U.S. sales of certified organic products approached $70 billion in 2023, a new record for the sector. Dollar sales for the American organic marketplace hit $69.7 billion last year, up 3.4 percent, according to the 2024 Organic Industry Survey released Tuesday by the Organic Trade Association. Organic food production is rising in Scotland as progress stalls in the rest of UK, new Defra stats reveal. Scotland is ”trailblazing” in organic farming while growth has flatlined in the rest of the UK, new government figures show. Defra statistics for 2023 show England and Wales are failing to meet demand for organic food and drink where sales have doubled in the last 12 years and grown by nearly 5 per cent in the last year. Plants adapt genetically over time to the special conditions of organic farming. This has been demonstrated in a long-term study conducted at the University of Bonn. The researchers planted barley plants on two neighboring fields and used conventional farming methods on one and organic methods on the other. Over more than 20 years, the organic barley was enriched with specific genetic material that differed from the comparative culture. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced on Wednesday new programs, partnerships, grant awards, and an additional $10 million in funding to expand the markets for organic products and help producers transition to organic production. These programs will support the development of new and better markets for domestic organic products, provide hands-on training to producers transitioning to organic production, and ease the financial burden of obtaining organic certification. A study published by scientists in France from La Rochelle University’s Chizé Center for Biological Studies, in collaboration with the University of Strasbourg and the University of Burgundy, finds lower pesticide load in chicks from a bird of prey species in areas with organic farming. A correlation between lower numbers of pesticides in the blood of birds with the presence of organic farms surrounding the habitats was determined after analyzing 55 Montagu’s harrier (Circus pygargus) nestlings from 22 different nests in southwestern France. As the percentage of organic agriculture around the nests increased, there was a significant decrease in the quantity and types of pesticides detected within the chicks’ blood.
US organic marketplace posts record sales in 2023
U.S. sales of certified organic products approached $70 billion in 2023, a new record for the sector. Dollar sales for the American organic marketplace hit $69.7 billion last year, up 3.4 percent, according to the 2024 Organic Industry Survey released Tuesday by the Organic Trade Association.
https://www.ota.com/news/press-releases/23183
USDA Easing Producers’ Transition to Organic Production with New Programs and Partnerships, Announces Investments to Create and Expand Organic Markets
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced new programs, partnerships, grant awards and an additional $10 million in funding to expand the markets for organic products and help producers transition to organic production. These programs will support the development of new and better markets for domestic organic products, provide hands-on training to producers transitioning to organic production and ease the financial burden of obtaining organic certification.
Organic Farming Shown to Reduce Pesticide Load in Bird of Prey Species
A study published by scientists in France from La Rochelle University’s Chizé Center for Biological Studies, in collaboration with the University of Strasbourg and the University of Burgundy, finds lower pesticide load in chicks from a bird of prey species in areas with organic farming. A correlation between lower numbers of pesticides in the blood of birds with the presence of organic farms surrounding the habitats was determined after analyzing 55 Montagu’s harrier (Circus pygargus) nestlings from 22 different nests in southwestern France. As the percentage of organic agriculture around the nests increased, there was a significant decrease in the quantity and types of pesticides detected within the chicks’ blood.
Scotland ‘blazing trail’ in organic farming
Organic food production is rising in Scotland as progress stalls in rest of UK, new Defra stats reveal. Scotland is ”trailblazing” in organic farming while growth has flatlined in the rest of the UK, new government figures show. Defra statistics for 2023 show England and Wales are failing to meet demand for organic food and drink where sales have doubled in the last 12 years and grown by nearly 5 per cent in the last year.
Long-term study finds organic farming leads to adaptations in the genetic material in plants
Plants adapt genetically over time to the special conditions of organic farming. This has been demonstrated in a long-term study conducted at the University of Bonn. The researchers planted barley plants on two neighboring fields and used conventional farming methods on one and organic methods on the other. Over the course of more than 20 years, the organic barley was enriched with specific genetic material that differed from the comparative culture.
https://phys.org/news/2024-05-term-farming-genetic-material.html
