Tilth Conference draws ag industry and WSDA staff

Chris McGann
Communications 

WSDA joins a host of agricultural experts participating in the annual Tilth Conference in Yakima this weekend.  Agency specialists from a wide range of disciplines will share their expertise and experience in workshops, meetings and presentations throughout the three-day event that begins Nov. 8.

This year's theme is "Growing a Resilient Future: Production and Beyond," and will provide an opportunity for farmers, food system professionals, researchers and educators to learn from one another, share best practices and network with others in the agriculture industry.

Attendees will have a chance to explore topics such as crop and livestock production, pest and weed management, marketing, certifications, land access, and opportunities and challenges in agriculture.

WSDA staff are among the numerous speakers at the conference, and will cover a variety of topics including:

Market Expansion and Development

• Hear from our Farm to School team and learn the basics of selling to schools and how to get started.

• Later, our WSDA staff will be involved in a panel discussion offering practical guides and checklists for hiring and training (including what hires need to know), market day operations, food safety requirements, booth and display set-up, customer service, working with market managers, and vehicle safety. 

Business Planning Toolkit

• Get an update from the Office of the Washington State Veterinarian, including new outreach materials, animal disease status in the state, personnel changes, new programming, foreign-animal diseases of concern, regulation changes, and the new WSDA website.

Resource Opportunities to Support Farm Success

• Listen to a panel discussion on the Farm to Food Pantry initiative where participating farmers, food pantry managers, WSDA, and Harvest Against Hunger partners recount their roles within this initiative, share their vision for scaling it up and sustaining it statewide, and how attendees can participate in the effort.

Technology, Regulations and Certifications

• WSDA conducted their first season of inspections under the Food Safety Modernization Act’s Produce Safety Rule. Hear how farms responded and the results of these initial inspections. WSDA staff will share their inspection approach, the frequency of inspections and the prioritization process used by the WSDA Produce Safety Program.

• Take part in a Q&A with the WSDA Organic Program staff and get an overview about the program, as well as updates on program activities. The session is intended to answer certification questions, cover the organic system plan, as well as recordkeeping, forms, processes, and other things to know about certification. 

Market Expansion and Development

• The newest edition of the Handbook for Small and Direct Marketing Farms (popularly known as the “green book”) is now available for free. In this workshop, attendees will hear from the experts behind the handbook, learn what’s new in this updated edition and how to find the information needed for your farm business.

Visit the Tilth event schedule for a full list of the talks, workshops and panel discussions.

Learn the Ropes of Organic Certification with New Videos

Heidi Peroni
Organic Program

The Organic Program, working with North by Northwest Productions, has created two additional videos to share information with the public about organic certification and the certification process:

Preventative Practices for Organic Handlers     

Organic Livestock Feed Requirements 

These videos add to the series begun in 2015, when the Organic Program applied for and received a contract with USDA to promote Sound and Sensible Certification outreach, a USDA project with the goal of identifying and removing barriers to certification in order to make certification more accessible, attainable and affordable.

As a part of this project, the Organic Program produced three videos:

Steps to Certification: Organic Certification doesn’t have to be daunting. Explore the five key steps in the organic certification process.

Preventative Practices for Crop Producers: Managing weed, insect, and disease pests on an organic farm requires addressing potential problems before they arise. Learn more about preventative practices and how they are required for organic certification.

Recordkeeping: Keeping accurate records is crucial for any business. Find out what types of records are required for organic certification and how they will be evaluated during the certification process.

For a complete list of videos created by the Organic Program, see our organic videos page. Videos are also offered with Spanish voiceover.

For an introduction to what organic certification is all about, and additional resources offered by the Organic Program, see our Interested in Organic certification page.

Feel free to contact us with any questions, and direct clients with questions about organic certification our way. We’re here to help!

WSDA Organic Program
(360) 902-1805

A Conversation with Miles McEvoy of the National Organic Program

Heidi Peroni 
Organic Outreach and Education Coordinator 

As deputy administrator (aka Head Guy) for the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) and former program manager of WSDA's Organic Food Program, Miles McEvoy has a unique insight into both past and present of the organic industry in Washington state and nationally. His journey began as WSDA’s first organic inspector in 1988 and spans nearly 30 years of work in the organic certification world.

Recently, I had a chance to speak with Miles. Here are a few excerpts from that conversation.

Tell me a little bit about yourself. 

I’ve been at the NOP since fall 2009. Before that, I worked with WSDA, from 1988 to 2009, seeing the change from about 63 farms that first year to the thriving organic industry that it is now.

What was the intention of organic certification originally?  
The driver for Tilth was to protect farmers and create a level playing field and consistent standards.  Also consumers wanted to make sure that organic product really was organic.

Is that intention the same today? 
Pretty much, in terms of the purpose of certification: to verify organic claims, to protect farmers so that they have a level playing field, and to ensure consumers that everyone selling organic products is meeting the same requirements.

What was the drive behind taking the standards to a national level?  
Standards were very inconsistent between states and certifiers who didn’t accept one another’s certification. There were a lot of barriers to trade. The market started to grow significantly, and retailers and consumers also wanted a consistent standard.

What benefit do you feel comes from national organic standards?
Organic means one consistent set of standards throughout the country, the world, really. Enforcement creates a mechanism to ensure that standards are being met. National organic standards also ensure the verification of standards throughout the supply chain and create market confidence for consumers, and all investors-the farmers, handlers, and processors.

