SOS or Safegaurd Organic Standards is what the Organic Consumers Association is calling their effort to protect the USDA's National Organic Program's organic food standards adopted in 2002. A rider attached to the 2006 agriculture appropriations bill and sponsored by the Organic Trade Association contains changes to the standards that in their view will make "technical corrections" to the national organic standards. This became necessary in their view after a 73-year-old organic blueberry farmer from Maine named Arthur Harvey won a court appeal against the USDA, arguing that federal regulations guiding organic food standards were less stringent than the original legislation had intended. This issue is splitting the organic standards lobbying community. Or perhaps this has been in the works for sometime as large corporate food producers have moved to take advantage of the rapid growth of the organics market. (more inside)
posted by flummox on Oct 9, 2005 - 14 comments

Community Supported Agriculture : Are you a city-dweller and tired of the wilted lettuce leaves your local grocery store considers a produce department? Looking for a way to support your local farmers while benefiting from great, fresh, often organic, in-season fruits and vegetables? Now is the time to find a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm. You buy a share (costing anywhere from $100 $600 early in the year), and every week throughout the growing season, your share pays you dividends. Here's a list of what you'd have gotten from one near me had you subscribed last year.
posted by crunchland on Feb 3, 2005 - 34 comments

"The directives have not changed anything. They are just clarifications of what is in the regulations that were written by the National Organic Standards Board" Think your "organic" food is pesticide free? Not if the Bush Administration has their way. War is Peace and all that jazz... via Grist Magazine
posted by Windopaene on May 21, 2004 - 10 comments

Do you want fresh, locally grown, organic food, but don't know where to find it? The LocalHarvest map makes it easy to find family farms, farmers markets and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area.
posted by ewagoner on Aug 4, 2003 - 9 comments