For more than a decade, USDA’s Climate Hubs has been at the forefront of supporting climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts for U.S. farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners. Last week, the department significantly boosted its efforts globally, by launching the International Climate Hub.
The new hub builds on the experience with 10 regional Climate Hubs throughout the United States and the Caribbean to compile, share and significantly expand knowledge, understanding, and implementation of climate-smart agriculture and forestry practices in the United States. By broadening international awareness and access to information and tools, USDA continues to position itself as a global leader in highlighting agriculture and forestry practices as solutions to address climate change.
“We have seen significant investment and interest from the global community in support of tools, resources, and expertise to help meet global adaptation and mitigation goals,” said Jeremy Adamson, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) senior policy advisor. “The International Climate Hub expands our cooperation and sharing, demonstrating approaches that are successful, and connecting users around the world with much-needed tools to help them address climate and sustainability goals.”
The regional Climate Hubs link USDA research and agencies in their delivery of tools and information to agricultural producers and professionals. The international portal, led by FAS, focuses on collaborations between USDA and its global partners to provide climate change policy and technical support.
The International Climate Hub also includes new tools, such as COMET-Planner Global , which gives users a chance to see how different agricultural production practices can estimate CO2 sequestration in any part of the world. Another powerful tool is the Global Agricultural and Disaster Assessment System , which helps rapidly assess the impact of natural disasters on agricultural production across the globe by providing highly detailed, real-time data to assess crop conditions. This includes daily precipitation data, vegetation index, crop masks, land cover data, irrigation and water data, elevation, and infrastructure data, and much more.
“We are making historic investments domestically and internationally to support global adoption of climate-smart agriculture and forestry,” added Adamson. “These investments bolster existing programs, while also uncovering new innovations to address current challenges. And, with the International Climate Hub we now have an opportunity to share current and future innovations with the global community.”
Through science-sharing, joint projects, and education efforts, FAS aims to expand global adaptation and application of climate-smart commodities production and practice.
The Biden Administration announced the availability of $500 million in funding to advance partner-driven solutions to conservation on agricultural land through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). RCPP leverages a voluntary approach to conservation that expands the reach of conservation efforts and climate-smart agriculture through public-private partnerships. Increased funding for fiscal year 2023 is made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, and this year’s funding opportunity reflects a concerted effort to streamline and simplify the program. Program improvements will enable USDA to efficiently implement the $4.95 billion in Inflation Reduction Act funding for the program while improving the experience for partners, agricultural producers, and employees.
“The Regional Conservation Partnership Program leverages the collective power and resources of public-private partnerships to deliver meaningful results for agriculture and conservation,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Thanks to the additional resources unlocked by the Inflation Reduction Act, as well as the improvements being made to the program, more farmers, ranchers, and foresters than ever before will be able to access and deploy conservation and climate-smart practices that will combat the climate crisis, enhance water and soil quality, protect vulnerable wildlife habitat, and more.”
This announcement is part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, which is growing the American economy from the bottom up and middle-out – from rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure to driving over $435 billion in private sector manufacturing and clean energy investments in the United States, to creating good paying jobs and building a clean-energy economy that will combat climate change and make our communities more resilient. The Inflation Reduction Act represents the single largest investment in climate and clean energy solutions in American history and it includes $19.5 billion for NRCS programs over five years.
RCPP Improvement Effort
The improvements included in this year’s RCPP funding opportunity are part of an ongoing effort to streamline NRCS conservation programs and efficiently implement the Inflation Reduction Act. The RCPP improvement effort identified problems and central issues associated with the program and is working to develop meaningful and actionable improvements.
Based on partner listening sessions and employee and partner surveys, NRCS identified seven key focus areas for improvement, each with a dedicated team working to address identified issues and provide recommendations:
Simplifying and Reducing the Number of Agreements
Reducing Lengthy RCPP Easement Transactions
Improving the RCPP Portal
Consistent Guidance and Training for Employees and Partners
Simplifying the Technical Assistance Structure
Improving the Conservation Desktop
Simplifying the Partner Reimbursement Process
For more information about RCPP and a list of frequently asked questions, visit the NRCS website.
