2025 ANNUAL MEETING RECAP
February 2025. It’s never a doubt to be cold in LaCrosse in February, but it’s also beautiful with the sun glistening and the bridge in the background.
ANNUAL MEETING RECAP
“The entry of corporate entities into organic grain and livestock production remains the biggest threat to family farm organic agriculture. The ongoing influx of corporate consolidation and its related impact on market prices and manipulation in the organic industry remains the major concern for OFARM and our members.”
So stated Oren Holle, President of the marketing bargaining cooperative OFARM (Organic Farmers’ Agency for Cooperative Marketing) as it wrapped up its annual meeting in February in LaCrosse, WI. Organic field crop farmers came to the Marbleseed Organic Farming Conference experiencing field crop marketing opportunities and farm gate prices at ten-year lows leaving organic producers with, in many cases, negative net returns. This has stymied potential consideration for new transition acres and, in fact, has some organic producers abandoning their organic status.
OFARM’s decade-long exposure of the fraudulent activity in the organic certification arena, both domestic and international has been a productive collaborative effort among its members and its partners, and did result in the formation and implementation of the SOE (Strengthening Organic Enforcement).
Additionally, the collaborative initiatives of concerned organizations resulted in significant increases in funding for the National Organic Program opportunities and thus providing for more robust surveillance and enforcement. It is becoming more evident, however, that increased direct oversite is needed with more authority to address penalties for noncompliance. It further appears that a significantly greater involvement by NOP personnel will be required to more fully, and directly, investigate high risk activities where gaping shortcomings in meaningful surveillance and enforcement still exist. The ongoing rhetoric to relegate the responsibility to NOP sanctioned certifiers for action on non-compliances is a ‘fox guarding the chicken house’ scenario. Authority now exists in the SOE for more direct action. In plain English, we just ask NOP enforcement to do its job.
Ever-increasing uncertainty surrounding funding for organic initiatives under the new administration is an added huge concern. Any funding cuts would severely impact a number of very important programs which address areas of research and promotion of organic as environmentally beneficial while enhancing the increased food security where in many instances our industrial model of agriculture falls short.
In light of these critical concerns, OFARM leadership remains committed to its ongoing mission to provide an environment for cooperative marketing initiatives as the only viable answer to addressing this dismal atmosphere
Our collective collaboration remains committed to preserve these beneficial initiatives, as it is not only the funding that is in jeopardy but also the workforce which needs to be maintained to bring the benefits to fruition
For the present, organic family farms are left with a dim hope for any real action that our political leadership will take a more active role to assist in these endeavors as it appears they remain unable to finalize a new farm bill let alone take into account the desperate need to update our food security policy.
The marketing bargaining cooperative approach continues to remain the most durable approach to providing a platform for real-time marketing assistance, as well as the best venue to address the many related issues that affect the multiple economic opportunities in organic crop production.
OFARM continues to adhere to its mission of establishing and maintaining sustainable prices for organic farm production through coordinated efforts of organic farmer cooperative marketing groups. And to protect and defend organic standards that promote environmentally friendly, socially responsible, and economically viable food production systems.
01/28/2025
Tiryaki Agro/Sunrise Foods issue
01/28/2025
New Orleans residents in the lower 9th ward, Holy Cross, and Arabi communities are fighting an effort to a significant expansion of the Alabo Street Wharf into a grain terminal for receiving imported organic grain. Residents oppose the project due to what they fear are significant impacts to the community ranging from dust, rail traffic through residential areas, increased rodent pressure, etc.
In addition to the environmental impact of the industrial activities related to the project, residents have concerns about the corporations that will be moving into their community: Sunrise Foods International and Norfolk Southern Railroad.
Norfolk Southern (NS) operates 22,000 miles of track in the southern US and has a long history of safety violations and accidents. Additionally, NS spends millions of dollars lobbying for weaker safety regulations in the rail industry.
Sunrise Foods International has signed a lease agreement with the NOLA port authority to operate the proposed facility. Founded in Saskatchewan Canada in 1997, Sunrise Foods is a major importer/exporter of organic products, boasting a 25% market share of the US organic product industry. In 2018, Sunrise was purchased by Tiryaki Agro, a $1.5 billion conglomerate based in Istanbul Turkey. Tiryaki conducts business in many countries including Russia, UAE, Turkey, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Iraq and others. Through its Sunrise subsidiary, Tiryaki has successfully purchased US organic companies such as its recent September 2024 acquisition of Ozark Organics located in Missouri.
