Producers Continuing Versus Exiting From Organic Production in California, USA: Regulatory, Technical, and Economic Challenges

Organic farms face numerous challenges unique to organic production that can lead to cessation of the farm business or conversion to conventional production. In California, one of the leading U.S. states for organic production, all producers of commodities marketed as organic are required to register with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Organic Program. The purpose of this survey study was to compare farmers who had recently discontinued their registration with the program with farmers still registered, to determine whether deregistered farmers leave farming altogether or convert to conventional production, and to shed light on the main challenges faced by organic farmers. Results indicate 26% of those identified as deregistered were mistakenly identified as such (due to late submissions, name changes, or other reasons), and 35% had stopped farming altogether. Significantly fewer actually deregistered farmers owned their own land than still registered producers, and a significantly higher percentage had farm revenues lower than US$100,000. Deregistered producers considered regulatory issues as the most problematic, especially paperwork requirements, while registered producers ranked production issues as most problematic. Accordingly, registered farmers were more likely to request technical production assistance in the form of organic-focused research and extension, while deregistered farmers responded that financial assistance with certification and registration costs and more streamlining and clarification of the certification process and organic rules would have helped them more as organic farmers. These results point to a continuing need for certification cost share programs, especially for small farms, and streamlining of regulatory procedures. Additional strategies to retain more organic farmers include trained organic advisors who can facilitate between farmers and certifying and regulatory agencies, more organic-focused research, and producer cooperatives for small organic farms to pool information and labor resources and marketing efforts

Improving Information on Organics: Information Needs from a Producer’s Perspective (PowerPoint)

While consumers often pay a premium for organic products, many producers feel they do not receive adequate payment for additional costs of meeting organic certification standards. This speaker will discuss how increased information can assist producers in increasing the farm gate price for goods

Improving Information on Organics: Information Needs from a Producer’s Perspective (PowerPoint)

While consumers often pay a premium for organic products, many producers feel they do not receive adequate payment for additional costs of meeting organic certification standards. This speaker will discuss how increased information can assist producers in increasing the farm gate price for goods.Farm Management,

Community Supported Agriculture in California, Oregon and Washington: Challenges and Opportunities

Excerpts from the Executive Summary: In an era of disappearing family farms, consolidation of the food industry and food that travels an estimated 1,500 miles “from farm to table,” consumers are increasingly seeking alternatives to what many see as an impersonal food system. An increasing number are wondering how their produce is grown, where it came from, and how it got to the supermarket. At the same time, small farmers are increasingly exploring a broad range of “alternative” marketing mechanisms, such as direct marketing, as a means of increasing their viability by capturing a larger percentage of consumer food dollars. An increasingly popular means of creating direct linkages between small farmers and local consumers is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). The CSA movement has resonated with American consumers seeking a more direct connection with local food and family farmers. The number of CSA farms in the U.S. has grown from approximately 60 farms in 1990 to an estimated 1,700 in 2004. CSAs are now located in all 50 states, with the largest concentrations in California, New York, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Washington. The research set out to gain an in-depth understanding of CSA in terms of a range of issues, including production, labor, marketing, finances, collaboration, competition and community relations. The research identifies a number of challenges facing CSA and how farmers have addressed those challenges. Finally, the report offers recommendations for increasing the viability of CSA, based on the research

Building Organic Bridges', at the Organic World Congress

Abstract Organic farms face challenges unique to organic production that can lead to cessation of the farm business or conversion to conventional production. This study compared farmers in California, USA who had recently discontinued their mandatory government organic registration with farmers still registered, to determine the main challenges that drive farmers to leave the organic sector. Significantly fewer deregistered farmers own their own land than still registered producers, and a significantly higher percentage had farm revenues lower than US$100,000, showing a need for more strategies to assist small organic farms. Deregistered producers indicated that they would have benefited from more financial assistance with certification costs and more streamlining of regulatory processes, especially paperwork, while registered producers were more concerned with production issues and organic research and extension

Comparison of Fruit and Vegetable Prices between Farmers’ Markets and Supermarkets: Implications for Fruit and Vegetable Incentive Programs for Food Assistance Program Participants

This cross-sectional study was part of a larger evaluation of a fruit and vegetable (FV) incentive program for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants in California. We examined the price differences in FV to explore whether these could help explain a previously observed lack of effect of the incentive program on FV consumption. Differences by type (organic/no-spray or conventional), among a convenience sample of farmers’ markets (n = 11) and nearby supermarkets (n = 7), were assessed using Wilcoxon rank-sum tests adjusting for clustering by market. We calculated the cost of market baskets comprising recommended FV servings for a household using median prices to consider the implications of FV price differences for SNAP shoppers who use financial incentives for FV. We found that farmers’ markets primarily offered organic FV while supermarkets primarily offered conventionally grown FV. Farmers’ market prices tended to be lower than supermarkets for organic FV but higher for conventional FV. Compared to supermarkets, the market basket composed only of organic FV cost USD 16.34 less at farmers’ markets, whereas a basket comprised of a mix of conventionally and organically grown FV cost USD 3.68 more. These differences warrant further exploration; FV price and type should be considered in studies aimed at understanding the impact of SNAP financial incentive programs

