News & Research
Stay up-to-date on the latest from OCIA International, our operators, and the organic industry.News: Updates from the Organic Industry
We’ve compiled the latest news from the organic industry to help you stay up-to-date on industry innovations and regulatory updates.
OCIA On-Site Inspections
OCIA has made an adjustment to a policy regarding who must be present for on-site inspections. Some operations employ consultants to assist with their operations, and there have been times where only the consultant has been present for the inspection. Organic...
USDA Amends the National List for Organic Livestock and Handling
The Organic Foods Production Act created the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List) as a tool for managing the substances used in organic production over time. In general, natural substances are allowed in organics and synthetic substances...
USDA Announces Additional Aid to Ag Producers and Businesses in Pandemic Assistance for Producers Initiative
Since January, USDA has allocated $11B to producers and food and ag business Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today additional aid to agricultural producers and businesses as part of the USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative. Earlier this year,...
NOP Origin of Livestock Notice
The AMS National Organic Program (NOP) has announced in a Federal Register Notice the reopening of the public comment period for the Origin of Livestock proposed rule originally published in 2015. The comment period will be open for 60 days: May 12 – July 12, 2021....
NOP Launches New Spanish Resources Web Page
The number of Spanish speaking farmers and business owners certified under USDA organic standards has increased significantly since the National Organic Program (NOP) was established in 2001. Throughout that time, NOP has developed and expanded the resources available...
U.S. and Mexico Keep Organic Trade Open
Mexico’s agriculture secretariat (SADER) has extended the deadline for U.S. organic exports to be certified to its Organic Products Law (LPO). U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack met with his counterpart Secretary Victor Villalobos, and they agreed to extend the...
OCIA Organic Farm Starts Series Goes Virtual
Join OCIA staff and certified organic board members on May 4th, 2021 for a virtual, OCIA Organic Farm Starts Series from noon-3pm (CST). The certification process will be discussed and organic farmers will share their experiences and answer questions. Click the link...
R & E Scholarship Recipient 2021
R & E Scholarship Recipient
Organic Farmer of the year
The 2021 OCIA R & E Farmer of the Year was recognized at OCIA's virtual, Annual Membership Meeting. Click to view this full News Release