In this issue:
| Vol 4 No. 7 | August 23, 2002 |
National Organic Program and Resources:
Reprinted with permission, Michigan State Crop Advisory Team Alert Newsletter, East Lansing, MI
Because new laws have been passed in the United States pertaining to organic production, a new program, The National Organic Program (NOP), will be implemented beginning October 21, 2002. The term "certified organic" has been defined for unification nationwide, and there are now new resources to help clarify it. Producers, consumers and http://AllOrganicLinks.com are working to make the new information as accessible as possible. At AllOrganicLinks.com, you can find a link for "USDA Accredited Certifying Agents" as well as the USDA. The site, specifically dedicated to the NOP, has a plethora of information including all the legal terms and their current list of certification agencies worldwide. In addition to accessing several states at one time, all of the sites are rated to help in the selection process. Here are a few of the highlights for Midwest states:
National Organic Program (NOP) is the complete government Web site regarding the new National Organic Program. Read the guidelines, get a list of certified accreditation agencies and read the latest updates and news releases. For more information, see http:// http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/
Organic Growers of Michigan (OGM) is a non-profit organization of more than 200 organic farmers, gardeners and friends who are interested in organic practices and organically raised food. OGM was established in 1972 and is the second oldest state organic certifying agency in the USA. For more information go to the following web site, http://www.michiganorganic.org/
Midwest Organic Services Association, Inc. (MOSA) is a non-profit, non-stock corporation registered in the state of Wisconsin, formed and incorporated in March 1999 to serve the needs of organic operators in the Midwest looking for a high quality, sensible organic certification program. It offers independent, third party certification services to interested producers and processors/handlers in 12 midwestern states. For more information, see http://www.mosaorganic.org/
Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association is a grassroots coalition of food producers and consumers formed in 1979 to support and promote a healthful, ecological, accountable and permanent agriculture in Ohio and elsewhere. It’s goals are: to assist producers making the switch to ecological management and production systems; to make consumers aware of the increased value and quality of commodities produced by these systems; to promote research on eco-management systems and techniques; to promote the adoption of alternative technologies where appropriate; to establish and update standards for grower certification; to provide a general sharing of resources, ideas and information; and to monitor legislation that directly affects ecological agriculture and to provide information on that legislation to the membership. Go to http://www.oeffa.com/ for more information.
Resource guide to organic and sustainable vegetable production
ATTRA, Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas, is now offering this resource guide in response to growing interest in organic production among farmers, Extension, and NRCS. It contains a selection of some of the best print, video, and web resources around on this topic. It is organized section-by-section. As an example, in the weed control section you will find a series of helpful resources on books, videos, and web links on agroecology and weed biology, organic weed management, cover crops and crop rotations, mechanical weed control equipment, mulching, etc.
The resource is available as a pdf file and contains 63 pages. To download the file, go to:http://www.attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/vegetable-guide.pdf
Co-Editors: Bill Hutchison, Department of Entomology,
University of Minnesota, hutch002@tc.umn.edu
Jeanne Ciborowski, IPM Program, Minnesota Department of Agriculture,
jeanne.ciborowski@state.mn.us
Cindy Tong, Department of Horticulture, University of Minnesota,
ctong@extension.umn.edu
Production Editor: Suzanne Wold, Research Assistant, University of
Minnesota, woldx018@tc.umn.edu
Disclaimer
Reference to products in this publication is not intended to be an endorsement
to the exclusion of others which may have similar uses. Any person using
products listed in this publication assumes full responsibility for their use
in accordance with current directions of the manufacturer
Last Revised August 23, 2002.
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