Wolf & Associates

This newsletter reflects on the optimism at Organic Week in Washington, D.C. despite political, economic, trade, and domestic supply-chain challenges, and calls for collective action to strengthen the organic sector. It also rounds up developments such as California’s $15 million organic transition program and new public-institution market for farmers, the EU’s new anti-greenwashing directive, supply constraints in organic beef, and new resources like OrganicHandlers.org and the Kernel mentorship program.

The Organic Trade Association held its annual Award Reception during Organic Week in Washington, DC, honoring leaders including Wolf & Associates’ own Katherine DiMatteo and Bill Wolf, alongside other honorees like Andy and Rachel Berliner of Amy’s Kitchen and Maria Rodale of Rodale Institute. In his acceptance speech, Bill Wolf called on the organic community to push for bigger goals, particularly closing the gap between U.S. organic demand and organic farm acreage by making farming and certification more accessible to small farmers.

This Wolf & Associates newsletter reflects on staying motivated to grow organic agriculture despite economic and political uncertainty, then covers industry news like rising EU organic imports, new USDA organic standards board members, and a court ruling requiring USDA to fix GMO labeling loopholes. It also notes research on organic farmers’ lower pesticide exposure, a tribute to the late author Wendell Berry, and a list of upcoming conferences the firm will attend.