What issues are most critical in organic today? How is the NOP addressing them?
There are supply constraints-USDA is doing many things to try to support the industry’s growth.We provide technical assistance through resources created for the Sound and Sensible Certification Initiative, cost share for organic certification costs, organic crop insurance, and conservation programs through Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Where do you think the organic industry will go from here? What are the greatest barriers to its growth? 
It’s growing strongly-there’s a lot of energy, vitality, and excitement. Organic products account for about 5-11% of sales—I think it will continue to grow. In terms of challenges, organic producers have unique soil management, pest, and disease challenges, so we want to ensure that good research occurs to continue to provide state of the art soil and pest management for the organic products being produced.

Where do you see agriculture in the next 20 years?
Farmers will more closely reflect the diversity of the US population.  More farms will provide food for local and regional markets. I see farmers, both organic and non-organic, becoming more sustainable in terms of energy use, inputs, and environmental impacts, and less use of toxic pesticides.  Organic is at the cutting edge of the trend towards a sustainable food system.

Organic Roots: Washington’s extensive history of organic agriculture and certification

Heidi Peroni
Organic Outreach and Education Coordinator 

Today, WSDA’s Organic Program certifies more than 1,100 organic operations in Washington state where organic fruit and produce have become staples in farmers markets and most grocery stores. But it wasn’t always this way.

Organic certified kale at a
Washington farmers market.

In the 1970s, organic farming was still in its infancy in Washington and across much of the country. While farmers and gardeners were interested in alternative methods for crop production, information on organic cultivation was scarce and supporting organizations didn’t exist.

That began to change in 1974. Wendell Berry, farmer and poet, came to Spokane to speak at the ‘Agriculture for a Small Planet’ Symposium. With Wendell’s encouragement, a Washington-based group organized to promote organic agriculture. They called themselves Tilth, after the Old English tilian, meaning ‘till’ or 'strive for, obtain by effort.'

The Tilth Producers Cooperative worked on production, marketing, and distribution of organically produced crops. They also began a peer-based organic certification program, developing a framework for organic certification regulations by deciding which practices and materials were acceptable.

Certification lands at WSDA

In the mid-80s, Tilth worked with Ken Jacobsen, a state representative from Seattle, on legislation to house organic certification within WSDA. As a result, the Washington Organic Food Products Act, Chapter 15.86 RCW, was enacted in 1985.

Organic certification formally shifted to WSDA in 1987. Organic growers fund the program directly through a fee-for-service model similar to other services WSDA provides.

Tilth organizers meet at Seattle's historic PRAG house, circa 1980.

WSDA formed an Organic Advisory Board so stakeholders could provide input on developing organic standards. Several Tilth members joined members of California Certified Organic Farmers and Oregon Tilth to form the Western Alliance of Organic Certifiers to establish consistent standards between states. This work helped pave the way for the National Organic Program (NOP).

By 1988, the WSDA Organic Program had certified 68 organic farms. Soon the program expanded, offering processor and handler certification as well as registering brand-name material used in organic production.

Organic goes federal 

The 1990 U.S. Farm Bill included the Organic Foods Production Act which established the USDA NOP and National Organic Standards Board, bringing organic certification to the federal level.

The USDA’s first draft of the NOP standards in 1997 allowed irradiation, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and sewage sludge in organic production. But protests from nearly 300,000 people nationwide prompted changes, and the Final Rule in 2002 prohibited these practices that became known as the “big three.”

In 2002, the WSDA Organic Program was accredited by USDA to provide certification services under the new federal standard, which continues today.

Of the first 100 farms certified by WSDA, 21 are still certified organic under their original name. Many others still farm, but have changed organizations or roles. Each of their stories, struggles, and successes helped create the path for the organic farmers and handlers of today.

Special thanks to Mark Musick, Anne Schwartz, and Diane Dempster, who have worked with Tilth Producers for many years, and Organic Program manager Brenda Book, for their input on this article.  Without their tireless efforts, Washington organic production would not be what it is today.

Washington Organic Week begins Sept. 12, celebrates organic agriculture

Heidi Peroni
Organic Education and Outreach Specialist

September 12th-18th is Washington Organic Week (WOW! for short) – a week to celebrate our state’s robust organic agriculture community, educate consumers about organic products, and share resources for agricultural operations interested in organic certification.

As part of the recognition, Governor Jay Inslee has issued a proclamation acknowledging the significance of organic agriculture to our state and highlighting the growth of certified organic Washington farmland—more than 93,000 acres today!

A WSDA inspector, left, visits an
organic greenhouse. 

WSDA’s Organic Program is the oldest and largest state certification program in the country. Supported by fees from certified operations, the Organic Program currently certifies 1,160 organic growers, handlers and processors of organic products, and registers 850 input materials for use in organic production.

Washington organic continues to thrive, producing more than 93 percent of all the organic fresh apples in the nation, and 94% of organic sweet cherries. On top of that, our state’s certified organic farmers lead the nation in producing organic pears, hops, blueberries, and more!

During the week, we’ll share information on our social media sites that raise awareness, educate consumers, and help farmers. We’ll use the hashtag #WAOrganics so you can follow along.

If you’d like to learn more about organic agriculture, visit our Organic Food Program website or Tilth Producers, which is also supporting the weeklong WOW! event.