State Agriculture Leaders Adopt Organic Farming Policy

Leaders of 50 state departments of agriculture and four territories adopted a policy statement expressing broad support for organic farming at the annual meeting of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) in November. NASDA's strategic policy initiatives are designed to enhance U.S. agricultural competitiveness and ensure the survivability and enhance the profitability of American producers.

"We're delighted at the news - these state agriculture leaders have demonstrated they recognize the importance of organic agriculture to U.S. farmers, processors, and consumers," said Miles McEvoy, president of the National Association of State Organic Programs (NASOP), and manager of the Organic Program at the Washington State Department of Agriculture. NASOP is an affiliate member of NASDA.

The policy statement supports:
* full and consistent implementation and enforcement of the National Organic Program (NOP) and its organic production and handling standards;

* cooperation between the NOP and experienced public and private certifying agencies;

* efforts to increase the economic growth of the organic industry with marketing assistance;

* increasing activity in organic research and education; and,

* collecting statistics on organic production and market growth in order to provide reliable information about the industry to farmers, marketers, and elected officials.

"This policy provides a framework for NASDA to support research and marketing assistance for organic agriculture," said Jennifer Yezak Molen, director of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs at NASDA. "NASDA will work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to promote cooperation between NOP and the state departments of agriculture," she added.

Full text of the policy statement is available on the Internet at
http://www.nasda.org/nasda/nasda/Calendar/NASDA2003_reports/policies/18.pdf

Organic farming has shown steady growth in the United States. USDA's Economic Research Service has tracked growth of certified organic acreage in the U.S. at nearly 75 percent in recent years. Industry studies show retail sales have grown by 20 percent or more per year during the past decade.

Leaders of the state departments of agriculture are keenly aware of the changing dynamics in food and fiber production around the world. They understand the importance of the entire food and agricultural sector - not only in their states but to the national economy.

NASDA represents state departments of agriculture in the development, implementation, and communication of sound public policy and programs that support and promote the American agricultural industry, while protecting consumers and the environment. Its members are commissioners, secretaries, and directors. NASDA President Gene Hugoson (Minnesota), Past-president Patrick A. Takasugi (Idaho), and many other members have active organic programs in their states. For more information about NASDA, visit the Web site at http://www.nasda.org.

NASOP is a national association of state officials that provides a forum for discussing the promotion and regulation of the organic food industry. The association explores issues of administering organic programs, facilitates communication among the member's respective agencies, and represents common interests to other national organizations and federal agencies.

For more information about NASOP, contact Miles McEvoy, NASOP president, by phone (360) 902-1924 or e-mail mmcevoy@agr.wa.gov.

Contacts:
Utah Department of Agriculture and Food: Seth Winterton (801) 538-7141
NASOP contact: Miles McEvoy (360) 902-1924 PO Box 42560, Olympia, WA 98504-2560
NASDA contact: Jennifer Yezak Molen (202) 296-9680