The application period is now open for RCPP Classic and RCPP Alternative Funding Arrangements (AFA). RCPP Classic projects are implemented using NRCS contracts and easements with producers, landowners and communities, in collaboration with project partners. Through RCPP AFA, the lead partner must work directly with agricultural producers to support the development of new conservation structures and approaches that would not otherwise be available under RCPP Classic.
Today’s RCPP Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) showcases a number of program improvements including the increase of project funding ceilings, the simplification of financial assistance and technical assistance structures, a stronger emphasis on locally led conservation, and easement deed flexibilities.
Up to $500 million will be available through the RCPP for fiscal year 2023, of which up to $50 million will prioritize AFAs with Indian Tribes.
Projects selected under this NOFO may be awarded funding through either the Inflation Reduction Act or Farm Bill 2018. Applications for RCPP climate-related projects will receive priority consideration for Inflation Reduction Act funding. The 2023 RCPP priorities are climate-smart agriculture, urban agriculture and projects and, as a Justice40 covered program, projects that serve underserved farmers and ranchers.
NRCS will accept applications now through Aug. 18, 2023 via the RCPP portal.
Please note that to request access to the portal, you must have a level 2 verified eAuthentication account with USDA. This can be obtained by following the instructions on the USDA eAuthentication page.
Webinar for Interested Applicants
NRCS encourages interested applicants to participate in upcoming webinars that will provide general information about this funding announcement. The webinars will take place on May 24 and June 7, from 2-3:30 p.m. ET. Join via this links posted on the RCPP How to Applywebsite. Additional webinars may be announced as needed.
Lab-grown meat, which is cultured from animal cells, is often thought to be more environmentally friendly than beef because it’s predicted to need less land, water and greenhouse gases than raising cattle. But in a preprint, not yet peer-reviewed, researchers at the University of California, Davis, have found that lab-grown or “cultivated” meat’s environmental impact is likely to be “orders of magnitude” higher than retail beef based on current and near-term production methods.
Researchers conducted a life-cycle assessment of the energy needed and greenhouse gases emitted in all stages of production and compared that with beef. One of the current challenges with lab-grown meat is the use of highly refined or purified growth media, the ingredients needed to help animal cells multiply. Currently, this method is similar to the biotechnology used to make pharmaceuticals. This sets up a critical question for cultured meat production: Is it a pharmaceutical product or a food product?
“If companies are having to purify growth media to pharmaceutical levels, it uses more resources, which then increases global warming potential,” said lead author and doctoral graduate Derrick Risner, UC Davis Department of Food Science and Technology. “If this product continues to be produced using the “pharma” approach, it’s going to be worse for the environment and more expensive than conventional beef production.”
The scientists defined the global warming potential as the carbon dioxide equivalents emitted for each kilogram of meat produced. The study found that the global warming potential of lab-based meat using these purified media is four to 25 times greater than the average for retail beef.
A more climate friendly burger in the future?
One of the goals of the industry is to eventually create lab-grown meat using primarily food-grade ingredients or cultures without the use of expensive and energy-intensive pharmaceutical grade ingredients and processes.
Under that scenario, researchers found cultured meat is much more environmentally competitive, but with a wide range. Cultured meat’s global warming potential could be between 80% lower to 26% above that of conventional beef production, they calculate. While these results are more promising, the leap from “pharma to food” still represents a significant technical challenge for system scale-up.
“Our findings suggest that cultured meat is not inherently better for the environment than conventional beef. It’s not a panacea,” said corresponding author Edward Spang, an associate professor in the Department of Food Science and Technology. “It’s possible we could reduce its environmental impact in the future, but it will require significant technical advancement to simultaneously increase the performance and decrease the cost of the cell culture media.”
Even the most efficient beef production systems reviewed in the study outperform cultured meat across all scenarios (both food and pharma), suggesting that investments to advance more climate-friendly beef production may yield greater reductions in emissions more quickly than investments in cultured meat.
Developing the technology that would allow the leap from “pharma to food” is among the goals of the UC Davis Cultivated Meat Consortium, a cross-disciplinary group of scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and educators researching cultivated meat. Other goals are to establish and evaluate cell lines that could be used to grow meat and find ways to create more structure in cultured meat.
