The USDA finally released their long-awaited draft rule that will implement a Genetically Engineered or GMO food disclosure law. The draft leaves a lot of things unanswered and is quite troubling in many regards. Continue reading
The Last Chapter of My Career: Opportunity, Change and Growth
It was the beginning of a new millennium. The year 2000 had come with no calamities or misfortunes, but it did bring the winds of change.
I had built a small brokerage business that for six years had linked organic produce growers with receivers across the country. Yet a wrinkle was forming in the fabric of my business model that would change my life forever. Continue reading
Headwinds and Hope : Organic Week in DC
This not so much a factual account of my week in DC but rather a philosophical musing of the state of organic today.
I knew full well the political atmosphere in DC when I arrived—it is muddled with shear turbulence. So too the organic industry is experiencing a bumpy trajectory even as it streams ahead with over 6% growth.
Organic has been under a barrage of political threats and media scandals that just don’t seem to stop. Continue reading
A Confluence of Organic Voices in Washington DC
Normally I am fidgety if I have to sit around in a conference room listening to researchers. But today in the fine citadel of Washington DC I am thoroughly engaged. You never know when the last time that you visit a place may be. So I sit amongst my peers and colleagues as if this experience is my last with them.
I have traveled in early to attend The Organic Confluences Summit during Organic Week in DC, and I am present in every moment. Continue reading
Why Did the Organic Check-off Die an Untimely Death?
Back in 2010, I was on the board of The Organic Trade Association (OTA). At the time, we had a brilliant idea on how to grow organic agriculture. An Organic Research and Promotion Program or Check-Off would have provided an estimated $30 million annually for the organic community.
