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USDA Organic: Emerging Issues & Opportunities

Melissa R. Bailey, Ph.D.Director, Standards DivisionNational Organic Program

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Overview

• USDA Departmental Guidance on Organic• USDA National Organic Program Overview• Sound and Sensible Certification• Training and Outreach • Technical and Financial Assistance for Organic• Organic Producer Survey• Stakeholder engagement

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USDA Departmental Guidance on Organic

Secretary Vilsack’s May 2013 departmental guidance on organic agriculture outlined 5 priorities:

• Training and outreach• Growing the sector• Regulatory reciprocity (reducing paperwork)• Research• Data

The USDA’s Organic Working Group defines annual projects for each of these priority areas.

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Organic Policy Advisor role

The Organic Policy Advisor:

• Is a permanent staff position advising the Office of the Secretary

• Coordinates USDA Organic Working Group, develops annual action plans

• Implements Secretary Vilsack’s 2013 Departmental Guidance on Organic Agriculture

• Participates on other inter-agency USDA initiatives

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USDA National Organic Program

The National Organic Program (NOP)

• Mission: Ensure the integrity of USDA organic products in the United States and throughout the world

• Vision: Organic Integrity from Farm to Table,Consumers Trust the Organic Label

• Core Role: Implement the Organic Foods Production Act and the USDA organic regulations

USDA National Organic Program

Implement Organic Foods Production Act:

• USDA Organic RegulationsCrops, livestock, handling, wild crops, labeling, certification, accreditation, National List

• Accreditation and Oversight~80 authorized certifying agents worldwide25,000 certified organic operations

• Compliance and EnforcementComplaints, investigations, civil penalties, appeals

• National Organic Standards Board

Quick Facts About NOP

Staffing: • 43 employees

Budget:

• FY 2012: $6.919 million• FY 2013: $6.369 million • FY 2014: $9.04 million

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2015 Regulatory Priorities

In Clearance• Origin of Livestock Proposed Rule • Aquaculture Proposed Rule • Pet Food Proposed Rule • Biodiversity & Natural Resource Conservation Draft Guidance Other rules in progress: • Sodium nitrate• Nutrient vitamins and minerals• Animal Welfare • Apiculture

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Market Access - International

• The United States has trade arrangements with several nations to facilitate the exchange of organic products and provide market opportunities for organic producers.

• Equivalency Agreements: – Canada – 2009 – European Union – June 2012 – Japan – January 2014– South Korea – July 2014

• Recognition Agreements: – India, Israel, New Zealand

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Sound and Sensible

Market Access – Sound and Sensible

1. Maintaining organic integrity in a sound and sensible manner.

2. Certification that is Affordable, Accessible and Attainable for all operations.

• Affordable – Reasonable fees, reasonable compliance costs

• Accessible – Certifiers and technical assistance available locally

• Attainable – Clear and understandable standards, plain language, reasonable record keeping requirements

About the Projects Awarded

• Awards: 14 projects totaling $1.5 million

• National coverage: Southeast/Gulf States; New England; Northwest; California; Mid-Atlantic

• Diverse projects: certification tools (producers and inspectors), training and outreach, technology development, technical assistance, inspector mentoring

• Timing:

– Projects will be completed by September 2015

– Final products will be available through NOP website for public use.

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Training and Outreach

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Training and Outreach Goals

USDA Organic Working Group Training & Outreach Goals:1. Update the Organic Literacy Initiative in early 20152. Work with external partners to distribute organic resources

beyond the USDA

Please suggest external partners for organic training materials!

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Organic Literacy Initiative

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Organic Literacy Toolkit

Where to find USDA resources on organic:

www.ams.usda.gov/OrganicInfo

usda.gov/organic

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Supporting transition to organic goals

USDA Organic Working Group “Growing the Sector” Goals:

1. Assess technical and financial resources for organic transition at USDA – how can existing programs support transition?

2. Create websites and fact sheets explaining resources for farmers and processors to transition to organic

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service | National Organic Program

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Certified Operations Worldwide

2002* 2003* 2004* 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 -

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

16,000

18,000

20,000 Number of Operations, 2002-2012

DomesticForeign

Num

ber o

f Cer

tified

Ope

ratio

ns, t

hous

ands

*Data on foreign operations not available for select years. Source: USDA NOP database, USDA ERS data

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Technical and Financial Assistance

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Organic Certification Cost Share

Reimbursements for Organic Certification Costs

• Reimbursements for up to 75% of the cost of certification• Maximum of $750 per year, per scope• Short, simple applilcation forms

Producers & handlers: apply to your state’s department of agricultureEducators & certifiers: please promote cost share through outreach

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Conservation Activity Plans

Conservation Activity Plans for Organic Producers

• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service created a conservation activity plan that mirrors an OSP

• Important tool for transitioning producers: helps with paperwork and conservation implementation

We need more organic Technical Service Providers to implement the plan. Please help us recruit organic experts.

Land Use HistoryAffirmationsProduction practicesRecordkeepingCommingling/contamination

MapsNatural resource assessmentPlanned practicesPest managementSoil Fertility ManagementCrop rotationInputs

OSP

CAP

Linking Conservation Activity Plans with OSPs

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Crop Insurance

New risk management tools for organic, small, and diversified producers

• Whole Farm insurance now available• Contract price elections available since spring 2014• Creating new price elections for organic crops

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Research

Research Activities

• Organic-specific grant funding: $25 million annually• Providing alternatives to common challenges: high-quality

seed, nutrient management, disease control with natural materials, cover cropping strategies

• Long-term organic studies at USDA research facilities examine performance, yields, climate change impacts, and more

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Organic Producer Survey

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Organic Producer Survey: Data

USDA will send out a new Organic Producer Survey in 2015

• Data is important – helps USDA create new and better programs for organic producers and handlers

• Farmers: please complete your survey. • Educators & certifiers: please spread the word to farmers

about the survey.

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Data highlights

Organic data: Who are organic producers?

• Organic special tabulation, 2012 census– Includes state-by-state data on organic producers– Shows that organic producers are more likely to have direct-to-

consumer sales and participate in non-traditional markets, like CSAs– Organic farms were more likely to invest in on-farm renewable energy– Organic farmers are younger, on average, and more likely to be

beginning farmers

www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2012/ Online_Resources/Special_Organics_Tabulation/organictab.txt

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Stakeholder engagement

Focus on stakeholder engagement through outreach and education

• We want to hear from you!• 2015 webinar series will cover a broad range of topics, with

time for discussion, questions and answers.– To get email invitations, sign up at the USDA National Organic Program

website: www.ams.usda.gov/nop

• USDA & NOP will participate in several conferences and annual meetings this fall/winter.

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Betsy Rakola

USDA Organic Policy Advisor

www.usda.gov/organic

Betsy.Rakola@osec.usda.gov

Melissa Bailey

Director, NOP Standards Division

www.ams.usda.gov/nop

Melissa.bailey@ams.usda.gov