The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) will hold its annual fall meeting in person October 25-27, 2022, in Sacramento, California, with a virtual option for those unable to travel. It is important that the National Organic Program (NOP) hear from our industry. We encourage you to submit comments on materials under review to voice the challenges faced by our organic farmers and stakeholders. Comments can be as simple as a few sentences expressing why these materials are important to your organic production.
Critically important materials up for review this October include:
- Fixed coppers and copper sulfate for disease management
- Sticky traps used in pest monitoring/trapping
- Micronutrients: soluble boron, sulfates, carbonates, oxides, or silicates of zinc, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, and cobalt
Additional materials of significance to the organic tree fruit industry under current review include carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and acidified sodium chlorite. The NOSB will also vote on the Human Capital Management initiative, which defines the process of providing technical support to NOSB members from expert staff within USDA and other federal agencies. Click here to see the full list of materials and proposals under review.
Feedback to the NOSB can be submitted via written and oral comments. Oral comments from growers are highly valued by the NOSB. Time slots for three-minute oral comments are assigned on a first-come basis and are expected to be unavailable beyond September 15. Use this form on the NOSB website to sign up for oral commenting. The board will hear oral comments via two virtual webinars hosted by the NOSB on October 18 and 20, from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. PT.
The deadline to submit written comments is 8:59 p.m. PT, Thursday, September 29, 2022. Written comments are submitted electronically via Regulations.gov (Docket # AMS-NOP-22-0042).
Additional information on the NOSB meetings can be found here and tips on submitting comments here.
If you have any questions or would like assistance submitting comments, please contact Dan Langager at the Northwest Horticultural Council, langager@nwhort.org, 509-453-3193.
