It is bittersweet to bid farewell to Congressman Sam Farr, who is the 20th Congressional District of California’s longest serving member— having served the district for twelve terms, since 1993.

The organic sector is thriving. We need more farmers, research, and consumer education to keep it that way. GRO Organic check-off will help organic continue to grow. Nearly 1,400 organic stakeholders publicly support the GRO Organic Check-Off. Be sure to weigh-in this fall when the public comment period opens up in the Federal Register! Your voice counts!

On July 29, 2016 President Obama signed GMO labeling legislation into law. The law, which passed the House and Senate by large bipartisan majorities earlier this summer, creates federal mandatory GMO labeling.

This summer, Organic Trade Association members banded together to defend the process by which organic regulations are created and implemented against an outside attack from Congress and the powerful livestock industry.

Enforcement of “Organic” claims on non-food items

Research shows organic “hotspots” create real opportunities in rural areas

Dairy policy is complicated. Highly complex, distinct, and regional policies for producers and processors, arcane and intensely bureaucratic processes—this defines the Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) system.

Election years are strange beasts across the country. Must-See TV is interspersed with political ads, pollsters call during the dinner hour, and folks around the country opine on how things should happen in the Nation’s Capital. Here in Washington, the impacts of an election year are a little different. We don’t get nearly as many political ads or pollster calls (perhaps someday the District of Columbia will get full representation…), and opining on policy is our sport of choice year-round.

Research—on–farm and at land-grant universities—could help solve some of the most pressing production-related issues that keep existing organic farmers from expanding and optimizing production, and pose a barrier for conventional farmers looking to convert their acreage to organic production. For this, the GRO Organic check-off proposal now before USDA could play a key role in funding research vital to addressing those issues.