Changes Made to Help Farmers Transition to Organic Crops

From the USDA:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has introduced a new step to support farmers transitioning to certified organic production.

Vilsack

Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack said the department is expanding a crop insurance option to allow producers to purchase insurance coverage that better reflects their product's actual value. 

The expanded coverage is part of the department's continued commitment to provide farmers with resources and tools to meet the growing demand for certified organic products. 

"Consumer demand for organic products continues to increase and the industry has experienced remarkable growth, representing more than $39 billion in U.S. retail sales," said Vilsack. "This growth creates opportunities for farmers and businesses across the country. Expanding the safety net for farmers wanting to enter the organic market ensures they have the tools and resources they need to meet this growing demand while protecting their operation."

The organic sector is growing, and certified organic products often return higher profits for farmers. It can take producers three years, however, to transition from conventional to certified organic production. 

Previously, producers of transitional crops were able to insure them only at the same price as a conventional producer. But this department change enables producers to insure transitional crops to their contract price (within approved limits).

Producers transitioning to certified organic production can now use the Contract Price Addendum to cover their crops at a higher price than traditional crops. The Contract Price Addendum allows farmers transitioning to organic production to insure certain crops at their contract price rather than the published U.S. Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency price election.

The Risk Management Agency has also expanded organic premium price elections to 57 crops, up from four in 2011, providing organic producers the option to protect their 2016 crops closer to the market value. 

Barley, rice and wheat are among the crops for which organic price elections have been added. New additions for 2017 will include grapefruit, lemons and oranges.

For example, under the Contract Price Addendum, a producer in Nebraska can use a contract price for millet up to a maximum of $7.34 per bushel (for transitional) or $8.44 (for certified organic production), as opposed to using the existing Risk Management Agency price elections of $3.67 (for transitional) or $4.22 (for certified organic production). 
A Contract Price Addendum fact sheet is available online at http://go.usa.gov/cyFGR.

Since 2009, USDA has strengthened programs that support organic producers as they grow, thrive and respond to increasing consumer demand for organic products. 

Last year, USDA reported that U.S. certified and exempt organic farms sold a total of $5.5 billion in organic products in 2014, up 72 percent since 2008. The U.S. retail market for organic products is valued at more than $39 billion, and in 2014 there were 19,474 certified USDA organic operations in the United States, representing nearly a 250 percent increase since 2002. 

Worldwide, in 2014 there were nearly 28,000 certified organic operations in more than 120 different countries. 

More information about USDA's support under this Administration for organic producers and businesses can be found at www.usda.gov/results.

Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents. Contact a local crop insurance agent for more information about the program. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers or online at www.rma.usda.gov/tools/agent.html.


A list of commodities eligible for the Contract Price addendum is available online at www.rma.usda.gov/news/currentissues/organics/cpa_eligibility.html.

More information on risk management tools available for organic farmers can be found on the RMA organic crops website. Visit www.usda.gov/organic to learn more about USDA's resources for organic agriculture.

New York Certified Organic Winter Meeting March 8 in Geneva

The New York Certified Organic Winter Meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. March 8 in Jordan Hall at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva.

A number of speakers will discuss new and changing global markets for organic grain and dairy producers, flax grain production and uses and "What Do You Want to Make Per Acre on Your Farm?"

One of the featured presenters is Bob Quinn of Big Sandy, Montana, talking about developing new markets for organic grain. Quinn considered several options before settling on the ancient grain of kamut as a good fit for his 2,400-acre organic farm, which is in an area that can receive 13 inches of rain in one season. 

He will talk about the importance of research, dedication to establishing a strong market and what farmers can do to develop their own niche.

Mary-Howell Martens of Lakeview Organic Grain

Mary-Howell Martens, who operates Lakeview Organic Grain and co-owns an organic grain farm with her husband Klaas Martens in Penn Yan, Yates County, will cover changes in the world grain market. The Martenses are highly respected agricultural innovators who willingly share their knowledge to encourage other farmers to be successful. 

Luke Gianforte of Gianforte Farm, Cazenovia, Madison County, will help audience members answer the question of what each wants to make per acre with their farming enterprise. He will share how he tracks costs and returns for 500 acres of up to 10 different organic grains and row crops he and his dad grow in any given year. 