Risner said even if lab-based meat doesn’t result in a more climate-friendly burger, there is still valuable science to be learned from the endeavor.
“It may not lead to environmentally friendly commodity meat, but it could lead to less expensive pharmaceuticals, for example,” said Risner. “My concern would just be scaling this up too quickly and doing something harmful for the environment.”
Other authors include Yoonbin Kim and Justin Siegel of UC Davis and Cuong Nguyen of the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
The research was funded by the UC Davis Innovation Institute for Food and Health and the National Science Foundation Growing Convergence Research grant. — By Amy Quinton, UC Davis
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is announcing the availability of a pre-recorded webinar for developers who are interested in learning more about the process of requesting an Investigational Food Use Authorization (IFUA) for animals with investigational intentional genomic alterations (IGAs). IGAs in animals are alterations to the animal’s genome that are made using genome editing or rDNA technologies.
An IFUA permits edible tissues (such as meat, milk, eggs, honey) from animal species treated with investigational products like new animal drugs, food additives, and IGAs in animals to be used for food. The FDA will issue a letter authorizing the food use of a specific set of animals after evaluating data to identify any potential food safety hazards and ways to avoid them to ensure the safety of the edible products entering the human food chain. IFUAs are helpful to developers because they allow animals (or their products) to be used for food instead of being wasted.
The webinar covers what an IFUA is; when it is appropriate to make an IFUA request; the types of data and information the FDA reviews in support of an IFUA request; three case study examples that cover different types of scenarios where developers of IGAs in animals might request IFUAs; and administrative procedures that developers of IGAs in animals follow when submitting an IFUA request.
Any developer or sponsor of a genetically altered animal for food use can apply for an IFUA as long as they have an investigational file established with the agency. In order to receive an IFUA, the developer must submit sufficient data to demonstrate that food from these investigational animals is safe for human or animals to eat. The agency reviews the data submitted, and if appropriate, will issue an authorization allowing the developer to send the specified animals to slaughter or rendering for animal food. If an authorization is granted for human food use and slaughter of the animal is subject to inspection by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the FDA will notify FSIS. The developer or sponsor must also notify FSIS and the FDA 10 days before sending the animals to slaughter. All products must be in compliance with any other applicable USDA requirements.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announces assistance for dairy producers with the new Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program (ODMAP). ODMAP is established to help mitigate market volatility, higher input and transportation costs, and unstable feed supply and prices that have created unique hardships in the organic dairy industry. Specifically, under the ODMAP, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is making $104 million available to organic dairy operations to assist with projected marketing costs in 2023, calculated using their marketing costs in 2022.
“Organic dairy producers have faced significant and unique increases in their marketing costs, compounded by increases in feed and transportation costs and the limited availability of organic grain and forage commodities,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “Without assistance, many organic dairies, particularly small organic dairies, will cease production, which not only impacts the domestic supply and consumption of organic milk but also the well-being of many rural communities across the country. This program will keep our small organic dairies in operation as they continue to weather a combination of challenges outside of their control.”
FSA will begin accepting applications for ODMAP on May 24, 2023. Eligible producers include certified organic dairy operations that produce milk from cows, goats and sheep.
Adam Warthesen, co-chair of the Organic Trade Association’s Organic Feedstuffs Relief Task Force, and Senior Director of Government and Industry Affairs for Organic Valley said: “With unprecedented organic feed costs and inflationary pressures over the last couple of years, resources like ODMAP are really going to matter as farmers plan for the rest of this year.”
Britt Lundgren, Senior Director of Sustainability and Government Affairs at Stonyfield, said: “The costs facing organic dairy today are uncommon and putting serious strain on operations. USDA is right to step in and offer support, and this is a good first step. The alternative is we lose family farmers. We look forward to working with USDA to cover more of the actual costs organic dairies are facing.”
Lia Sieler, Executive Director of Western Organic Dairy Producers Alliance, said: “We welcome the monetary resources allocated to dairy farmers through ODMAP with much anticipation. Input costs have been at an unprecedented high with no foreseeable changes and farmers are struggling to keep up with these high costs at their current pay price for the specialty products they produce. Farmers are struggling to continue producing a quality, safe and nutritious product with the current costs of doing business. We thank USDA with the help of many members of Congress for stepping in, hearing our voices and working diligently to get money pushed out as quick as possible to help alleviate some of this pain. Our work is not done, but this is a major win for our industry in a time of such uncertainty.”
