The Farm Bill is an omnibus package of legislation that is renewed every five years. It sets the agenda for agriculture policy and spending for years to come and is critical to the success of the organic marketplace. The Organic Trade Association’s Farm Bill policy priorities are centered around ensuring organic standards keep pace with marketplace demands and provide supportive research and risk management tools to organic farmers. Consumers love strawberries, and they are showing big enthusiasm for organic strawberries. IRI retail scan data shows that retail organic strawberry sales in 2021 totaled $447.6 million, up a whopping 22% from 2020. Organic strawberries accounted for 12.2% of total retail strawberry sales in 2021, IRI data shows. According to IRI, organic strawberries also represented nearly 6% of total organic produce sales in 2021. All eligible new applicants to the Organic Farming Scheme for 2023 in Ireland will be accepted immediately, Minister of State Pippa Hackett has said. Over 2,000 farmers applied in the most recent opening of the scheme, and this week they will receive their approval providing them with a five-year contract commencing on January 1, 2023. Organic farmers whose contracts expired at the end of 2022 and reapplied will also receive confirmation that they have been accepted into the scheme. Levi’s joined the Organic Cotton Accelerator program in 2022 and as a result, is partnering with Artistic Milliners’ project to contract organic cotton for the supply chain directly. The Milliner Organic project is an organic-cotton-farming project that aims to promote local ownership for ethical cotton sourcing in Pakistan. The project empowers farmers to switch to organic cotton as a means to support their communities. The initiative has reached 1,600 farmers in the Kohlu district of the Balochistan province of Pakistan, who received non–genetically modified organic cotton seed as well as training and support to transition their farmland. Prevention, and common sense are key to maintaining organic animal health
When it comes to the health of her family’s organic dairy herd, Jill Salmen says prevention is the best way to ensure herd health, not just for the cows, but for the farmers. If you have to give a cow an oral treatment, “You find that they’re a little bit stronger than you,” Salmen says. “Preventing it saves me a lot of time, a lot of headaches, and maybe even a few bruises.”
2023 Organic Trade Association Farm Bill Priorities
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The Farm Bill is an omnibus package of legislation that is renewed every five years. It sets the agenda for agriculture policy and spending for years to come and is critical to the success of the organic marketplace. The Organic Trade Association’s (OTA) Farm Bill policy priorities are centered around ensuring organic standards keep pace with marketplace demands and provide supportive research and risk management tools to organic farmers.
https://ota.com/advocacy/organic-legislation/2023-organic-trade-association-farm-bill-priorities
Over 2,000 new farmers confirmed for Organic Farming Scheme this year
✅All eligible new applicants to the Organic Farming Scheme for 2023 will be accepted immediately, Minister of State Pippa Hackett has said. Over 2,000 farmers applied in the most recent opening of the scheme, and this week they will receive their approval providing them with a five-year contract commencing on January 1, 2023. Organic farmers whose contracts expired at the end of 2022 and reapplied will also receive confirmation that they have been accepted into the scheme.
https://www.irishexaminer.com/farming/arid-41070269.html
Organic strawberries account for for 12.2% of total retail strawberry sales, 6% of organic
✅Consumers love strawberries, and they are showing big enthusiasm for organic strawberries. IRI retail scan data shows that retail organic strawberry sales in 2021 totaled $447.6 million, up a whopping 22% from 2020. Organic strawberries accounted for 12.2% of total retail strawberry sales in 2021, IRI data shows. Organic strawberries also represented nearly 6% of total organic produce sales in 2021, according to IRI.
Artistic Milliners Partners With Levi’s to Bring More Organic Cotton to the Supply Chain
The brand that invented blue jeans continues to bring innovation to the now-global world of denim. Levi Strauss & Co. recently announced a new partnership with Artistic Milliners, founded in 1949 and one of the world’s leading producers of denim. Levi’s joined the Organic Cotton Accelerator program in 2022 and as a result, is partnering with Artistic Milliners’ project to contract organic cotton for the supply chain directly. The Milliner Organic project is an organic-cotton-farming project that aims to promote local ownership for ethical cotton sourcing in Pakistan. The project empowers farmers to switch to organic cotton as a means to support their communities. The initiative has reached 1,600 farmers in the Kohlu district of the Balochistan province of Pakistan, who received non–genetically modified organic cotton seed as well as training and support to transition their farmland.
https://www.apparelnews.net/news/2023/feb/09/artistic-milliners-partners-levis-bring-more-organ/
Prevention, common sense key to maintaining organic animal health
When it comes to the health of her family’s organic dairy herd, Jill Salmen says prevention is the best way to ensure herd health, not just for the cows, but for the farmers. If you have to give a cow an oral treatment, “You find that they’re a little bit stronger than you,” Salmen says. “Preventing it saves me a lot of time, a lot of headaches and maybe even a few bruises.”
https://www.agweek.com/business/prevention-common-sense-key-to-maintaining-organic-animal-health