The Gianfortes also operate their own small mill and package whole and milled grains in bulk and for restaurant, retail and farmers’ market sale, largely serving the Central New York and Mohawk Valley regions.

Ed Schefler of Groton, Tompkins County will be among the growers on the after-lunch panel discussing alternative grains production. Schefler will show slides about growing flax and pressing the seed for oil and cake, which he feeds to his cows.

There also will be a brief description of how crop insurance can benefit organic farmers at the March 8 program.

There is no cost or need to register to attend the program. Participants are asked to bring a dish to pass at the potluck lunch.

For more information, contact Fay Benson at (607) 745-3807 or email  afb3@cornell.edu

Grants Available for Organic Agriculture Research and Outreach

More than $17 million is available to support research and outreach activities that will help growers, producers and processors find innovative ways to improve organic agriculture. 

The grants are being funded through the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI), a program that is administered by USDA’s National Institutes of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.

Funded projects will aid farmers and ranchers with whole farm planning by delivering practical research-based information and will improve the ability for growers to develop the Organic System Plan required for certification.

Applications are due March 10. Please go to http://nifa.usda.gov/funding-opportunity/organic-agriculture-research-and-extension-initiative to see specific program requirements. 

Organic Dairy Workshops Coming Up

From the New York Organic Dairy Initiative:

The New York Organic Dairy Initiative, in collaboration with the New York Farm Viability Institute and host farmers across New York state, will hold discussion meetings for dairy farmers titled “Lunch with Jerry” to honor the late Jerry Brunetti, worldwide lecturer on biological farming systems.

Cornell Cooperative Extension organic dairy extension educator Fay Benson will show video trainings produced by  Brunetti for the NY Organic Dairy Initiative. Brunetti, of Pennsylvania, died in December of cancer. 

He was in demand across the United States and the world to speak on topics of soil fertility, livestock health and animal nutrition.

The discussions are an opportunity for farmers to share what they have tried and learned in the past year, and to make plans and identify goals for 2015. Farmers who are currently certified as well as those thinking of transitioning to organic production are welcome.

Benson notes these meetings are an excellent place for farmers who are considering whether organic production is a good fit for their farm to ask questions.

The 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. meeting are free and include lunch. The meetings will be from March 19 through April 1 as follows:

March 19; Alfred State College Farm, 1315 New York 244, Alfred, NY 14803
Host: Virginia Chamberlain—Alfred State Farm Manager

March 20, Dave Hardy Farm Shop, 718 Aney Hill Road, Mohawk, NY 13407
Host: Dave Hardy

March 26, Hooper Farm, 7197 River Road, Memphis, NY 13112
Hosts: Mike and Karen Hooper
Special focus: Transitioning farmer with robotic milkers

March 31, Hammond Village Hall, 24 S. Main St. Hammond, NY 13646
Host: Farmer Liz Bawden

April 1, Malone Courthouse, 355 W. Main St., #456 Malone, NY 12953
Host: Farmers Fred and Gwen Tuttle.

To register for any site, contact Ellen Fagan at etf22@cornell.edu or 607-753-5078 or visit http://scnydfc.cce.cornell.edu online.

highly demanded lecturer and speaker, both nationally and internationally, on topics that included soil fertility, animal nutrition and livestock health. - See more at: http://obits.lehighvalleylive.com/obituaries/etpa/obituary.aspx?n=gerald-brunetti-jerry&pid=173573086&fhid=31073#sthash.9bELBHCj.dpuf

highly demanded lecturer and speaker, both nationally and internationally, on topics that included soil fertility, animal nutrition and livestock health. - See more at: http://obits.lehighvalleylive.com/obituaries/etpa/obituary.aspx?n=gerald-brunetti-jerry&pid=173573086&fhid=31073#sthash.9bELBHCj.dpuf

both nationally and internationally, on topics that included soil fertility, animal nutrition and livestock health. - See more at: http://obits.lehighvalleylive.com/obituaries/etpa/obituary.aspx?n=gerald-brunetti-jerry&pid=173573086&fhid=31073#sthash.wuYNpZvW.dpuf

both nationally and internationally, on topics that included soil fertility, animal nutrition and livestock health. - See more at: http://obits.lehighvalleylive.com/obituaries/etpa/obituary.aspx?n=gerald-brunetti-jerry&pid=173573086&fhid=31073#sthash.wuYNpZvW.dpuf

Cornell Study Shows GMO Labeling Would Increase Food Prices

From the Coalition for Safe and Affordable Food:

As food prices continue to rise for families across the country, a new study from Cornell University last week revealed that New York’s proposed mandatory GMO labeling bill would cost families an average of $500 per year at the checkout aisle. 