Chris Adamo, Vice President of Public Affairs and Regenerative Agriculture Policy with Danone North America, said: “Recent increases to cost of feed and overall inputs have significantly impacted organic dairy farms, and on behalf of Horizon Organic, we are grateful for USDA’s thoughtful work and strong support for the farms that supply our customers’ milk.”
How ODMAP Works
FSA is providing financial assistance for a producer’s projected marketing costs in 2023 based on their 2022 costs. ODMAP provides a one-time cost-share payment based on marketing costs on pounds of organic milk marketed in the 2022 calendar year.
ODMAP provides financial assistance that will immediately support certified organic dairy operations during 2023 keeping organic dairy operations sustainable until markets return to more normal conditions.
How to Apply
FSA is accepting applications from May 24 to July 24, 2023. To apply, producers should contact FSA at their local USDA Service Center. To complete the ODMAP application, producers must certify to pounds of 2022 milk production, show documentation of their organic certification, and submit a completed application form.
Organic dairy operations are required to provide their USDA certification of organic status confirming operation as an organic dairy in 2023 and 2022 along with the certification of 2022 milk production in hundredweight.
ODMAP complements other assistance available to dairy producers, including Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) and Supplemental DMC, with more than $300 million in benefits paid for the 2023 program year to date. Learn more on the FSA Dairy Programs webpage
Industry leaders and stakeholders from across the dairy value chain discussed priorities, best practices, challenges, work and considered opportunities that align U.S. dairy and collectively puts the industry on a path to providing sustainable solutions for people and planet during the recent 2023 Dairy Sustainability Alliance® Spring Meeting.
Barbara O’Brien, President and CEO of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and Dairy Management Inc.
Barbara O’Brien, who serves as president and CEO of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), opened the meeting by saying the Alliance – a multi-stakeholder group involving more than 180 companies and organizations who want to contribute to dairy’s social responsibility journey – is more important than ever amid escalating challenges related to the environment, inflation and increasing supply chain protocols, standards and reporting requirements.
“The stakes are high, and the challenges, competition and counter narrative only get more intense,” O’Brien said. “I hear and am inspired by the people, commitment and hard work taking place across the industry.”
O’Brien said the Alliance, in its 15th year, follows principles that contribute to the long-term viability of the U.S. dairy industry, such as knowledge sharing and use of science-based research and tools. The Alliance works to identify solutions that reflect the diversity of farmers, products and the industry overall.
O’Brien told the 240 meeting attendees – including 19 dairy farmer representatives – they are “doing the doing and helping to raise all boats.” She cited the many farmer-led conservation groups that have received climate smart agriculture grants and the 36 companies representing 75 percent of milk production that have adopted the U.S. Dairy Stewardship Commitment, all of which signal voluntary action that advances sustainability leadership and transparent reporting of progress.
“While challenges continue, I hope you’re as confident as I am in the future for U.S. dairy and that’s in large part to the people in this room and your peers across the country,” she said. “Because, ultimately, people and relationships are at the very heart of what we do as we bring great minds together to advance dairy as a category – across environmental, social and economic priorities.”
Following O’Brien, a panel discussion addressed efforts to deliver dairy nutrition that meets emerging and personalized health needs for consumers, today and tomorrow. Dr. Katie Brown, executive vice president of scientific and nutrition affairs for National Dairy Council, said assuring food security is vital with more than one in five U.S. adults – 34 million people including 9 million children – facing food insecurity.
Brown said the industry’s partnership with Feeding America, which has a network of 200 food banks, is increasing access to dairy. In 2016, 226 million pounds of dairy moved through Feeding America’s network, but it grew to 664 million pounds in 2021 during the pandemic when food insecurity rates soared. Last year, 506 million pounds were distributed.
“Feeding America knows dairy is a nutritional powerhouse and is important to their clients,” Brown said. “Milk is one of the most requested and least donated items in food banks and Feeding America has set an ambitious goal that dairy will be 10 percent of foods distributed throughout its network by 2025. This is the power of partnerships.”
