Dear members and organic supporters,
The new life of spring feels special this year after a long winter of natural disasters and an even longer two years of isolation. It's exciting to see the soil come to life and gather with friends again. Let’s all enjoy the work we do and cherish time spent with family, friends and neighbours as the growing season begins!
Niklaus Forstbauer, President
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Organic BC at COTA's Annual Organic Gala and Leadership Awards
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The Canada Organic Trade Association (COTA) held their 2022 Organic Gala & Leadership Awards in Vancouver on April 20th. It was a wonderful night of visiting and mingling with folks from across the country who are passionate about organic agriculture. Multiple Organic BC directors and Executive Director Eva-Lena Lang, and Pacific Agricultural Certification Society Executive Director Verna Wagner attended the gala, along with many others from across the province.
The highlight of the night was the awards ceremony, which recognized people and businesses for their work and leadership in organic agriculture. The Organic Champion of the Year was awarded to a deserving Dag Falck, who is well known across our province for all he has contributed as a grower, speaker, presenter and mentor (among many other things!) throughout the years.
You can view a full list of the award recipients on COTA's website.
Organic BC would like to congratulate all of the recipients and thank them all for their contributions to organics. And, thanks to COTA for hosting such a wonderful event!
First photo: Carmen Wakeling, Eva-Lena Lang, Brodie Irvine, Niklaus Forstbauer, Verna Wagner. Second photo: Dag Falck, Eva-Lena Lang, Hannah Wittman
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Organic BC is Hiring!
We're seeking an Accreditation Program Manager to support the Accreditation Board. This is a full-time, permanent, hybrid position: remote and from the Organic BC office in Vernon when required.
The Accreditation Program Manager works closely with the Accreditation Board Director to support the Accreditation Board in all administration aspects of the Organic BC Accreditation programs and in addition is a resource for certifying bodies.
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ICER Matchmaking Project
Our Executive Director, Eva-Lena Lang, recently participated in the Institute for Community Engaged Research (ICER) Matchmaking Project.
Watch her video interview to learn more about food systems, organic certification and data management, as well as opportunities to collaborate with Organic BC!
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Funding Cuts to Organic? No Thank You!
After over a decade of demanding permanent funding for the Canadian Organic Standards, we are seeing even more cuts to the organic regime. The governments of our major trading partners spend millions annually to support organics while Canada reduces funding year after year. Canada is now investing $0 into updating the standards.
Without updated standards, we lose the organic values that we hold dear and lose our ability to trade on fair footing.
Demand permanent funding for the Canadian Organic Standards! Sign the petition here.
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Virtual Farm Tours - Soil Health Series Now Available!
We've posted a ton of resources from this year's BC Organic Conference on our website, including the virtual farm tours, slide decks, and important links.
Head over to organicbc.org/conference to check them out!
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Campaign Update: Demand Mandatory GMO Safety Assessments
The Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN) is calling for increased action to stop the release of unregulated, unidentified GMOs. CBAN says the ministers of health and agriculture will soon decide to approve or halt the proposals from Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
Visit cban.ca/no-exemptions to learn how to get involved.
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Canadian Organic Growers Webinar
Did you miss Canadian Organic Growers' Webinar on GHG Emissions and Regenerative Organic Agriculture? You can catch the recording on YouTube!
Watch now at: youtu.be/FnRSXX35dwM
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Regenerative Organic Oats (ROO) program
Nature’s Path announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with Canadian Organic Growers (COG) to officially debut the “Regenerative Organic Oats” (ROO) program. The program will allocate $100,000 annually to support a network of organic farmers through the process of achieving Regenerative Organic Certification® (ROC).
Read the media release.
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Consultation on Canada’s Draft Submission to the UN Food Systems Summit - Open Until May 6th
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Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has launched a consultation to help guide the next steps towards achieving a healthier, more sustainable and more equitable food system.
The draft National Pathways document is Canada’s submission to the UN Food Systems Summit process. It summarizes current steps being taken across the food system in Canada to support the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the Food Policy for Canada vision and priority outcomes.
Producers, processors, Indigenous communities, environmental organizations, small and emerging sectors, individuals, and other interested stakeholders and partners are all invited to share their views.
The consultation closes on May 6, 2022. Learn more and take part here.
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BC Climate Agri-Solutions Fund
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Applications will open in June for the BC Climate Agri-Solutions Fund, which supports farmers in adopting beneficial management practices that store carbon and reduce greenhouse gases, specifically in the areas of nitrogen management, cover cropping and rotational grazing.
Other activities to support the adoption of beneficial management practices, such as outreach, education and training are also supported by the program.
Learn more at: bccaf.ca
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Student Work Placement Wage Subsidy
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As you look towards your summer hiring (May – August 2022), be sure to check out the CAHRC’s Student Work Placement Wage Subsidy program. Qualified employers can receive up to $7500 or 75% of wages paid to post-secondary students taking part in on-the-job learning.
Learn more at: canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/student-work-placement-program.html
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Feast of Fields
Various dates: Aug. 28, Sept. 11, Sept. 18, 2022
Feast of Fields is FarmFolk CityFolk's annual local food celebration and fundraiser, held each year on a different farm in Metro Vancouver, on Vancouver Island, and in the Okanagan Valley. More details.
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Organic Week 2022
September 12 - 18, 2022
Save the date! The largest celebration of organic food, farming, and products across the country will take place again this fall. More details.
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