Av Singh gives three minutes of organic advice at the 2010 ACORN Conference Speaker Series.

NS Farmer Norbert Kungl discusses his opinion of how the changes in global agriculture are offering a tremendous opportunity for the local organic sector at the 2010 ACORN organic conference and trade show in Charlottetown, PEI. (2mins 3secs)

At the 2010 organic conference and trade show, organic inspector and farmer Brian Ives discusses his experiences inspecting processing plants across Atlantic Canada.  He sees opportunities for small-scale processing operations for organic value-added foods.

Philosophies and Fundamentals of Organic is Part 1 in a series of educational videos with Av Singth from Agrapoint talking on organic farming at the Growing More Organic Conference, Cornwall, PEI, 2007 (7m:46s)

Learning About Organic Farming is part 2 in a series of educational videos with Av Singth from Agrapoint talking on organic farming at the Growing More Organic Conference, Cornwall, PEI, 2007. (2m:50s)

Just Do It is part 3 in a series of educational videos with Av Singth from Perennia talking about organic farming at the Growing More Organic Conference held in Cornwall, PEI, 2007. (4m:01s)

Is Organic About Less or More is part 4 in a series of educational videos with Dr. Av Singth from Agrapoint talking on organic farming at the Growing More Organic Conference, Cornwall, PEI, 2007. (7:m36s)

Work Together To Do Better is one in a series of inspirational videos with Klaas and Mary Howell-Martens talking on organic farming at the Growing More Organic Conference, Cornwall, PEI, 2007. (7m:58s)

Growing Locally is one in a series of inspirational videos with Klaas and Mary Howell-Martens talking on organic farming at the Growing More Organic Conference, Cornwall, PEI, 2007.

This report provides an overview of the Atlantic Canadian organic market.

The likelihood that organic products travel with non-organic products is great, and organic integrity can be at risk. This resource outlines some of the key considerations you should take into account to maintain organic intergrity in distribution as either producer or distributor.

New Brunswick introduced a provincial organic regulation in 2014. This factsheet covers all the details and provides tips for producers to ensure compliance with the regulation. (Disponible en français)

New Brunswick introduced a provincial organic regulation in 2014. This factsheet covers all the details and provides tips for farmers' markets to ensure their vendors comply with the regulation. (Disponible en français)

New Brunswick introduced a provincial organic regulation in 2014. This factsheet provides all the details, as well as tips for restaurants who wish to use NB organic products. (Disponible en français)

New Brunswick introduced a provincial organic regulation in 2014. This factsheet provides all the details, as well as tips for retailers who wish to sell NB organic products. (Disponible en français)

This guide (produced by the Organic Value Chain Roundtable) paints a picture of strong demand filled largely by imported products from the US and Mexico. Less than 25% of the domestic demand for organic vegetables at retail is filled by Canadian producers. In fact, for vegetables such as organic cauliflower, beets and spinach, 100% of the domestic retail demand is met by imports. The guide shows the demand for the main organic vegetable types and retail price trends relative to conventional. (Disponible en français)

Selon le guide, la réponse à la forte demande se fait principalement en important des produits des États‑Unis et du Mexique. Les producteurs canadiens répondent à moins de 25 % de la demande nationale pour les légumes biologiques. En fait, 100 de la demande nationale de légumes biologiques comme les choux‑fleurs, les betteraves et les épinards provient des importations. Le guide met l’accent sur la demande des principales catégories de légumes biologiques et souligne les tendances de prix au détail par rapport aux légumes traditionnels. 

Le guide fournit des informations détaillées sur la superficie des terres agricoles canadiennes consacrée à la production biologique de céréales et d’oléagineux, les prix du marché, les couts d’exploitation, les marges et les rendements. Il donne également une liste des ressources qui peuvent aider les agriculteurs à faire le saut vers la production biologique.

Les producteurs qui veulent ajouter de la valeur à leurs cultures biologiques par la mise au pâturage du bétail trouveront dans ce guide des conseils et des ressources.

This guide provides details of the Canadian acreage devoted to organic cereal grains and oilseed production, prices, operating expenses, margins and yields, and points producers towards resources that can help them transition from conventional to organic. (Disponible en français)

The beef guide provides guidance and resources for producers who want to add value to their organic crops through livestock grazing. (Disponible en français)

Includes articles on the following:

• To Till or Not To Till?
• Seasonal Food Fix
• @ Issue - Organic Livestock: Chicken or the Grain?
• Organic Profile: Bruce Family Farm
• Crop Storage Featuring UVM Extension Agricultural Engineer, Chris Callahan
• Organic: We Have Standards by Shannon Jones
• Seasonal Price Tracker
• Provincial Updates
• Conference Notes
• ACORN Project Updates

Includes articles on the following:

• Message from ACORN Executive Director: Theresa Richards
• Conference Highlights
• Quebec's CSA Network by Theresa Richards & Tegan Renner
• Small-Scale Organic Working Group by Shannon Jones
• The Steps Before The Leap To Organic Certification by Colleen Prentice
• Project Updates
• Volunteer of the Season: Peter Myatt
• Price Tracker
• Seasonal Food Fix

Includes articles on the following:

• Update on Biodegradable Mulches
• Provincial Organic Survey Results
• Project & Provincial Updates
• Upholding Our Organic Standards
• CSA Shareholder & Farm Survey Results
• Seasonal Food Fix

The 2014-15 production year found the Atlantic Organic Sector meeting steady demands for growth, or in some cases, confronting more than demand for growth than can be met with existing production. Learn more about the state of the Atlantic Organic Sector in this report, including current and planned production, education and training needs, and market information.   

