The Cornucopia Institute

Despite concerns that the spring 2026 National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meeting could be cancelled, it took place in Omaha, Nebraska – albeit later in the year than is usual. (The fall 2025 meeting was delayed even longer and was held in January 2026.) NOSB meetings are announced in the Federal Register, where federal agencies publish proposed and final changes to rules and regulations. When the meeting is announced, the public is invited to submit comments for consideration by the NOSB.

If you’ve lost track of the Farm Bill, we get it. Hot button issues are holding up an already slow, hard-to-understand process. Yet the values driving organic farming transcend politics. Community-scale organic farmers from every state work extraordinarily hard to nourish our communities and ensure our food future. We can’t afford to leave them behind. The Farm Bill’s next stop is the Senate Agriculture Committee, which may be ready to discuss it next week.

Community-scale organic farmers work extraordinarily hard to bring us the food future we all need. And now, they need us in their corner. The House passed a Farm Bill that has gravely disappointed the organic community, and now that bill is headed for the Senate. Please take five minutes today to call or write your senators and urge them to fight for organic farmers and food in the Farm Bill.

After the scheduled October National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meeting in Omaha was cancelled due to the government shutdown, the NOSB reconvened online  (January 13 & 14, 2026 ) in a makeup meeting. The meeting was truncated to only two days and did not include oral comments.

After the scheduled October National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meeting in Omaha was cancelled due to the government shutdown, the NOSB reconvened online  (January 13 & 14, 2026 ) in a makeup meeting. The meeting was truncated to only two days and did not include oral comments.

The current draft of the Farm Bill hurts ethical farmers. And it’s bad news for human health and animal welfare. So, who comes out on top? Industrialized agribusiness. The bill attempts to shield pesticide companies from lawsuits related to human health impacts. And it restricts the freedom of some state or local jurisdictions to maintain their own health standards.

The National Organic Cost Share Program pays part of the ever-rising certification costs for organic farmers. Congress authorized these payments last year, but the money has not been delivered. Without this reimbursement, many small organic farms cannot afford to remain certified. Raise your voice with us and our colleagues at the National Organic Coalition! First, reach out to USDA.

Farmer Chris Damewood will never forget the evening during the pandemic when a panicked stranger knocked on his door asking how soon he could get meat from Ayrshire Farm. Damewood’s response: Your local food system isn’t going anywhere. Ayrshire is a fulcrum of that food system.

In honor of National Co-op Month, we’re shining a light on Equal Exchange, a worker-owned business that has been building long-term, economically just partnerships with small-scale organic farmer cooperatives around the world for the past four decades. The organization was founded to create an alternative trade model that puts power back in the hands of farmers and eaters.

Equal Exchange is a worker-owned business that has been building long-term, economically just partnerships with small-scale organic farmer cooperatives around the world for the past four decades. The organization was founded to create an alternative trade model that puts power back in the hands of farmers and eaters.