Initiative Gets $50 Million In Funding

Organic Initiative Gets $50 Million In Funding

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Last month, $50 million was set aside for a new Organic Initiative to encourage more organic agriculture production. Funding for the initiative is being made available as part of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). EQIP is a conservation incentive program operated by USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service.

“Assisting organic producers is a priority of the 2008 Farm Bill as well as for Secretary Vilsack and the Obama administration,” said Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan last month when speaking to USDA’s National Organic Standards Board. “The objective of this initiative is to make organic food producers eligible to compete for EQIP financial assistance.”

Under the 2009 Organic Initiative, required minimum core conservation practices will be determined by specific resource concerns. The practices are
conservation crop rotation, cover crop, nutrient management, pest management, prescribed grazing, and forage harvest management.

Additional information on the 2009 Organic Initiative is available at www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/eqip.

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Organic Purchases On The Rise

Sales of organic products in the U.S., both food and non-food, reached $24.6 billion by the end of 2008. This figure denotes a growth of 17.1% over 2007 sales, despite tough economic times, according to the Organic Trade Association (OTA), which now has the final results from its 2009 Organic Industry Survey.

While the overall economy has been losing ground, sales of organic products reflect very strong growth during 2008. “Organic products represent value to consumers, who have shown continued resilience in seeking out these products,” says Christine Bushway, OTA’s executive director.

The survey, conducted by Lieberman Research Group on behalf of OTA, measured the growth of U.S. sales of organic foods and beverages as well as non-food categories such as organic fibers, personal care products, and pet foods during 2008. Results show organic food sales grew in 2008 by 15.8% to reach $22.9 billion, while organic non-food sales grew by 39.4% to reach $1.648 billion. As a result, organic food sales now account for approximately 3.5% of all food product sales in the U.S.

The final report of OTA’s 2009 Organic Industry Survey is now available for purchase. Orders can be placed online at www.ota.com/bookstore/2.html.

Herbicide Gets OK’d In California; Company Name Changes

GreenMatch burndown herbicide is now available in California for use in organic crops. The product is a post-emergence, non-selective herbicide that contains d-limonene (extract of citrus) as well as other plant extracts and surfactants. The herbicide kills the weeds by stripping the wax off the leaves of the plants, causing weeds to rapidly shrivel and die, appearing “burned down.”

The product is from Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc., a company formerly known as Marrone Organic Innovations. The company name was recently changed to more accurately represent Marrone’s role in the discovery and development of environmentally responsible pesticide active ingredients from novel biological sources.

“We are proud to be in the biopesticide business, a crop protection category that is growing, maturing, and realizing widespread acceptance in agribusiness globally,” says company founder and CEO, Pam Marrone. “What many don’t realize is that more than 80% of today’s biopesticides are used in conventional farming.”

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