Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture Program (ASAP): Organics - At University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Organic farming continues to grow in Illinois. Resources and information are added to this site on a regular basis to supply Illinois organic producers with timely, credible answers to questions on growing processing and marketing organic food for export or the local food system. .
Beyond Organic Radio Show - Eenvironmental radio and multimedia program, addressing issues of organic food and farming, social and environmental sustainability. Covers timely issues and trends, with guests ranging from award-winning author Michael Pollan ('Botany of Desire') and Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman, to organic farmers and sustainable seafood specialists. Beyond Organic covers diverse-yet-interconnected issues including genetic engineering, Mad Cow Disease, dead zones, health, nutrition, Slow Food, cooking, gardening, Fair Trade and international trade policy.
California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) State Organic Program - Organic farms in the State of California are required to register with CDFA. The State Organic Program is also responsible for organic regulatory enforcement and complaints regarding labeling, fraud claims, and certification decision appeals.
California Federation of Certified Farmers Markets (CFM) - Places where genuine farmers sell their crops directly to the public. A CFM is a location approved by the county agricultural commissioner where certified farmers offer for sale only those agricultural products they grow themselves. CFMs are operated in accordance with regulations established in 1977 by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Only a handful of CFMs were in the California direct marketing program back then. There are nearly 500 Certified Farmers Markets now.
Center for Food Safety (CFS) -
Formed for the purpose of challenging harmful food production technologies and promoting sustainable alternatives. CFS combines multiple tools and strategies in pursuing its goals, including litigation and legal petitions for rulemaking, legal support for various sustainable agriculture and food safety constituencies, as well as public education, grassroots organizing and media outreach.
CFS has offices in Washington, DC and San Francisco, CA.
Certified Naturally Grown - Stone Ridge, New York. Congress declared that after October 21, 2002, any farmer selling over $5,000 worth of produce may not refer to their produce or growing methods as "organic" unless they have been certified by a USDA accredited certification agency. Failure to comply with this order is punishable with fines up to $10,000 per violation per day. While the certification process is affordable and pleasing to larger farming operations, especially those that specialize in growing only a few varieties of vegetable, it's not such a good fit for the thousands of small, diversified family farms using natural methods and growing many different varieties of crops (a necessary and recommended practice for disease and insect control). Diverse crops mean significant record-keeping burdens, as each crop requires a paper-trail from purchase of seed to sale of every pound of produce. Extensive paperwork, plus high certification fees, make it unlikely if not impossible for many small farms to become certified organic. Some of the nation's best organic farmers are ironically no longer able to call themselves "organic" anymore. Certified Naturally Grown provides these small, local growers with an alternative label and certification system that consumers can quickly come to trust and understand.
Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) - CAFF political and educational campaigns are building a movement of rural and urban people who foster family-scale agriculture that cares for the land, sustains local economies, and promotes social justice. Members are urbanites, farmers, environmentalists, rural activists, students, and anyone concerned with the social and environmental dimensions of agriculture.
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) - Many farms offer produce subscriptions, where buyers receive a weekly or monthly basket of produce, flowers, fruits, eggs, milk, coffee, or any sort of different farm products. A CSAis a way for the food buying public to create a relationship with a farm and to receive a weekly basket of produce. This site proives links to hundreds of CSA's throughtoout the U.S. for mores on CSAs, see Community Supported Agriculture, National Agricultural Libraryresources, and Wikipedia entry.
Cornucopia Institute - Cornucopia, Wisconsin. Seeking economic justice for the family-scale farming community.
Eat Local Challenge - A group blog written by authors interested in the benefits of eating food grown and produced in their local foodshed.
Eat Well Guide - Find wholesome, fresh, sustainable food in the US and Canada.
Ecology Center Store - Features a unique selection of environmental, social justice, gardening, environmental education, and children's book titles. The store also stocks organic gardening supplies, non-toxic and resource-efficient household products, recycled paper and hemp products. The Ecology Center provides information, tools, technical assistance, referrals, political strategies, and models for sustainable living.
Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market - A San Francisco, California, certified farmers market operated by the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA). The market is open two days a week—Tuesdays and Saturdays. The large Saturday market is held both in front of the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero and on the rear plaza overlooking the Bay. On Tuesday, the market spills out of the Arcades onto the Embarcadero sidewalk. The markets offer produce and flowers from small regional farmers and ranchers, many of whom are certified organic, and regional artisan specialties such as breads, cheeses and jams.
Food Routes - Reintroducing Americans to their food - the seeds it grows from, the farmers who produce it, and the routes that carry it from the fields to our tables.
Full Belly Farm - A 200-acre certified organic farm located in the beautiful Capay Valley of Northern California, an hour northwest of Sacramento. Full Belly has used organic practices since 1985 and is certified by California Certified Organic Farmers. Full Belly products are marketed both wholesale and retail. Sells to restaurants, at farmers markets and through a Community Supported Agriculture project, or CSA.
Harmony Farm Supply and Nursery - Believes that all food, flowers, ornamentals, and lawns can be grown organically without the use of toxic materials and have been helping people do just that for over 20 years.
