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News & Notes BRIEFS GOURMET NEWS JANUARY 2018 www.gourmetnews.com NEWS & NOTES 6 OTA Stumps for Farm Bill Priorities Twenty organic farmers – including one major league baseball player – stepped up to the plate for thousands of organic farm- ers throughout the country when they went to Washington on November 29 and 30 to participate in the Organic Trade As- sociation's first Farmers Advisory Council fly-in and to talk with lawmakers and pol- icy officials about organic priorities in the 2018 Farm Bill. The event was coordinated by the Or- ganic Trade Association's Farmers Advisory Council — the largest coalition in the U.S. of organic farmers and organic farming or- ganizations, representing more than 8,000 certified organic farmers. It brought in farmers from states stretching from Califor- nia to Montana to Georgia. The diverse group included seasoned organic farmers and farmers just transitioning to organic, large organic grain farmers and the farmer of a five-acre urban organic garden in At- lanta, organic vegetable and fruit growers, dairy farmers and egg producers, the coun- try's largest organic rice grower, and to round things off, one major league baseball player, Jayson Werth, former Washington Nationals star player and owner of an or- ganic farm in Illinois. "The input of organic farmers in the next Farm Bill is absolutely critical to move or- ganic forward," said Perry Clutts, co-Chair- man of the Farmers Advisory Council and organic dairy farmer and owner of Pleas- antview Farm in central Ohio. Clutts, who in the 1990s converted his great grandfa- ther's conventional grain farm to an organic grass-based dairy farm, noted, "It's not easy for farmers to take time to leave their op- erations and come to Washington, so we re- ally appreciated their commitment to sharing their day-to-day challenges and successes in organic farming with our elected officials and policymakers, and looking at the ways that the next Farm Bill can help benefit organic farmers and ad- vance organic." "Organic agriculture needs more funding for research, robust oversight of organic im- ports and crop insurance programs that recognize organic prices," said Doug Crab- tree, co-Chairman of the advisory council and organic farmer and co-Owner of Vili- cus Farm in northern Montana. Crabtree, who with his wife Anna owns and operates the diverse organic dryland crop farm that produces 12 to 15 crops a year, said, "The voices and real-life experiences of organic farmers carry a great deal of weight, and we were glad to bring those respected and trusted voices to Washington." Thirty Congressional Offices Visited The farmers visited the offices of 30-some lawmakers, meeting in person with several lawmakers including Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts of Kansas and House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson of Minnesota. Moving off Capitol Hill for their second day in Washington, the organic advocates met with officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, and with other farmer and com- modity associations. Tim Raile is a fourth-generation farmer in northwest Kansas and eastern Colorado. Raile and his son are systematically transitioning all of their 8,500 acres to organic, with the plan to have the farm fully organic by 2022. This was Raile's first fly-in, and he said he felt that it was important to represent his home state of Kansas in the effort to "promote organic's presence in the new Farm Bill." "My main messages were that organic is no longer a niche market, but now main- stream and deserves to have a level playing field in the new Farm Bill," said Raile. "Also, that the inclusions that the Organic Trade Association is requesting in the Farm Bill are not just to help organic farmers, but are good for the 82 percent of the house- holds that buy organic and good for the confidence and integrity in the USDA Or- ganic label." Raile, Jayson Werth and other farmers met personally with Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Roberts, and Raile said the meeting was significant because of the acknowledgment by Roberts to the group's message. It was also the first fly-in for Werth, who owns a 500-acre certified organic corn, soy- bean, and wheat farm in central Illinois, and it may not be his last. Werth told the Organic Trade Association at its 2017 An- nual Policy Conference earlier this year that he's excited about working to advance organic agriculture. "As we look toward the future, we know how important it is for this industry to main- tain and grow, and that we attack the chal- lenges that currently face us," Werth said. "I'm excited to be part of the growth in solu- tions that deliver to the organic community and ultimately to the organic consumer." Mac Stone and his family have been farming in the Bluegrass farmland of Ken- tucky for over six generations. For the last five years, the 550-acre diversified opera- tion has been totally organic, growing and raising a wide variety of meats, eggs, fruits and vegetables that supports a 400-plus membership CSA and provides fresh or- ganic products to restaurants throughout Kentucky and in Cincinnati. This was not Stone's first fly-in experience on Capitol Hill. He said he keeps doing it because the direct contact makes a difference. "It is still fascinating that you can walk right in and talk to the people who are making the decisions," said Stone. "It's heartening