The Newfoundland Organic Opportunities Conference took place January 13-14, 2016 in St. John's Newfoundland. The event was jointly hosted by ACORN and the Newfoundland Federation of Agriculture, and attended by over 50 people, including stakeholders in government, academia, and the non profit centre. Conference participant Dan Rubin, of Pouch Cove, kindly took notes and shared them with ACORN for distribution. 

New and Noteable Revisions to the Canadian Organic Standards for Crop and Livestock Production.

The COS and PSL were revised and updated in 2015.  Thanks to COG for creating and sharing this document.

Excerpted from The Canadian Organic Grower Magazine

 *This summary is not an official part of the Canada Organic Regime; users of this document bear ultimate responsibility for their own decisions on their operations. 

In food production, labels are applied to give consumers an idea of what they are eating, and how it is produced. There has been a proliferation of labeling systems which sometimes leave consumers more confused than informed. In this presentation from the 2013 ACORN conference in Moncton, Jodi Koberinski explains labels and buzzwords you might see on food packaging and clarifies what they mean (if anything). She also speaks about the recent efforts made to create mandatory national organic standards and the accompanying labeling. She explores where it succeeds, and its limitations.

Considering Organic Certification?  A comprehensive list of Certification Bodies offering certification services in Atlantic Canada.  Also includes Considerations for Organic Certification.

On Monday July 17, the Canada Organic Trade Association released the first annual State of Organics: Federal-Provincial-Territorial Performance Report. This report analyzes and tracks the existing organic regulations, policies and programming within the federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) governments. As the first report of its kind, the FPT report is a benchmark, demonstrating the current state of affairs and aims to foster greater government support of the organic sector in Canada.

The organic sector in Nova Scotia is a growing industry and it is important to ensure that ‘Organic’ means ‘Organic’. Recently, Nova Scotia enacted the NS Organic Grade Regulations which requires that any product sold or labeled as organic must be certified through a third-party certification body. This document describes the organic certification process and standards in Nova Scotia, and most of the information applies to any farmer in Canada.
 

OMRI is now offering product review aligned with Canada Organic Regime (COR) standards, in addition to the existing Review Program under U.S. National Organic Program (NOP) standards. Allowed products are listed in the OMRI Canada Products List©, which is always available for free download. The first step toward listing a product on either the OMRI Products List or the OMRI Canada Products List is to order an OMRI Application Kit. The Kit includes all necessary application materials in order to apply for any type of OMRI review.

How It Works
Suppliers of products that fall within OMRI's scope are eligible to apply for listing on the OMRI Canada Products List.

Products that OMRI has reviewed and determined are allowed in organic production according to Canadian standards will be included on a public OMRI Canada Products List©. These products will have the option of using either the new OMRI Canada seal or the USA / Canada seal.

OMRI has recruited a team of knowledgeable experts with experience evaluating inputs to COR standards, to make final product listing decisions. OMRI is pleased to welcome Rochelle Eisen, Garry Lean, and Kelly Monaghan as the first OMRI Canada Review Panel members. Read more and review their bios here.

AgPal is a web-based discovery tool to help producers and others in the agriculture and agri-business sector find the federal, provincial and territorial programs and services that specifically apply to them.

These articles first appeared in the special Summer 2012 research edition of The Canadian Organic Grower, produced in collaboration between OACC and COG. This special issue is brought to you with the support of the Organic Science Cluster. The Organic Science Cluster projects described in this article are funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and industry partners.

Canada's Organic Science Cluster (OSC) is part of the Canadian Agri-Science Cluster Initiative of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Growing Forward Policy Framework. Growing Forward, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative. The OSC is led by the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada and the lead industry applicant, the Organic Federation of Canada.

The OACC offers research srticles on soils, horticulture, field crops, livestock and other.  Also, web-based courses on Composting, Organic Field Crop Production, Organic Livestock Production, Principles of Organic Horticulture and the Transition to Organic Agriculture.

Part One of ACORN's 3-part Webinar Series on the Canadian Organic Standards. Organic Crop Production with Rochelle Eisen B.Sc.(agr), P.Ag - Resilient Solutions Consulting. This one-hour webinar outlines the difference between the Organic Products Regulation and the Canadian Organic Standards as well as overview transition requirements and explain the connection between the Canadian Organic Standard and the Permitted Substances List. Learn more about the crop production sections of the Standards in regards to land requirements, environmental factors, seed and planting stock, soil fertility and pest and disease management.

Part Two of ACORN's 3-part Webinar Series on the Canadian Organic Standards. Organic Livestock with Anne Macey - co-author COG's Organic Livestock Handbook. This webinar provides an overview of the livestock production sections of the Standards, focusing on information regarding livestock origin, feed, health care, and living conditions.

Part Three of ACORN's 3-part Webinar Series on the Canadian Organic Standards. Organic Processing and Labelling with Kelly Monaghan - Ash Street Organics. This session will provide an overview of the organic processing sections of the Canadian Organic Standards. Gain a better understanding about what the standards say about maintaining organic integrity, organic percentages, organic processing methods and processing aids.

This workshop on Certification Mistakes was led by ACORN's own Organic Transition Coordinator, Tara Scott, during ACORN's 2014 Conference in Halifax, NS.