Representatives of ZS – a global management consulting and technology firm – shared research results that revealed which aspects of foods have growing appeal to younger consumers, particularly as it relates to their broadening views of holistic health and wellbeing. The group examined 37 of the most managed health and wellness conditions and conducted research to determine which areas hold the greatest potential for dairy.
ZS is working with the Innovation Center’s Health and Well-Being Task Force to narrow the areas where dairy can best meet consumers’ changing expectations of food now and in the future. Examples include physical/athletic performance, bone health energy, and Alliance attendees discussed opportunities to inform the task force’s work.
Environmental stewardship emphasized
A large part of the meeting focused on U.S. dairy’s environmental actions and how that work contributes to addressing climate change, supporting biodiversity and healthy ecosystems. This includes how dairy practices at the farm and plant level contribute to a circular economy, such as better utilization of the nutrient and biological value of manure and the upcycling of protein-rich whey from cheesemaking.
In another session, Dr. Tim Kurt, senior vice president, environmental research for DMI, shared how the checkoff is partnering to advance several projects that support the industry in reaching its collective 2050 environmental stewardship goals. Kurt provided updates on projects focused on reducing dairy’s greenhouse gas footprint related to feed, enteric methane, manure and energy, including:
Dairy Soil and Water Regeneration: Feed footprint and water quality
Ruminant Farms Systems: Whole farm process-based model to enable scenario planning
“We support pre-competitive research that benefits the entire industry, including the development of practices and technologies and evaluating their impact through modeling work,” Kurt said. “Our scientists seek to improve the understanding of the effectiveness and credibility of the solutions available today and in the future so farmers and the broader industry can feel confident in choosing the ones right for their farm and business.”
When U.S. dairy set its environmental stewardship goals in 2020, the Innovation Center committed to report progress toward them every five years. Karen Scanlon, executive vice president of environmental stewardship for DMI, and Nicole Ayache, chief sustainability officer for National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), outlined the approach for measuring and reporting progress on the goals over the short and long term and how the industry-developed FARM Environmental Stewardship and Processor Stewardship Reporting tools will aggregate data for reporting.
“More and more, companies, farmers and food categories are called upon to report on sustainability-related topics,” Scanlon said. “Consumers, customers, retailers are all calling on dairy – from farms to cooperatives to processors – to report on environmental, social and governance topics. Measuring and reporting matters. Industry reporting enables us to credibly and transparently communicate what we want people to know about how U.S. dairy is fulfilling its social responsibility commitments.”
A panel discussion featuring Ahold Delhaize USA, Hannaford Supermarkets, HP Hood, Dairy Farmers of America, Agri-Mark and NMPF focused on dairy value chain collaboration to advance worker well-being.
Farmworker safety and well-being are priorities addressed through the National Dairy FARM Program’s Workforce Development tool. Assessments help identify areas where additional education, training, or resources can support farmers.
“When we talk about the value a dairy farm brings to a community, we have to remember to value the people we depend on every day to care for our cows, to make sure our milk is high quality, safe and fresh and making sure they are nourishing our communities near and far,” said Maine dairy farmer Jenni Tilton-Flood, an Agri-Mark member. “FARM Workforce Development gives us a lens that isn’t size specific and allows everyone to get a better look at what is going on at our farms. This program builds trust and transparency.”
Pennsylvania dairy farmer, Innovation Center board member and DMI Chair Marilyn Hershey closed the meeting with credit given to Alliance members for their collaboration that has led to continued environmental success and improvements. Hershey shared insights from representing U.S. dairy in global meetings, such as one hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization, an agency of the United Nations.
“It was very eye-opening,” Hershey said. “There have been a lot of conversations happening for decades about farming without farmers being there. Everyone is so pinpoint focused on food, climate change and the production of food. Thankfully collaboration is happening even more, but it needs to go past dairy and into all of agriculture. We need to bring the whole barnyard together.
“Progress and collaboration are what make U.S. dairy stand out as a leader in the agriculture sector. I hear it over and over that we are a leader in the sustainable food systems space.”
