government report, with input from 13 federal agencies, outlined clearly that climate change is threatening our agricultural economy, our farms, and our communities.  When questioned on climate change and this report, Dr. Hutchins was clear in that he accepts the report and the science behind it. From a US agricultural standpoint, Dr. Hutchins outlined that agriculture can be a solution to addressing and mitigating climate change through cover crops, carbon sequestration, and other conservation practices. USDA research can also help farmers adapt and have tools to address climate change and extreme weather events. Research can also help predict, address, and adapt to the direct and indirect impacts on climate change.

If confirmed, Dr. Hutchins promised to ensure the full potential of the Research, Education, and Economics mission area. However, when pressed about the proposed relocation and reorganization of ERS and NIFA, Dr. Hutchins made it clear that he has not been briefed by USDA or is fully aware of the details. Regardless, the details matter, and Dr. Hutchins is urged to do what he can to ensure the quality and independence of the science is not affected.

Groundbreaking happens every day at the USDA, and the USDA is also crucial in supporting research and development of agriculture across the country. Protecting scientific integrity at the USDA is vital to support our farmers and ensure the safety of the food that we eat. We hope that if Dr. Hutchins is confirmed, he is able to fulfill the pledge made in his opening statement to Congress, “to ensure U.S. agriculture is the most effective, efficient, and sustainable producer of food and fiber in the world.”