How To Go Organic
The Organic Trade Association launches HowToGoOrganic.com web site for farmers and processors transitioning to organic
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) launched HowToGoOrganic.com, a web site for producers and processors transitioning to organic. The web site is designed as a clearinghouse of North American resources for farmers and businesses interested in becoming organic or in creating new organic enterprises.
In North America, consumer demand for organic products exceeds the rate of organic production. The new web site will help encourage further domestic production by assembling in a single online resource the full range of available information for farmers and producers transitioning to organic.
"Last year, OTA's Board President and I decided to respond to our members' messages that they needed, and could sell, much more domestically grown organic product. And thus was born the idea to create this clearinghouse of resources on conversion to organic," said Caren Wilcox, OTA's Executive Director. Transitioning land to organic certification usually takes three years, and there is much research that each farmer has to undertake.
The site features two "Pathways for Organic," one for farmers and one for processors, as well as a regional directory for the United States, and a searchable North American organic directory. The "Pathways" provide basic information on the process of going organic with links to key resources throughout North America. This unique resource is primarily designed for conventional farmers and processors who want to get started or are navigating the transition to organic production, but also provides valuable information for established organic farmers, producers, and processors.
The web site's regional directories showcase transition resources unique to specific regions and states. Resource listings in the North American directory can be searched by topic and subtopic, by type of resource, or by state. The site also features profiles of farmers and businesses that have successfully become certified organic or that are working through the process.
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the business association representing the organic agriculture industry in North America. Its nearly 1,600 members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers' associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. OTA encourages global sustainability through promoting and protecting the growth of diverse organic trade.
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