The Organic & Non-GMO Report Newsletter

New film exposes Roundup’s ubiquity in Napa Valley wine country

Documentary filmmaker Brian Lilla has revealed the motivation behind his new film about the herbicide Roundup in Napa, CA, vineyards—his kids. Since moving to Napa nine years ago, Lilla has noticed the omnipresence of Roundup application—even in a vineyard across from his daughters’ school. “When I learned how toxic wine country is, I needed to […]

U.S. organic crop acreage increased by 3% in 2022

Non-GMO corn and soybean acres declined USDA-certified organic land is expected to reach nearly 8.7 million acres across the U.S. during 2022, according to organic and non-GMO market data firm Mercaris. “Following a decline in certified organic pasture and rangeland, area dedicated to organic field crop production is expected to account for the largest share […]

Cornell study links sustainable practices to farm size in organic production

A study recently published in Nature Plants surveyed 542 organic fruit and vegetable farmers about the use of eight agroecological practices that promote sustainability. “We wanted to look at how the practices differ between small-scale organic farms… and those huge farms that supply organic produce to big box stores,” said Jeffrey Liebert, PhD, who studied […]

First Regenerative Organic Certified coffee hits the U.S. market

The coffee industry has joined the regenerative agriculture movement—the first Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) coffee hit U.S. shelves recently. Three coffee producers in Nicaragua and one in Sierra Leone, the first operations to be ROC certified, provide beans for four California roasters: Equator Coffees, Heirloom Coffee Roasters, Canyon Coffee and Groundwork Coffee. “ROC is not intended to replace NOP, but to […]

Organic dairy farming can store carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, study finds

A new study in the August issue of the Journal of Cleaner Production revealed that farms can sequester carbon and reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions, as seen through a dairy lifecycle assessment conducted on Organic Valley farms. The University of Wisconsin research found that small organic dairy farms using pastured grazing and organic practices report […]