Good ag practices dominate discussions at CCOF conference
Good ag practices dominate discussions at CCOF conference
PACIFIC GROVE, CA -- Food safety and what is viewed as a set of good agricultural practices that was imposed on the industry by the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement carried the discussions Tuesday, Jan. 22 at the California Certified Organic Farmers conference held here at the Asilomar Conference Center.
California Certified Organic Farmers, based in Santa Cruz, CA, drew members from throughout the state to its two-day conference that continued on Wednesday, Jan. 23. The conference coincided with the group's 34th annual meeting and was a lead-in to the 2008 Ecological Farming Conference being held Jan. 23-26 at Asilomar.
The conference, titled "Food Safety for Organic Production & Handling of Fresh Produce Conference," elicited spirited debate on the challenges facing organic farmers and food handlers that have sprouted since the E. coli outbreak associated with spinach, which occurred in September 2006.
The focal point of much of the discussion -- and a bone of contention for CCOF members -- was the leafy green best practices as adopted by the California Leafy Green Products Handler Marketing Agreement. CCOF members generally feel that the measures don't take a holistic approach to overall environmental stewardship. Their argument is that certain requirements are not practical or financially feasible for the way that many small organic growers operate.
CCOF's leadership had been working on a "best practices short course for organic farmers," said CCOF Executive Director Peggy Miars.
An afternoon session Jan. 22 focused on water, wildlife, workers and amendments in organic farming.
Devon Zagory, interim executive director of the Center for Produce Safety at the University of California-Davis and senior vice president of food safety and quality programs at Davis Fresh, voiced a contrarian viewpoint by challenging the audience to concentrate on accumulating scientific evidence to support numerous claims in favor of the healthfulness of organic produce.
Though Mr. Zagory was not a speaker at that session, he was a speaker at two of the other forums at the CCOF conference.
The kickoff for CCOF's three-year strategic plan was Jan. 1, and the organization has approved the goals and objectives. It is now seeking feedback from its members on strategy, Ms. Miars said.
CCOF has more than 1,800 members and is contemplating making changes to its chapter system.
Any changes likely would affect the makeup of its 12-member board of directors, which may shrink to become a smaller board, Ms. Miars said. CCOF's membership has spiked upward with the addition of 400-500 new members in the past few years.
"The organic market is growing, and interest and knowledge [in organics] is growing, too," Ms. Miars said.
California Certified Organic Farmers, based in Santa Cruz, CA, drew members from throughout the state to its two-day conference that continued on Wednesday, Jan. 23. The conference coincided with the group's 34th annual meeting and was a lead-in to the 2008 Ecological Farming Conference being held Jan. 23-26 at Asilomar.
The conference, titled "Food Safety for Organic Production & Handling of Fresh Produce Conference," elicited spirited debate on the challenges facing organic farmers and food handlers that have sprouted since the E. coli outbreak associated with spinach, which occurred in September 2006.
The focal point of much of the discussion -- and a bone of contention for CCOF members -- was the leafy green best practices as adopted by the California Leafy Green Products Handler Marketing Agreement. CCOF members generally feel that the measures don't take a holistic approach to overall environmental stewardship. Their argument is that certain requirements are not practical or financially feasible for the way that many small organic growers operate.
CCOF's leadership had been working on a "best practices short course for organic farmers," said CCOF Executive Director Peggy Miars.
An afternoon session Jan. 22 focused on water, wildlife, workers and amendments in organic farming.
Devon Zagory, interim executive director of the Center for Produce Safety at the University of California-Davis and senior vice president of food safety and quality programs at Davis Fresh, voiced a contrarian viewpoint by challenging the audience to concentrate on accumulating scientific evidence to support numerous claims in favor of the healthfulness of organic produce.
Though Mr. Zagory was not a speaker at that session, he was a speaker at two of the other forums at the CCOF conference.
The kickoff for CCOF's three-year strategic plan was Jan. 1, and the organization has approved the goals and objectives. It is now seeking feedback from its members on strategy, Ms. Miars said.
CCOF has more than 1,800 members and is contemplating making changes to its chapter system.
Any changes likely would affect the makeup of its 12-member board of directors, which may shrink to become a smaller board, Ms. Miars said. CCOF's membership has spiked upward with the addition of 400-500 new members in the past few years.
"The organic market is growing, and interest and knowledge [in organics] is growing, too," Ms. Miars said.
