USDA has amended the CFAP 2 payment calculation for sales-based commodities, which are primarily comprised of by specialty crops, to allow producers to substitute 2018 sales for 2019 sales. Previously, payments for producers of sales-based commodities were based only on 2019 sales, with 2019 used as an approximation of the amount the producer would have expected to market in 2020. Giving producers the option to substitute 2018 sales for this approximation, including 2018 crop insurance indemnities and 2018 crop year Noninsured Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) and Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+) payments, provides additional flexibility to producers of sales-based commodities who had reduced sales in 2019.  

8/24/21 News Release:  USDA Updates Pandemic Assistance for Livestock, Poultry Contract Producers and Specialty Crop Growers

The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) generally meets twice each year in a public forum to discuss and vote on recommendations to the USDA. These recommendations help the Department develop and refine the organic standards.

Based on input from the Board and members of the organic community, the NOSB currently plans to resume in-person meetings in October 2021, subject to Federal, State, and local guidance on in-person meetings at the time.

The in-person meeting will be webcast live for those who are not able to travel. Should circumstances not permit an in-person meeting, the meeting will be held virtually. Updates will be posted to the USDA website at the link below.

Meeting Details

When:  October 13 - 21, 2021
             Online Comment Webinars: October 13 & 14,
             In-Person Public Meeting: October 19-21, 2021 

Where: Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown - Arena
             300 J Street
             Sacramento, California
             1-877-666-3243 (Group name: National Organic Standards Board)
             Room reservation cutoff date: Friday, September 24, 2021

Stakeholder Engagement Encouraged

The NOSB invites public comment on agenda topics and will hear comments in-person
at the meeting in Sacramento and during the webinars leading up to the meeting. Written comments may be submitted via regulations.gov.

Deadlines: To be considered during the Fall 2021 Meeting, written comments and requests for oral comment speaking slots must be received by 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday, September 30, 2021.

Meeting materials including the agenda, public comment registration links, and other resources — including details on how to register for oral comment slots and how to submit written comments — will be added to the National Organic Standard Board (NOSB) Fall 2021 Meeting webpage as they become available.

Please stay tuned to upcoming WFAN communications for further conference announcements.

WFAN annual conference provides a platform for participants to advocate and agitate for social transformation in our lives, communities, and shared work. They are committed to the following statements as their guiding 2021 WFAN conference goals.

1. Build and strengthen anti-oppression knowledge, initiatives, and action through training, reflection, and collaboration.  
2. Provide practical farm-based educational opportunities for beginning through seasoned agrarians, landowners, and food systems advocates. 
3. Increase capacity as land caretakers to define, create, and implement practices rooted in ecological justice. 
4. Offer intentional spaces for critical dialogue, networking, coalition building, and story-sharing. 

For additional details please check out the link below: https://wfan.org/2021-wfan-conference

Keynote Speaker:  Dr. Jessica Shade, Director of Science Programs, The Organic Center -- “Contributions of Organic in Mitigating Climate Change: Evidence from Farms and Fields”

REGISTER:  early registration is $100 and late registration (after Nov. 16) is $120.

Iowa Organic Association (IOA) will have their Annual Meeting in person this year, on Tuesday, December 7th, from 5-8pm CST.

Location and speaker details to come soon.

We look forward to seeing you all in person this year.