The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy® is a leadership forum that brings together the dairy community and third parties to address the changing needs and expectations of consumers and customers. Initiated in 2008 by dairy farmers through the dairy checkoff, Innovation Center leaders and members collaborate on important areas like the environment, nutrition and health, animal care, food safety, and community contributions. Through the Innovation Center, the U.S. dairy community demonstrates its commitment to continuous improvement from farm to table, striving to ensure a socially responsible and economically viable dairy community. For more information, visit www.usdairy.com/about-us/innovation-center
The non-profit Soil Health Academy announced the availability of educational scholarships for leaders in indigenous and underserved communities, as well as agriculture education professionals to attend one of SHA’s three-day, on-farm soil health and regenerative agriculture schools. In addition, the grant will provide ag educators with free access to the regenerative agriculture online course, Regen Ag 101.
The scholarship and online training support is made possible thanks to a grant from global food company General Mills.
Farmers and educators can apply for scholarships to attend any of the remaining scheduled SHA regenerative farming schools in 2023, including…
“Regenerating Profits Through Adaptive Grazing” May 30-June 1 in Cimarron, NM;
“Transforming Your Dairy,” June 20-22 in Cold Spring, MN;
“Regenerate Canada,” July 4-6, Tuffnell, SK;
“Regenerative Farming and Ranching,” July 18-20 in Redwood Falls, MN;
“Adaptive Grazing,” July 25-27 in Hope, MI;
“Implementing Regenerative Principles in Corn/Soybean Rotations,” August 1-3 in Cambridge, IL;
“Regenerating Profits Through Adaptive Grazing,” Sept. 19-21, Holton, KS; and
“Regenerative Dairying,” Oct. 3-5, Hoosick Falls, NY.
“The grant from General Mills will provide scholarship support to educators and underserved and indigenous community leaders to learn the principles and practices of soil health-improving regenerative agriculture from the world’s most experienced farmer/rancher-instructors,” SHA President Dawn Breitkreutz said. “We know from our more than five years’ experience in delivering regenerative agriculture training that lives, farms, ranches and communities are transformed through the SHA school learning process.”
In addition, Breitkreutz said SHA provides on-going follow-up support and education, as well as access to a network of like-minded regenerative farmers, ranchers and educators to school attendees.
“Regenerative agriculture is a journey based on constant learning, sharing and improving,” she said. “Having other farmers and ranchers to stay in touch with after the SHA school is a valuable part of the experience and facilitates regenerative agriculture success—and more often than not, it also results in new and lasting friendships.”
For more information about SHA’s upcoming schools and to apply for a school scholarship, visit www.SoilHealthAcademy.org.
The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC), Consortium for Common Food Names (CCFN) and allied organizations commend today’s introduction of the Safeguarding American Value-Added Exports (SAVE) Act to promote the protection of common names in the 2023 Farm Bill. Led in the Senate by Sen. John Thune (R-SD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Tina Smith (D-MN) and led in the House by Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Jim Costa (D-CA), Michelle Fischbach (R-MN) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), the language would explicitly direct USDA Foreign Agricultural Services (FAS) to work with the U.S. Trade Representative to include the protection of commonly used terms like “parmesan”, “chateau” and “bologna” as a priority in international negotiations. This is the first farm bill effort on common names.
“The lack of strong action by previous administrations has allowed the European Union to misuse and abuse its geographical indications, hurting U.S. exporters in several markets,” said Jaime Castaneda, Executive Director of CCFN. “This new emphasis on protecting common names is a much-needed step in the right direction to ensure that our producers can sell their products in markets around the world.”
The proposed language would amend the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to define “common names” and direct the Secretary of Agriculture to coordinate with the U.S. Trade Representative to proactively defend the right to use common names for agricultural commodities or food products in international markets.
“For years, the European Union has been using illegitimate GIs to boost its own producers at the expense of others, putting a tremendous political priority on giving European companies a leg up over producers in the U.S. and other countries,” noted Castaneda. “It is time that our government takes a more proactive approach to tackling this challenge so that we can turn the tide to stand up for food and beverage producers relying on common names.”
Many agricultural producers in the United States and around the world depend on common food and beverage terms – such as parmesan, chateau, or bologna – to market and sell their products.
Since 2009, the EU has used trade negotiations and intellectual property rules to confiscate common names for their own producers – essentially monopolizing certain products in specific markets.
