Montana Organic Association Focuses on the Benefits of Organic Business

From the USDA:

Posted by Betsy Rakola, USDA Organic Policy Advisor, on February 13, 2015 at 11:30 AM

Montana is a leading producer of certified organic wheat, dry peas, lentils and flax. MOA provides the state’s organic community with valuable education, information, support, assistance, promotion, and representation. Pictured here is an organic grain operation in Montana. USDA photo courtesy of Betsy Rakola.

This is the twenty-third installment of the Organic 101 series that explores different aspects of the USDA organic regulations.

According to a 2014 USDA Economic Research Service report, consumer demand for organically produced products continues to show double-digit growth.  This year, the Montana Organic Association’s (MOA) annual meeting highlighted the sector’s ongoing growth with its theme of Organic Business: Benefitting Producers and Consumers.  As USDA’s Organic Policy Advisor, I represented USDA at MOA’s conference and presented information about USDA’s support for the growing organic community.

MOA’s mission is to advocate for and promote organic agriculture for the highest good of the people, the environment and the state’s economy. The conference brought in over 200 people, a large number in a rural state with just over 200 certified organic operations.  MOA President Nate Brown noted, “The Montana Organic Association annual conference is our biggest event of the year and has been the lifeblood of the organization for the past 12 years.  We feel the conference is a great way to bring together Montana’s organic community every year for a weekend of learning and socializing in order to keep up with the growing organic market in our state.”

Montana is a leading producer of certified organic wheat, dry peas, lentils and flax.  MOA provides the state’s organic community with valuable education, information, support, assistance, promotion, and representation.

While many of the participants were longtime friends and organic farmers, the conference also brought in new faces, as more and more farmers consider the organic option. Throughout all the presentations, and several field visits, there was one common theme: the demand for organic products keeps on growing. The conference was attended by a full spectrum of the organic community and featured a keynote address by Senator Jon Tester.  Participants found the USDA presentation timely and complimentary to the conference goals of building a business and staying in business. MOA members shared locally-produced organic food at almost every meal, and Friday evening featured a rousing fundraising auction to raise funds for the organization.

As producers look ahead to planting their crops in 2015, many participants were interested in the USDA Market News reports on grains, new risk management and crop insurance tools, and further education on the organic certification process.  Participants also discussed the shortage of organic supply to meet the growing demand for organic products, the organic certification process, and the organic standards.

I was thankful to see firsthand how MOA’s conference brings together Montana’s organic community to help keep up with the state’s growing organic market.  I was able to share information about various USDA programs and services – including the Organic Literacy Initiative and the Sound and Sensible initiative – that are making organic certification more accessible, attainable, and affordable.

We are excited to be collaborating with many partners in support of a diverse community of organic stakeholders, and we have launched a number of new and expanded efforts to connect organic farmers and businesses with the resources they need to ensure the continued growth of the organic sector domestically and abroad.  In fact, USDA has a one-stop-shop for information on all of our programs and opportunities for the organic community.  Be sure to check it out.

    

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Tags: AMS, Betsy Rakola, ERS, Farmers, Montana, National Organic Program, NOP, organic, Organic 101, organic certification, Producers, Ranchers, Rural America, rural communities, seeds, Trade

Press release:

PRESS RELEASE

Second Harvest Food Bank Unveils New Facility in San Jose

Cypress Center on North First Nearly Doubles Food Bank's Operations

SAN JOSE, Calif., September 5, 2012 – Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties unveiled its new Cypress Center at 4001 North First Street today, which nearly doubles the Food Bank's operating space. The addition of the new building, coupled with a retooled produce distribution model and streamlined operations, will enable Second Harvest to distribute significantly more, and fresher, food to the community.

"The generous ‘over-and-above' gifts we received from longtime Food Bank supporters, including the building and funds to renovate it, are helping Second Harvest to significantly improve our efficiency," said Kathy Jackson, CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank. "As one of the few food banks in the country that does not charge for the food we provide, we have to work smarter to address the still-growing need, while offsetting challenges like rising food prices. Our new dedicated distribution model is reducing the number of food ‘touches', increasing inventory turns, and getting food out into the community faster."

Cypress Semiconductor donated the 75,000-square-foot building and surrounding five acres, with an estimated value of $9 million, to Second Harvest in April 2011. After a major renovation of what was once a research and development facility for Cypress, the Food Bank opened its doors at Cypress Center in April of this year. Second Harvest will also continue to operate out of its two other facilities – on Curtner Avenue in San Jose and Bing Street in San Carlos.

"With its central location on North First, the new facility will also allow us to broaden our connection with the community by actively engaging volunteers from our many corporate neighbors, as well as developing volunteer opportunities for families with children," Jackson said.

