SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — California legislative staff joined CCOF—the nation’s leader in advancing organic agriculture—for a tour of CCOF-certified farms in and near California’s Capay Valley on Tuesday November 14, 2017. Paul Underhill hosted the group at Terra Firma Farm and Thaddeus Barsotti hosted the group at Capay Organic Farm.
The tour highlighted the challenges and opportunities to growing organic in California, the capital of organic. California leads the nation in organic sales with $12.84 billion in organic processed product and agricultural commodity sales, yet only 3.5 percent of the state’s agricultural land is farmed organically.
The Capay Valley is a rural valley northwest of Sacramento known for highly diversified organic farming and innovative business models that provide for fresh organic produce throughout the state. Legislators and staff had the opportunity to hear about a range of issues impacting these farms, from water regulations to labor shortages and costs. The tour included an overview of the social, economic, and environmental benefits of organic farming and explained how state policy can help grow organic.
–CCOF
For more articles out of California, click here.
RECOMMENDED ARTICLES
WASHINGTON — To provide critical support for the most promising and impactful research and solutions to advance organic agriculture, The Organic Center (TOC) and the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) announced six awards totaling $627,000 to projects that advance organic farming through much-needed training, technical support and innovative climate research. Organic farming is poised to be part […]
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Experts from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are working to expand international export markets for Texas-grown organic fruits and vegetables by collaborating with producers and the produce industry. Texas A&M AgriLife will lead the research on a new project to assess export opportunities for Texas-grown organic fruits and vegetables. (Stock photo) […]
MONTEREY, Calif. — Organic fresh produce grew sales by 5.5 percent in 2021, topping $9 billion for the first time, and outpacing conventionally grown produce in year-over-year gains in both sales and volume, according to the 2021 Organic Produce Performance Report released today by Organic Produce Network and Category Partners. Despite the return of foodservice […]
NEW YORK — Daily Harvest announced today a multi-year partnership with American Farmland Trust (AFT) and California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) to support historically underserved farming communities in California. Together they will work to improve farm viability in the region and expand the acreage of farmland, adopting organic and regenerative farming practices. The partnership will enable the organizations to continue […]
WASHINGTON — Organic food once was viewed as a niche category for health nuts and hippies, but today it’s a routine choice for millions of Americans. For years following passage of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, which established national organic standards, consumers had to seek out organic products at food co-ops and farmers […]
