Top 5 - Organic News to Help You Grow #329

1. Resource on Strengthening Organic Enforcement Available 

The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) has published the Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) final rule to improve market protections, making it harder to cheat the system, according to the NOP. To help organic certifiers and operations comply with the rule, NOP has published a new SOE reference resource online.  Read More

2. Sweet Potato Warriors Unite to Celebrate Bako Sweet and DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight 

Bako Sweet is excited to announce its collaboration with DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight, which is now streaming on Netflix. This collaboration brings together the deliciousness of Bako Sweet sweet potatoes with the popular characters from Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight, aiming to captivate shoppers and solidify Bako Sweet as a prominent staple in the fresh produce section.  Read More

3. FiveStar Gourmet Foods Debuts Organic Salad Shakers at Costco 

A quick stroll through your local Costco may reveal an enticing new shakeup to the organic salad sector. FiveStar Gourmet Foods has pulled back the curtain on its newest creation under the Simply Fresh Salads brand, debuting its Organic Caesar Salad Shaker exclusively at Costco stores.  Read More

4. Demand Picking Back up on Organic Strawberries 

The volume on organic strawberries in California continues to improve—as does the demand for the fruit. “The weather caused a very late start for California organic strawberries. We’re in July, and normally what we’d see crop wise at the beginning of April–May, that all really didn’t start until the end of June. That’s how delayed we are on everything,” says Andy Martin of A&A Organic Farms. He adds that while there were quality issues on the front end of this crop, things are getting better, and growers are starting to hit their stride with supply.  Read More

5. Texas Organic Farm Highlights Success of Basket Weeder

Shakera and Juan Raygoza went from a small vegetable consumer-supported-agriculture (CSA) business model to running a wholesale radish farm in the suburbs of Edinburg, Texas—Terra Preta Farm. The use of a basket weeder has proven essential to the success of their newer operation because it offers efficient weed control on a larger scale.  Read More