Wins on funding for organic certification, research, new farmers and import enforcement shadowed by changes to the National Organic Standards Board. December 12, 2018 (Unity, ME) – The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) generally is pleased with the passage of the Agriculture Improvement Act Read More »
News Archive
Sign up for a Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training at MOFGA
The University of Maine Cooperative Extension is presenting three sessions focused on the FSMA training requirement for all covered produce growers, and recommended for all produce growers of all sizes. Who Should Attend. Fruit and vegetable growers and others interested in learning about produce safety, Read More »
NOP Issues Extension of Allowance of Paper Pots
Nop Issues Extension Of Allowance Of Paper Pots In Organic Production On Monday, November 5, MCS and all NOP-accredited certifiers were informed that the NOP has extended the use and allowance period for paper pots, originally scheduled for prohibition at the end of the growing Read More »
National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) Meets October 24 – 26th
The NOSB will meet in St. Paul, MN from Weds, October 24 – Fri, October 26, 2018 to discuss substances petitioned for addition to or deletion from the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (National List), substances due to sunset from the National List Read More »
The Organic Sprout – Spring 2018 Issue
The Spring 2018 issue of The Organic Sprout is available online! Please follow this link. You can read it from any device of your choice or download as a PDF. Contents include the results of our MCS Client Survey, a report on Organic Cost Share, Read More »
MOFGA Certification Services 2017 Year in Review
MOFGA Certification Services (MCS) continued to see steady growth in 2017. We certified 49 new applicants, bringing our year-end total of MOFGA-certified operations to 536 and over 88,000 acres. This is an amazing achievement in a state our size, and much of the success of Read More »
Take Action to Save the Organic Certification Cost-Share Program
As the Agriculture Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives drafts language for the next Farm Bill, it is considering sweeping cuts to programs that support organic agriculture. One dire threat is significantly reducing, and possibly eliminating, the cost-share program for certified organic growers and Read More »
Sound and Sensible Organic Certification Video Series
A new Sound and Sensible Organic Certification video series, filmed in Washington State and developed by WSDA (Washington State Dept of Agriculture), features certified organic clients and addresses some common questions about USDA Organic regulations and the certification process. They include: Steps to Certification Preventative Read More »
Organic Certification: A Critical Link in the Supply Chain
As the demand for organic food and products in the United States has grown dramatically over the last 10 years, so has the complexity of organic supply chains. The supply chain, domestically and internationally, now involves a series of complex transactions with businesses that grow, handle, Read More »
More time proposed for produce water standards
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing extending compliance deadlines on Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA) provisions for produce water standards. Finalized in 2015, the water standards aim at keeping deadly pathogens like E. coli 0157:H7 out of water used to grow crops by Read More »
Mainers Urged to Sign Up for Free Disposal of Unusable Pesticides
AUGUSTA— This October, the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s (DACF) Board of Pesticides Control (BPC) will team up with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to help Mainers dispose of unusable and waste pesticides. The Obsolete Pesticides Collection Program, jointly sponsored by Read More »