The study comes on the heels of similar studies in Washington state and California that showed mandatory GMO labels would result in similar increases in the cost of food.

“American families deserve safe, abundant and affordable food,” said Claire Parker, spokeswoman for the Coalition for Safe and Affordable Food. 

“GMOs have been used in our food supply for more than 20 years and no study has ever shown them to be unsafe or different from foods without GMOs. Repeated studies, however, have shown that the high cost of mandatory labeling would dramatically increase the price of groceries at the checkout aisle for consumers. A mandatory GMO label will just make it more difficult and expensive for hard-working American families to put food on the table,” she said.

 

The study, released last week, found that families forced to buy organic food instead of conventional foods containing GMOs could see their food prices increase as much as $1,556 per family per year. Similarly, such a mandatory labeling law would likely cost the state of New York millions of dollars in revenue to implement the new requirements and to account for a loss in farm income.

Earlier, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that April was the third consecutive month that American families saw an increase in food prices, rising a total of 3.9 percent since January.

The study was conducted by Professor Bill Lesser from the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University to evaluate the added costs that will be passed on to consumers if mandatory labeling becomes law in New York.

For more information, visit www.cfsaf.org.

USDA HAs One-Stop Shop for Organic Info

This is from the USDA:

Looking for USDA programs and services that support the growing organic sector? USDA has created a centralized web resource center at USDA.gov for all the programs, services, and data we have that support organic agriculture.

Visit (and bookmark) the organic web resource center at http://usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=organic-agriculture.html to access:

• Conservation programs, flexible microloans, and other financial resources for farmers and ranchers.
• Organic price reports, cost/revenue comparisons, and other economic and market data.
• Improved crop and livestock insurance and other programs tailored to the organic sector.
• Production and conservation assistance and research on organic agriculture.
• Benefits of organic certification and how to get certified.
• USDA staff at your local field offices and much more!

USDA is committed to helping organic agriculture grow and thrive by removing obstacles for organic farmers and businesses.

Earlier this year, Secretary Vilsack instructed all USDA agencies to incorporate the needs of the organic sector into their programs and services, and asked AMS to lead this effort.

This one-stop shop for organic-related programs and services at USDA.gov is one way we are meeting those needs.

Go to http://blogs.usda.gov/2013/12/18/a-one-stop-shop-for-organics-with-lots-in-store/ or check out http://usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=organic-agriculture.html for more information.

NOFA-NY Winter Conference Coming in January.

Go to http://www.nofany.org/events/winter-conference to learn more about NOFA-NY's winter conference.

It's set for Jan. 24-26 in Saratoga Spring.

NOFA-NY Winter Conference Coming in January

Heads up, all.

Look what's coming up.

Organic Grain Growing Program Wednesday in Hudson

Go to http://www.registerstar.com/news/article_700b2c3e-e38e-11e2-8c4e-001a4bcf887a.html to check out the story.


The program is put on by NOFA-NY.

New York Organic Organization Seeks Farmers for Mentorship Program

Get the details https://www.nofany.org/?q=mentorship at this link.

Vilsack Announces New Organic Agriculture Initiatives

News from the USDA about organic farming:

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack this week announced a number of changes and initiatives concerning organic agriculture during a meeting of the Organic Trade Association.

One announcement concerned the USDA's Risk Management Agency's federal crop insurance program will increase coverage options for organic producers this year and provide even more options in 2014.

Additionally, the Risk Management Agency will remove the current 5 percent organic rate surcharge on all future crop insurance policies beginning in 2014.

Vilsack also said USDA will be providing new guidance and direction on organic production to all USDA agencies in support of organic agriculture and markets. USDA is now asking each agency to routinely address the needs of the organic sector in their programs and services where appropriate.