International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) - IFOAM's goal is the worldwide adoption of ecologically, socially and economically sound systems that are based on the principles of organic agriculture. IFOAM's international standards are the basis for CCOF's international program for organic certification.
Marin Organic - Supported by the UC Cooperative Extension, Office of the Agricultural Commissioner, Marin County Board of Supervisors, Marin Agricultural Land Trust, Marin Food Policy Council, and consumers throughout the county.
Local Harvest - Do you want fresh, locally grown, organic food, but don't know where to find it? The Local Harvest map makes it easy to find family farms, farmers markets and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area.
National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service (ATTRA): Organic Farming - These resources offer guidance in preparing for certification, and in production methods for a range of organic crops and livestock. Many of these publications were developed in response to producer questions, and they deal with issues related to specific products, as well as production methods, marketing, and organic certification requirements.
Nutrition Business Journal (NBJ) - Serves the nutrition, natural products and alternative health care industries. Provides detailed market research for upper management involved in the nutrition industry and addresses impacts on the food, pharmaceutical and health care industries. NBJ's comprehensive Organic Foods Report examines the entire organic value chain from growers and processors to manufacturers, distributors, retailers and consumers.
Organic Consumers Association (OCA) - Promotes food safety, organic farming and sustainable agricultural practices in the U.S. and internationally.
Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) - Founded to sponsor research related to organic farming practices, to disseminate research results to organic farmers and to growers interested in adopting organic production systems, to educate the public and decision-makers about organic farming issues.
Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) - A nonprofit organization created to benefit the organic community and the general public. Its primary mission is to publish and disseminate generic and specific (brand name) lists of materials allowed and prohibited for use in the production, processing, and handling of organic food and fiber. OMRI also conducts scientific research and education on the use of materials by the organic industry.
Organic Trade Association (OTA) - Membership-based business association for the organic industry in Canada, the United States and Mexico. Members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmer associations, brokers, manufacturers, consultants, distributors and retailers. Established in 1985, the OTA works to promote organic products in the marketplace and to protect the integrity of organic standards.
Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGATA) -
Working to defend a farmer’s right to save and trade seed and encourage the viability of regional organic seed companies. Promotes the right to farm, protected from GMO contamination. Membership is comprised of organic farmers who produce seed crops, organic seed breeders, organic seed companies, and affiliate organizations and non-voting associate members composed of colleagues that support organic farmers and organic seed systems.
Peaceful Valley Farm Supply - Promoting organic sustainable agriculture. Dedicated to healing the earth by providing farmers and gardeners with cost-effective, state-of-the-art organic growing supplies and the information and tools needed to apply them.
Satya - A magazine of vegetarianism, environmentalism, and animal advocacy.
Soil Association - UK's leading campaigning and certification organisation for organic food and farming.
Straus Communications - Pulic relations and marketing for food, environment and community. Get the latest news on organics and sustainable business in The Straus Alert.
Svalbard Global Seed Vault -
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, which is established in the permafrost in the mountains of Svalbard, is designed to store duplicates of seeds from seed collections around the globe. Many of these collections are in developing countries. If seeds are lost, e.g. as a result of natural disasters, war or simply a lack of resources, the seed collections may be reestablished using seeds from Svalbard.
USDA National Organic Program - This national program facilitates domestic and international marketing of fresh and processed food that is organically produced and assures consumers that such products meet consistent, uniform standards. Establishes national standards for the production and handling of organically produced products, including a National List of substances approved for and prohibited from use in organic production and handling.
Weston A. Price Foundation - Dedicated to restoring nutrient-dense foods to the human diet through education, research and activism. It supports a number of movements that contribute to this objective including accurate nutrition instruction, organic and biodynamic farming, pasture-feeding of livestock, community-supported farms, honest and informative labeling, prepared parenting and nurturing therapies. Specific goals include establishment of universal access to clean, certified raw milk and a ban on the use of soy formula for infants.
Wild Farm Alliance (WFA) - Established by a national group of wildlands proponents and ecological farming advocates who share a concern for the land and its wild and human inhabitants. Their mission is to promote a healthy, viable agriculture that helps protect and restore wild nature. WFA is working to educate growers and certifiers on biodiversity issues on organic farms and have these issues integrated into U.S. National Organic Standards.
Wood Prairie Farm - A small Certified Organic family farm in the State of Maine producing high quality organic goods.
Also part of group of eighty-three family farmers, small and family owned seed businesses, and agricultural organizations challenging Monsanto's patents on genetically modified seed and defending their right to seek legal protection from the threat of being sued by Monsanto for patent infringement should they ever become contaminated by Monsanto's genetically modified seed. The Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT) represents the plaintiffs in the suit, titled Organic Seed Growers & Trade Association (OSGATA), et al. v. Monsanto pending in the Southern District of New York.
World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) - Dedicated to helping those who would like to volunteer on organic farms internationally. The aims of WWOOF are to enable people to learn first-hand about organic growing techniques, to enable town-dwellers to experience living and helping on a farm, to help farmers make organic production a viable alternative, and to improve communications within the organic movement.
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