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Drought Support – Maine Department of Agriculture shares Programs and Links for Farms Affected by Drought

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  Bureau of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources We are sharing the following information provided by Tommy Higgins, State Executive Director, Maine Farm Service Agency. As of Thursday, September 18, six counties in Maine are now classified as D3 (Extreme Drought): Cumberland, Androscoggin, Kennebec, Franklin, Somerset, and Oxford. In addition, our coastal counties stretching from Washington to…

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Crop Insurance for Specialty and Organic Crops Grow as Options Improve and Expand 

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The Risk Management Agency (RMA) is beefing up crop insurance options for specialty crop and organic producers, including rolling out new and expanded options based on feedback from America’s agricultural producers. RMA achieved this by accelerating outreach efforts and hearing directly from producers across the country by hosting in-person and virtual roadshows and making investments…

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Farm Bill Listening Session

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We would like to formally invite you to a Farm Bill listening session on Monday, July 31, 2023 at 2pm at Freeport High School which is located at 20 Holbrook Street in Freeport, Maine. Congresswoman Pingree, Chairman Thompson and other members of the House Agriculture Committee will have the opportunity to hear from Mainers about the issues…

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Soil is Key to Organic Production

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Soil is Key to Organic Production MOFGA Certification Services, LLC has joined forces with five other leading organic certification organizations to release an official statement emphasizing the fundamental importance of soil-based farming for USDA Organic operations. MOFGA Certification Services, LLC has collaborated with OneCert, Inc., OneCert International Pvt. Ltd., Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association…

Organic Market Development Grants Deadline Extended – 8/8/2023

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Organic Market Development Grants  OMDG Application Deadline Extended & Webinar  The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has extended the deadline for the Organic Market Development Grants (OMDG) Request for Applications (RFA) to August 8, 2023.  Through OMDG, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will issue up to $75 million in competitive grants. Eligible entities include businesses…

The Organic Sprout – Spring 2023

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The Spring 2023 issue of The Organic Sprout is here – MOFGA’s biannual newsletter for certified organic producers. Contents include the strengthening organic enforcement (SOE) final rule, composting for organic production, record keeping, transition to organic partnership program (TOPP) and much more. Remember, back issues of the Sprout are always available on the MCS website.

MOFGA and MOFGA Certification Services Become Core Partners in USDA’s Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP)

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MOFGA and MOFGA Certification Services (MCS) are pleased to announce that we have been chosen as a core partner and the state lead for Maine through USDA’s Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP). TOPP is one of three focus areas by USDA to transition more agriculture to organic (generally known as the Organic Transition Initiative),…

Trademark Registration Increases Cost of Misusing the USDA Organic Seal

Home Page, NOP News and Updates

Tuesday, Dec 20, 2022 – – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today announced that it has registered the USDA organic seal trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The USDA seal trademark is specifically described in the Organic Foods Protection Act (OFPA) and is currently protected by federal regulation.…