Since being acquired by Tiryaki Agro, court documents show that Sunrise Foods has been actively bringing non-organic grain sourced in Eastern Europe into the US through varies entry points in the US and Canada, and selling it as “organic” to American end users. These fraudulent imports have damaged the organic grain market for domestic producers and has harmed organic cooperatives in the US. The NOP has worked to close the loopholes that these foreign owned entities have been exploiting but Tiryaki Agro has quietly been funding groups like FOG (Florida Organic Growers) who lobby on their behalf for looser Government oversight into organic imports.
SIGN THE PETITION HERE: www.stopthegraintrain.com
Other Sources: organiceye.org; cornucopia.org; https://feedplanetmagazine.com/tag/tiryaki-agro/3533
01-22-2025 NOC and AOAC Webinar Overviews
(links to webinar recordings below)
Last week I had some spare time after feeding cattle and, needing an excuse to stay indoors, I attended two webinars that may impact members of CPOFA and OFARM in the future.
The first one was hosted by NOC (National Organic Coalition) and focused on helping organic producers to access NRCS Organic Programs. Having some personal experience in the difficulties in participation with organic specific NRCS initiatives I was hoping this webinar would end my frustration. It didn’t. However, it appears there may be help coming.
The overall information gained was that there has been a significant lag in Organic Specific Programs being approved and the actual implementation of those programs. To make matters worse, local offices have simply not had the training nor have they been given the appropriate information to move forward. Some states, such as Montana, have been more proactive than others only due to outspoken organic farmers taking the initiative to hold local offices and NRCS state officials accountable.
The takeaway from the webinar is that you, as an organic producer or one looking to transition to organic, need to go in and introduce yourself to your local office and ask for assistance. If you are not satisfied with the response, you need to work your way up the administrative chain of command until you get answers.
My experience has been that it is simply a lack of knowledge by local employees of NRCS. It isn’t their lack of willingness to help.
On January 16 there was another webinar hosted by AOAC (Association of Official Analytical Chemists) going over proposed residue testing for both organic imports and organic domestic production. Although there is still a long way to go, and support from domestic organic producers is needed, it appears there is some momentum to require some sort of residue testing for both imports and domestic production. There was discussion on types of residue testing (herbicide, pesticide and petroleum-based fertility) that should be included and there is no reason why any legitimate organic producer would object.
I would encourage all producers to express your support for residue testing requirements to your US Representatives and Senators as well as any NGO’s representing organic farming that you have a membership in.
Stephen C. Boyda, Organic farmer from NE KS and proud member of CPOFA and OFARM.
Links to both webinar recordings:
01.15.2025 Helping Producers access NRCS Programs — National Organic Coalition
Advancing Authenticity Testing in Certified Organic Products Webinar - AOAC INTERNATIONAL
FARM BILL NEWS Links from our partnerships:
9/29/23: From NOC: Expired Farm Bill Could Jeopardize Organic Certification Cost Share Program Online: https://www.nationalorganiccoalition.org/blog/2023/9/29/expired-farm-bill-could-jeopardize-organic-certification-cost-share-program
9/29/23: From NSAC: Last night, the House's FY2024 Agriculture-FDA Appropriations bill failed on the House floor - 191-237. Twenty-seven House Republicans joined all Democrats in opposing the bill. The failure of this bill on the House floor brings a temporary close to what has been a rollercoaster ride for FY24 Agriculture Appropriations during the past four months.
Now, today and tomorrow (Saturday), both the Senate and House will exclusively focus on passing disparate versions of a continuing resolution (CR) in hopes of preventing a government shutdown. However, it is extremely unlikely that the two chambers will reach an agreement by midnight Eastern time on Saturday - and by Sunday morning we fully expect the shutdown to have begun.
https://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/whats-at-stake-appropriations-shutdown-and-farm-bill/
https://www.nationalorganiccoalition.org/action-alerts
https://marbleseed.org/news/blog/post/support-organic-in-the-farm-bill
https://organicfarmersassociation.org/farm-bill/
2023 Benefits of OFARM Membership Timeline Attachment
2023 Annual Meeting Press Release Full Detail Notes
2022 Fall Meeting Press Release
2022 Annual Meeting Press Release
2021 Fall Meeting Press Release
December 2020 OFarm letter to Organic Grain Producers
Press Release
September 2020
Press Release
February 2020
Press Release September 5, 2019
Star Tribune Article July 7, 2019