A $10 million capital campaign, including a $2 million donation from Cisco, funded the cost of the Cypress Center renovation, and will fund improvements at the Food Bank's other facilities as well as critical IT, fleet, and equipment needs. A $1 million bequest from the late Ashawna Hailey, a noted Silicon Valley innovator and philanthropist, provided both the "capstone contribution" to the capital campaign as well as additional funds to inspire future planned gifts to Second Harvest Food Bank.

During the grand opening, Second Harvest unveiled a large donor wall in its volunteer reception area that lists the Food Bank's key supporters. The reception area sits just off the main lobby and provides a welcoming place for volunteers, who are an integral part of the Food Bank. Last year, volunteers contributed 300,000 hours to Second Harvest, valued at $5.9 million.

Rooms have been named in honor of some major contributors, including the 10,000-square-foot Cisco Volunteer Room located next to the volunteer reception area. It is the main room where volunteers sort the food that is distributed to people in need. Two smaller sort rooms totaling about 6,000 square feet have been named the Applied Materials Volunteer Room and the SanDisk Volunteer Room. The Charmaine and Dan Warmenhoven Volunteer Break Room is located near the sort rooms to make it convenient for volunteers. Next to the break room is the Pond Family Conference Room, the largest meeting room at Cypress Center.

The new Cypress Center has plenty of cold storage to keep produce fresh, including an 8,000-square-foot walk-in cooler and a 2,000-square-foot freezer. The nine loading docks more than double Second Harvest's loading capacity, adding to the six docks at Curtner Center and two docks at Bing Center.

The new facility and operational changes are expected to increase Second Harvest's capacity by more than 50 percent over the next four years, from 46 million pounds of food to more than 69 million pounds of food distributed annually. The additional space and optimized processes have allowed the Food Bank to increase fresh produce to more than 50 percent of its total food distribution.

"The increase in the amount of fresh produce Second Harvest distributes is consistent with our focus on nutrition," Jackson said. "We have evolved far beyond providing just the rice, beans, and other shelf-stable commodities that previously filled our warehouse shelves. The Food Bank is determined to scale our operations, improve the nutritional content, and drive down the cost per pound of food we distribute, increasing our overall impact in the community."

The changes to Second Harvest's operations have improved what was already an extremely effective and efficient organization. For the sixth year in a row, Second Harvest has received Charity Navigator's four-star rating, placing it in the top 3 percent of nonprofits nationwide.

The Food Bank has seen a nearly 50 percent increase in the number of people it serves since the recession started. Second Harvest provides food to nearly 250,000 people each month – that's one in 10 people in the two-county region. Even in the face of an improving economy, demand for Food Bank services continues to grow.

Anyone who is struggling to put food on the table should call Second Harvest Food Bank's Food Connection hotline at 800-984-3663. To support the Food Bank, visit www.SHFB.org or call 866-234-3663.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties is the trusted leader dedicated to ending local hunger. Since its inception in 1974, Second Harvest has become one of the largest food banks in the nation, providing food to an average of nearly one quarter of a million people each month. The Food Bank mobilizes individuals, companies and community partners to connect people to the nutritious food they need. Nearly half of the food distributed is fresh produce. Second Harvest also plays a leading role in promoting federal nutrition programs and educating families on how to make healthier food choices. Visit www.SHFB.org to get involved.

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Trademarks Take On New Importance

Excerpt from an article in The New York Times
Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Trademarks Take On New Importance in Internet Era 

By STEPHANIE STROM

PRINCETON, N.J. — As a serial snack-food entrepreneur, Warren Wilson is no stranger to the challenges of running a business.

In the early days of his first enterprise, selling funnel cakes at fairs, there was the time when, tired of losing money on inclement days, he bought weather insurance — and proceeded to lose even more money than he had when it rained. In the 1990s, he and his wife and business partner, Sara, once had to mortgage their house and sell off investments to make their company’s payroll.

But it still came as a bit of a shock when the Wilsons made what they thought was a routine move to register the trademark of their hot product — a flat pretzel snack called Pretzel Crisps — and it was contested by none other than Frito-Lay, the 800-pound gorilla of the snack food market owned by PepsiCo.

“This is so different from anything else we’ve faced because we’re not fighting a product in the supermarket, we’re not fighting against an institution like a bank, we’re not dealing with an act of nature,” Mr. Wilson said in an interview at his company’s headquarters here. “This fight is about a big company that wants to dominate the snack food category by crushing a little company like ours rather than by competing with us.”

Frito-Lay, whose Rold Gold pretzel products and Stacy’s Pita Chips compete with Pretzel Crisps, declined to discuss the case, citing the pending dispute with the Wilsons’ company, Princeton Vanguard.

But in its filings with the Patent and Trademark Office, Frito-Lay contends that Pretzel Crisps cannot be registered as a trademark because it is a generic term. “Like ‘milk chocolate bar,’ the combination of ‘pretzel’ and ‘crisp’ gains no meaning as a phrase over and above the generic meaning of its constituent terms,” the company wrote in a 2010 motion.

The dispute is still pending with the trademark office’s trial board.