The California Nutrition Incentive Program: Participants’ Perceptions and Associations with Produce Purchases, Consumption, and Food Security

We examined the associations of a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) point-of-purchase financial incentive program at farmers’ markets with produce purchase, consumption, and food security outcomes. We conducted cross-sectional, interviewer-administered intercept surveys with 325 adult SNAP participants at six incentive programs, five comparison farmers’ markets, and nine comparison supermarkets in California in the summer of 2018. The program provided dollar-for-dollar point-of-purchase incentives with $10 or$20 maximum at participating farmers’ markets. We measured produce consumption by an NCI screener; food security by the USDA 6-item screener; and program satisfaction with open-ended questions asked of a subsample. The quantitative analysis involved multilevel linear and logistic regression, adjusted for covariates. Qualitative data were coded and analyzed thematically. Shoppers at farmers’ markets offering $20 incentives had significantly higher odds of purchasing most of their produce at farmers’ markets than shoppers at$10 incentive (3.1, CI: 1.1, 8.7) or comparison markets (8.1, CI 2.2, 29.7). Incentives were not associated with quantitatively measured produce consumption. Each additional incentive dollar was associated with reduced odds of food insecurity (0.987, CI 0.976, 0.999). Participants appreciated the program; supermarket shoppers lacked awareness. Point-of-purchase incentives are appreciated and underutilized. Further understanding of optimal program design for produce consumption and food security impact is needed

Limited implementation of California’s Healthy Default Beverage law for children’s meals sold online

ObjectiveTo reduce children's sugar-sweetened beverage intake, California's Healthy-By-Default Beverage law (SB1192) mandates only unflavoured dairy/non-dairy milk or water be the default drinks with restaurant children's meals. The objective of this study is to examine consistency with this law for meals sold through online platforms from restaurants in low-income California neighbourhoods.DesignThis observational, cross-sectional study examines beverage availability, upcharges (additional cost) and presentation of beverage options consistent with SB1192 (using four increasingly restrictive criteria) within a random sample of quick-service restaurants (QSR) in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education eligible census tracts selling children's meals online from November 2020 to April 2021.SettingLow-income California neighbourhoods (n 226 census tracts).ParticipantsQSR that sold children's meals online via a restaurant-specific platform, DoorDash, GrubHub and/or UberEats (n 631 observations from 254 QSR).ResultsSeventy percent of observations offered water; 63 % offered unflavoured milk. Among all beverages, water was most likely to have an upcharge; among observations offering water (n 445), 41 % had an upcharge (average $0·51). Among observations offering unflavoured milk (n 396), 11$0·38). No observations upcharged for soda (regular or diet). Implementation consistency with SB1192 ranged from 40·5 % (using the least restrictive criteria) to 5·6 % (most restrictive) of observations.ConclusionsBased on observations from restaurant websites and three of the most popular online ordering platforms, most California QSR located in low-income neighbourhoods are not offering children's meal beverages consistent with the state's Healthy-By-Default Beverage law. As the popularity of online ordering increases, further work to ensure restaurants offering healthy default beverages with children's meals sold online is necessary

Perceptions and Experiences of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Participants Related to Receiving Food and Nutrition-Related Text Messages Sent Agency-Wide: Findings from Focus Groups in San Diego County, California

We developed and sent a series of five monthly text messages promoting fruit and vegetable consumption to approximately 170,000 SNAP participants in San Diego County, California. The text messages, which were sent in English and Spanish, included links to a dedicated bilingual website offering additional information, including how to select, store, and prepare seasonal fruits and vegetables, health benefits of different fruits and vegetables, recipes, and tips to reduce food waste. To our knowledge, this represents the first instance of a SNAP agency providing nutrition information directly to SNAP participants. We conducted seven focus groups (four in English and three in Spanish) with a convenience sample of twenty-six text message recipients, to elicit their perceptions of this intervention, self-reported behavior changes, and recommendations for moving forward. Respondents reported overwhelmingly positive perceptions of this effort, including increased intake of fruits and vegetables, and trying new fruits and vegetables. Participants also reported improved perceptions of SNAP. Virtually all would like this effort to continue, and many would like to receive the messages more frequently than once a month. This effort represents a relatively low-cost approach that SNAP agencies can implement to provide SNAP participants with food and nutrition information that can help them to improve their diets, optimize their food dollars, and enhance their feelings of well-being related to participating in the program