Texas TOPP Newsletter February 2024 - Transition to Organic Partnership Program

West/Southwest
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February 2024

SOE is right around the corner

On TOPP of Organic

Don’t forget to listen to our organic podcast! We
release new episodes every other Wednesday. Join
Timber Darnell and Bob Whitney as we interview
organic farmers about their experiences with

Bob Whitney, Regents Fellow & Extension Organic Program Specialist • bob.whitney@ag.tamu.edu • (979) 571-2086 cell
Timber Darnell, Extension Organic Program Coordinator • timber.darnell@ag.tamu.edu • (254) 974-9444

Texas TOPP has been on the move from
workshops to conferences telling all who will hear
about the Organic Movement in the State of Texas.
Texas TOPP had a booth and a workshop session at
the TOFGA conference recently held at the end of
January.
Agriculture enthusiasts from all over the state
gathered at the Texas Organic Farmers and
Gardeners Association (TOFGA) convention in San
Antonio this week to learn, share ideas, and
connect with like-minded individuals.
With over 200 people in attendance, our booth
was the HOT hub throughout the convention.
Attendees were eager to learn about certification
programs as well as the services that Texas TOPP
provides farmers.
The workshop group of farmers was passionate
about sharing their knowledge and helping others
succeed in the world of organic farming. We
discussed topics such as soil health, crop rotation,
and pest management, and even offered hands-on
demonstrations to showcase their techniques.

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Texas Organic Farmer’s and
Gardener’s Conference

Full compliance of the Strengthening Organic
Enforcement begins on March 19, 2024. This affects
everyone in the organic supply chain. Operations
that buy, sell, trade, or facilitate the sale/trade of
organic goods must be certified under SOE by
March 19, 2024.
Certifiers will be reporting lots of data to the
Organic Integrity Database is going to increase,
meaning that the data in the system is going to be
more accurate and reliable. Certifiers must inspect
each of their certified operations once per calendar
year. Certifiers will have 5% of their clientele
receiving unannounced inspections or records
requests because certifiers are required to assess
and assign risk to operations based on complexity
and a variety of other factors. Know someone who
needs to be certified or help send them our way!

February 2024

If you remember when you were little you had to
ask your parents for a piece of candy. They were
either going to say yes or no. But you had to ask. If
you didn’t, Mom would usually get a little upset and
deal with a crazy kid in the aftermath. This week at
the conference I felt this analogy come to my mind.
You know how sometimes it feels like we’re
drowning in the requirements from the NOP to
maintain our Organic Certification?
Well, I came to realize that maybe if we simplify
and streamline, it’s not as bad as it seems. All we
need to do is create an OSP, add the products to
our material lists, include the prospective seeds on
the plan, and avoid using anything synthetic on our
property. Easy-peasy, right? And if we want to add
something new to our plan, we just need to ask for
permission first. They’re not going to yell at us or
spank us just for asking. Our certifiers are just like
that, they won’t get mad or punish us for asking,
but it’s important to keep them informed about any
changes to our organic system plan. So that we are
not going against any of the rules, that may
surrender the certification. The key here is
communication, so let’s keep the conversation
flowing!

TDA Resilient Good Systems
Infrastructure Grant
The United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service
(AMS),entered into a cooperative agreement with
the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) to work
in partnership to make competitive subawards in
the form of grants to eligible entities to support
infrastructure and equipment needs along the
middle of the food supply chain across the state.
For projects that support the expanded capacity
for the aggregation, processing, manufacturing,
storing, transporting, wholesaling, and distribution
of locally and regionally produced food products

Value Added Producer Grant
The USDA Rural development has a Value-Added
Producer Grant program is designed to assist
agricultural producers in engaging in value-added
activities related to processing or marketing biobased, value-added products. This program aims to
generate new products, create expanding
marketing opportunities, and increase producers’
income. The program has approximately $31 million
in total funding. Eligible for this program are
independent producers, agricultural producer
groups, farmers and rancher cooperatives, and
majority-controlled producers.
The deadline for submitting applications is April
16, 2024. http://tinyurl.com/2s49b62u

Apply for the Grants
I know applying for the grants may seem like a
headache, but you’re not the only one that feels
this way. But imagine if you were one of the 21 who
applied for the grant, and they gave out 21 grants.
Everyone else feels the same way but BE DIFFERENT
and APPLY! You never know unless you try!

Come Grow Organic with US!
The organic movement in Texas has been growing
at an unprecedented rate, and there’s no better
time to be a part of it. Whether you’re just starting
out or well into organic transition, there are a
wealth of opportunities for you to Come Grow
Organic with Texas TOPP!

No Son, You can’t have THAT
candy!

including specialty crops, dairy, grains for human
consumption, aquaculture, and other food
products, excluding meat and poultry.
Applicants must submit one complete,
electronically signed application through the TDAGO system by TDA 11:59 p.m. CT on Thursday,
February 15, 2024. http://tinyurl.com/nsxwcsz6

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organic farming. Our latest podcast features a
special guest, Henk Postmus, who talks about his
passion for organic farming. You can find our
podcast on Apple and Spotify!

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