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By Samantha Cabaluna
More than 200 Organic Trade Association (OTA) members took to Capitol Hill on Tuesday as part of the Organic Trade Association’s annual week of advocacy for organic at the federal level. Members met with more than 180 congressional representatives, senators, and agencies, telling the story of the economic powerhouse that organic has become and asking for support to keep the sector strong, with a big emphasis on ensuring the integrity of the organic standards.
From left to right: Kelly Damewood (CCOF), Nathalie Fontanilla (Earthbound Farm), David Posner (Awe Sum Organics), Samantha Cabaluna (Earthbound Farm), Congressman Jimmy Panetta, Gina Colfer (Wilbur Ellis), Phil LaRocca (LaRocca Vineyards)
The key focus of the conversations on the Hill during this Organic Week were:
- Repair the Public Private Partnership in Organic: Suggesting that because the organic standard is a voluntary, opt-in program, that standards should advance in a way that is different from mandatory programs. Because organic rules are held to the same standards, over the past 10 years, rulemaking has not been completed on any of the 20 consensus recommendations for improvement of the organic standards.
- Increase Access to Organic in Federal Programs that Feed Women and Children: Support an Organic Food Pilot Program in the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act.
- Understand Organic Farming’s Benefits to the Environment: From protection of natural resources, to promoting soil health, reducing erosion, and sequestering carbon, there are numerous environmental benefits of organic farming and OTA members asked legislators to:
- Establish a commission to evaluate ecosystems services delivered by organic production and recommend policies to reward and incentivize these ecosystems services.
- Develop a competitive grant program for providing technical services to organic and transitioning farmers.
- Provide market and infrastructure development grants for minor rotational crops that improve soil health.
- Provide tax credits for landowners who have long-term leases under organic production.
- House Organic Caucus: Asked members of the House to join the House Organic Caucus – a bipartisan group of Representatives that supports organic farmers, ranchers, processors, distributors, retailers, and consumers…and educates other Members of Congress on matters of importance in organic.
- Farm Bill 2018: Several requests related directly to Farm Bill 2018, ensuring that programs are funded and activated as intended.
- Other Appropriations Requests: Asking that FY 2020 Appropriations also fund
- The National Organic Program at $18M
- The Organic Transition Research Program at $8M
- The Organic Data Initiative at $1M
Overall, the takeaway was clear: legislators understand how important organic is in terms of its economic and environmental contributions and the strong consumer demand for products grown organically. The visits are critically important to maintain or develop relationships and provide the detail to our representatives that they need to adequately support the integrity of the organic seal and our businesses.
Yesterday’s OTA’s conference schedule featured engaging speakers on topics such as:
- How is the industry delivering on access and equity for our increasingly diverse shoppers?
- What does it look like to scale with integrity?
- How to set the stage for an Organic label that evolves, grows and meets today’s and tomorrow’s consumer needs?
Speakers and panelists included: Jeff Huckaby, President and CEO, Cal-Organic/Grimmway Farms; Melissa Hughes, Chief Mission Officer and General Counsel, Organic Valley; Carla Vernon, President, Natural & Organic, General Mills; Rudy Arredondo, President and CEO of the National Latino Farmers and Ranchers Trade Association; Xavier Brown, Director of Urban Agriculture, Soilful City; Doug Crabtree, Owner-Operator, Vilicus Farms; and Ariane Lotti, Owner/Grower, Tenuta San Carlo; and David Posner, President & CEO of Awe Sum Organics.