For American farmers and producers, this leads to lost opportunities overseas and expensive fights domestically, in addition to fewer choices for consumers.
Recently, there has been significant efforts from the private sector to defend common names, including a favorable U.S. Court of Appeals ruling and actions by congressional champions on Capitol Hill.
The Ag Council of California presented Assemblymember Blanca Rubio (D-Baldwin Hills) with the Influential Legislator of the Year Award during its Legislative Conference in Sacramento this week.
“Assemblymember Rubio is a fierce advocate for pragmatic thinking and her actions in the Legislature to implement practical policies are critical to our members and all of agriculture. She and her staff work tirelessly to forge strong relationships with colleagues to make a difference on some of the toughest legislation,” Ag Council President Emily Rooney said.
“As chair of the New Democrats in the Assembly, Assemblymember Rubio’s tenacious leadership cannot be underestimated. Her influence to work strategically toward improved results for Californians is incredibly valuable, and we appreciate her endless dedication,” Rooney said.
This annual award recognizes a legislator who embodies an active and collaborative approach to finding positive outcomes for agriculture and all of California. Assemblymember Rubio represents those qualities and more.
Assemblymember Rubio represents Assembly District 48 comprising West Covina, Baldwin Park, Glendora, Covina, Azusa, and Monrovia, among other cities.
She is a member of the Budget, Elections, Governmental Organization and Water, Parks and Wildlife Committees, in addition to others.
Assemblymember Rubio previously spent 16 years as a teacher and 20 years in elected office, serving on the Valley County Water Board and Baldwin Park Unified School District.
Congratulations to Assemblymember Rubio upon receiving the 2023 Influential Legislator Award.
On May 17, the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) expanded functionality for the USDA Organic INTEGRITY Database (INTEGRITY) by launching a new Trade Partner Module. This new module is an expansion of INTEGRITY called the Global Organic INTEGRITY Database (GLOBAL). GLOBAL increases access and transparency to quality data in organic supply chains worldwide, increasing our ability to protect the integrity of organic products sold in the United States.
The GLOBAL Trade Partner Module is an important step in implementing the Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) final rule requirements. Since 2015, when NOP launched INTEGRITY, USDA-accredited certifiers have used the database to report on farms and businesses certified to the USDA organic standards. Similarly, the Trade Partner Module allows international certifiers to report on farms and businesses certified under our organic equivalency arrangements. When fully deployed, both USDA-accredited certifiers and certifiers working with other government organic standards that have been determined to be substantively similar will be able to generate electronic import certificates in GLOBAL.
NOP worked with Canada to test the new Trade Partner Module and to begin developing the next component of GLOBAL, which is the Electronic Organic Import Certificate module. To start, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency added certifiers into GLOBAL that were authorized to certify operations as organic under the Canadian and USDA organic standards. Feedback from these certifiers was used to refine the system and develop future enhancements.
NOP will continue to work with trade partners to add their certifiers, who – along with USDA’s certifiers – will use the module to generate electronic import certificates for all organic imports into the United States beginning May 19, 2024. NOP will prepare users for the updated GLOBAL database by providing user guides and hosting user registration sessions as the launch date approaches. The Import Certificate Module is scheduled to launch in the fall of 2023. Information on operations will become available as trade partners start using the system. Access GLOBAL HERE.
The non-profit Soil Health Academy announced the availability of educational scholarships for leaders in indigenous and underserved communities, as well as agriculture education professionals to attend one of SHA’s three-day, on-farm soil health and regenerative agriculture schools. In addition, the grant will provide ag educators with free access to the regenerative agriculture online course, Regen Ag 101.
The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC), Consortium for Common Food Names (CCFN) and allied organizations commend today’s introduction of the Safeguarding American Value-Added Exports (SAVE) Act to promote the protection of common names in the 2023 Farm Bill. Led in the Senate by Sen. John Thune (R-SD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Tina Smith (D-MN) and led in the House by Representatives Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Jim Costa (D-CA), Michelle Fischbach (R-MN) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), the language would explicitly direct USDA Foreign Agricultural Services (FAS) to work with the U.S. Trade Representative to include the protection of commonly used terms like “parmesan”, “chateau” and “bologna” as a priority in international negotiations. This is the first farm bill effort on common names.