The National Organic Program has supported the continued growth of America's organic sector, which has been increasing market share each year and now is a more than $30 billion industry. Vilsack noted that accurate data is the biggest obstacle for developing better crop insurance options for organic farmers and expressed his desire that Congress help USDA make further progress by renewing the 2008 Organic Data Initiative as part of a new Food, Farms and Jobs bill.

New crop-insurance pricing options will be available to organic producers who grow crops under guaranteed contracts beginning with the 2014 crop year. This contract price option allows organic producers who receive a contract price for their crop to get a crop insurance guarantee that is more reflective of the actual value of their crop.

All crops are being evaluated for establishing organic prices for the 2014 crop year. Current pricing options only allow farmers to insure organic crops at the conventional prices, with the exception of eight crops (corn, soybeans, cotton, processing tomatoes, avocados, and several fresh stone fruit crops) that already have premium organic price elections. The Fisk Management Agency is working to provide organic price elections for six to ten crops in 2014. Oats and mint are two crops that have already been selected for organic price elections in 2014, and apricots, apples, blueberries, millet and others are still under consideration.

USDA's Agriculture Marketing Service last year announced the Organic Literacy Initiative, a public outreach and employee training program to help connect current and prospective organic operations with appropriate USDA resources concerning all organic agriculture issues, including organic certification. 

Organic certification allows farmers and ranchers to receive premium prices for their value-added products. Over the past 10 years, the number of certified organic farms and businesses in the United States has expanded to nearly 17,750, representing a 240 percent increase since USDA first began collecting this data. 

Similarly, the retail value of the organic industry grew almost 9.5 percent in 2011 to $31.4 billion. Organic foods continue to gain market share in the food industry, climbing to 4.2 percent of U.S. retail food sales in 2011.


USDA is responsible, under the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, for establishing national standards for organically-produced agricultural products. These standards assure consumers that products with the USDA organic seal meet consistent, uniform standards.

Go to www.ams.usda.gov/NOP for more information about the USDA National Organic Program.



 

Montgomery County Farmer wins Generation Organic Award

Hudyncia

Organic Valley has recognized three young farmers from the United States with its Generation Organic Award.

One of the winners is from New York state. Julia Hudyncia, of Fort Plain in Montgomery County, won the honor along with Sarah Holm of Elk Mound, Wis. and Kevin and Erin Donnay of Kimball, Minn. They were recognized during a banquet April 10 in La Crosse, Wis.

Generation Organic is a group of Organic Valley farmers aged 18 to 35 who represent the next generation of sustainable agriculture leaders and who believe in the power of organic farming to change the world. 

Here is what was written about Hudyncia by those at Organic Valley:

Julia Hudyncia thinks that farmers need to tell their story. As an agricultural science teacher, she is doing an excellent job of that herself. 

Julia grew up milking cows with younger brother Ryan, her parents, and her grandfather in Fort Plain, New York. Organic Valley farmer-owners since 2006, the Hudyncias farm 450 acres and milk 60 cows. The entire family has a passion for agriculture and a special affection for registered Holsteins. Julia was active in 4-H, the Junior Holstein Club and won the title of 2007 New York State Alternate Dairy Princess. Julia still lives on the farm and does farm work on breaks and weekends. 

Julia is in her third year teaching at a local high school after earning a bachelor’s degree in animal sciences and a master’s degree in biology and agricultural education from Cornell University. Julia’s goal as a teacher is to help her students discover a personal connection to agriculture. 

This year, her class took a leap of faith and transitioned two acres that had been used to grow conventional corn into two acres of organic sunflowers. She is encouraged to see that her students are excited at the prospect of using the sunflower seeds to create bio-fuel for three school tractors. 

In the future, Julia sees herself back on the farm. “I believe that my job in education is very important, but my heart lies with the farm. I am trying, at a very young age, to give back to the agricultural industry and community as much as I can.”

Organic Standards Board Rejects Effort to Continue Antibiotic Use on Apples, Pears

Go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/organic-standards-board-rejects-effort-to-continue-antibiotic-use-on-apples-pears/2013/04/12/3e6ed124-a394-11e2-bd52-614156372695_story.html to read the story.