USDA National Organic Program (Agricultural Marketing Service)

It's #PollinatorWeek (June 17-23), a time to celebrate the important role pollinators play in our lives! 100 crops grown in the U.S. rely on pollinators. Learn more about the ways USDA is protecting pollinators: usda.gov/pollinators #USDAScience #PollinateAmerica

Let's celebrate National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month with a feast from farm to table! Grab organic local produce from your neighborhood farmers market and get munching! #FreshFruitAndVegetableMonth

Join the #NationalEggDay party! Crack open an Organic USDA graded egg and relish in the reassurance of its thorough quality check. Time to enjoy, one shell at a time! 🥚

Today is about remembering. We remember those who fought and died in battles won and lost. We remember those who died in the fog of war. We remember those we made it home and those who never saw home again. Today is about remembering those service members who are no longer here to tell their story. These brave men and women didn’t always die in combat, but they have always died warriors. It is our responsibility to tell their stories. It is our duty to listen when their stories are being told. We need to speak about their lives and deaths. It is our duty to speak their names and never forget. #MemorialDay

💥New Blog Post 💥 New resource toolkit increases consumer understanding of the USDA Organic Label https://bit.ly/3yDtKwt

New Organic Insider – spotlighting Transition to Organic Partnership Program outreach in the plains, northwest and northeast, and a new toolkit to increase consumer understanding of the USDA organic label. https://bit.ly/3WQHb6m

Transition to Organic Partnership Program seeks input to connect organic producers with buyers. Have you faced challenges with sourcing from organic and in-transition suppliers? If so, we want to hear from you. Your input will inform decision-making for improved online tools. We appreciate your feedback by May 31, 2024. https://bit.ly/3V38Uja

Today USDA AMS awarded approximately $24.8 million for 23 grant projects through the Organic Market Development Grant (OMDG) program.    These projects will support the development of new and existing organic markets, support the infrastructure to improve processing capacity, explore emerging technologies to promote organic products, and purchase equipment to help meet the increasing demand for organic commodities.    USDA anticipates the projects funded through this program will benefit more than 49,000 producers and over 118 million consumers by increasing organic market opportunities.    AMS gave priority consideration to projects addressing specific pinpointed market needs for organic grains and livestock feed, organic dairy, organic fibers, organic legumes and other rotational crops, and organic ingredients currently unavailable in organic form.  With this round of grant awards, AMS has awarded a total of $75.2 million to 93 projects across the nation through the Organic Market Development Grant program  https://lnkd.in/eupr4KwJ 

This Public Service Recognition Week, we extend gratitude to all federal, state, county, local, and tribal government workers for their dedicated service to our nation. Thanks for all you do on behalf of our country ❤️ #PSRW #GovPossible

Congratulations Dr Dana Nettles PharmD, RPh for obtaining your USDA certified organic certificate. This is one of the first farmers who believed in our work and has been supportive since. So it feels so good to learn of the huge accomplishment of the Nettles farm. This is our second farmer certified this year, and we are keeping the momentum. Dr. Nettles specializes in organic herbal teas that she and her family grow on their farm in Mobile, Alabama. A pharmacist and farmer, Dr. Nettles, along with her husband, another Dr. Nettles, and her children, have nurtured the family business with love, time, attention and hard work. A master herbalist who came from parents who were also doctors, she comes from a line of Black herbal workers who also are learned in Western medicine, but prefer what grows out of the ground as the best remedies. We have featured Dr. Nettles' herbs and herbal tees in our vittles boxes, and she is a known staple at Palafax Market in Pensacola, Florida. It has been a journey for Dr. Nettles and her family to obtain the USDA-Agricultural Marketing Service certificate. She joined the Organic Trade Association diversity and equity program in 2022 through our partnership with them. The diversity program is led by Stephanie Jerger. For two years, she has faithfully attended workshops and meticulously prepared the for the process. Also she spoke at last year's Then Dr. Nettles signed on as a mentee through the USDA transition to organic program (TOPP) through our work with Florida Organic Growers So, it was such a huge win to hear that Dr. Nettles finished successfully. But this is not just a win for the Nettles Farm. She told us when we checked in, her win is for Black farmers all over. Each one, team some, and that's what she'll be doing with us as we are working with a collective of some of the most brilliant growers who are working diligently to also become certified through the USDA TOPP program. Now please go get some of her organic teas, they are so good. #blackfarmersindex #blackwomenfarmers #blackdoctors #alabamafarmers #organicfarmers