to see that with all that's going on, the staffs now know as much as they do about organic. When I see staff I've met be- fore, they remember I was there. We're see- ing the needle move a little all the time." OTA Farm Bill Priorities The Organic Trade Association established its Farmers Advisory Council in 2013 to create a stronger voice for organic farmers. The council's member organizations were instrumental in pushing out a comprehen- sive farm bill survey conducted by the Or- ganic Trade Association early in the year to their membership communities. The survey received over 500 responses from certified organic producers and handlers across 45 states, and has been critical in shaping the policies of the Organic Trade Association in the lead-up to the 2018 Farm Bill. Based on the survey responses from its members, the Organic Trade Association has identified its three top priorities for the 2018 Farm Bill: that it contain policies to promote a healthy organic marketplace, to ensure that organic farmers continue to be success- ful and to expand organic production. The Organic Trade Association's Farm Bill platform calls for full support and ade- quate funding for the USDA National Or- ganic Program (NOP) to keep pace with industry growth, set uniform standards, and carry out compliance and enforcement actions in the U.S. and abroad. It advocates organic-focused research, risk management tools, data collection and direct dialog be- tween industry and USDA that are critical to organic farmers' success. It calls for im- proved access to land and capital, invest- ment in distribution systems and infrastructure, and targeted technical assis- tance through the utilization of existing USDA conservation, rural development, and other programs to encourage orderly transition to organic. "We have a good progressive agenda for organic that we've been working on for over a year now," said Laura Batcha, CEO and Executive Director of the Organic Trade Association. "Our work on the Hill has already led to several constructive pieces of legislation being introduced, like the Organic Agriculture Research Act that focuses on increasing organic research and the Organic Farmer and Consumer Protec- tion Act that improves the oversight of im- ports and levels the playing field for U.S. organic farmers. We aren't done yet, and the hard work and commitment of farmers like the ones who participated in our fly-in make a big difference in advancing organic priorities." The member organizations of the Farm- ers Advisory Council who have endorsed the Organic Trade Association's Farm Bill priorities include California Certified Or- ganic Farmers (CCOF), Georgia Organics, Organic Egg Farmers of America, Montana Organic Association, Oregon Tilth Certified Organic, Organic Valley/CROPP Coopera- tive, Pennsylvania Certified Organic, and Tilth Alliance of Washington. GN Natural Grocers Announces Appointment of Todd Dissinger as Chief Financial Officer Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. has appointed Todd Dissinger as Chief Financial Officer, effective January 1, 2018. Dissinger assumed the CFO role from Sandra Buffa, who retired on December 31, 2017. Research Shows Shoppers Still Store-Hopping for Groceries Sales and marketing agency Acosta has just released new research showing that 76 percent of weekly shoppers visit more than one retailer each week for groceries. Additionally, according to the company's latest Hot Topic Report, "Trip Drivers: Top Influencers Driving Shopper Traffic," 67 percent of those shoppers are visiting approximately two to three retailers weekly. Price, fresh ingredients and brand loyalty are among the major drivers cited in the report. Global Market for Halal Food Growing with Population The global halal food market is expected to reach USD 2.10 trillion by 2025, according to a new report from Research and Markets. The global halal food industry is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period owing to increasing Muslim population and their substantially increasing expenditure on food and non-beverages, which is considered as the main driving force of this market. The total Islamic population is expected to increase from 23 percent in the present situation to around 30 percent of the total world population by 2030. Specialty Food Association Trendspotters Predict 2018 The Specialty Food Association's Trendspotters Panel has named plant-based foods, upcycled foods and Filipino cuisine as top trends to watch for 2018. Plant-based options are proliferating in many categories beyond meat substitutes. Segments like cheese and frozen desserts are enjoying growth in plant-based subcategories. As for meat alternatives, algae is winning fans. 2018 will bring more plant- based convenience foods too, the panel says. As consumers become more aware of how much food is wasted in the U.S., upcycled products made of ingredients and scraps that would have otherwise been discarded, will hold bigger appeal. Pressed juice made from imperfect fruit, chips made from fruit pulp and snack bars made from spent grain from the beer-making process are already on the market. Expect more to hit the market in the coming year. Whole Foods Offering Prime Discounts Whole Foods Market and Amazon are now offering an added discount on some items for Prime members. Amazon called the discount "a sneak preview" of the in-store benefits Prime members can expect when Prime becomes the rewards program for Whole Foods.