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USDA Agricultural Marketing Service

FREE interactive webinars! Agricultural Marketing Service’s Fruit and Vegetable Program. Webinars by a USDA expert on a specific topic. Designed for: fruit and vegetable growers, packers, shippers, processors, wholesalers and retailers of all sizes. Registration is required and space is limited.
Agricultural Marketing Service

Hawaii Organic Farming Association

Our Vision is to "Create a Sustainable Future for Hawaii"

Hawaii Organic Farming Association6 hours ago

Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers (HTFG) 30th annual Conference goes virtual with free public streaming.
Marking three decades of promoting sustainable fruit production in the Aloha State, the 30th Hawaii International Tropical Fruit Conference is available free to the public in a new virtual format. Tune in October 1 to a host of pre-recorded presentations by industry experts, as well as research updates and island chapter reports at https://tinyurl.com/HTFG2020. Also available via their website: www.HTFG.org
For additional info, contact Ken Love at kenlove@hawaiiantel.net or HTFG President Mark Suiso at suiso@aloha.net.
Marking its 31st year, HTFG was incorporated in 1989 to promote tropical fruit grown in Hawaii. It is a statewide association of tropical fruit growers, packers, distributors and hobbyists dedicated to tropical fruit research, education, marketing and promotion.

2020 Conference | HTFG

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Hawaii Organic Farming Association7 hours ago

Hold the guac. Researchers have successfully nailed down a process to freeze #avocado plant cuttings and revive them at a later date—a breakthrough that could preserve certain species of the fruit in the face of challenges like pests and disease. The undertaking involves cryopreservation, a decades-old technique that freezes organic material at temperatures frosty enough to pause all biochemical reactions. Cryopreservation has already been used to preserve other foods, including potatoes, apples, and bananas, and in health care settings, such as to preserve human eggs and sperm for in-vitro fertilization. Modern Farmer has the story.

https://modernfarmer.com/2020/09/we-can-now-cryogenically-freeze-avocados-for-future-generations/

We Can Now Cryogenically Freeze Avocados for Future Generations - Modern Farmer

No one loves avocados more than millennials. The health-conscious generation likes to smush the buttery, oblong fruit on toast at their boozy brunches.

modernfarmer.com

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Hawaii Organic Farming Association2 days ago

FALL 2020 NOSB MEETING: Oregon Tilth has prepared a list of hot topics for the upcoming National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meeting to be held online on October 28-30, 2020. The NOSB is accepting written comments until October 1. This is also the cutoff date to register for an oral comment in-person or at one of two webinars in the week before the meeting (Tuesday, October 20, or Thursday, October 22, from 12:00 - 5:00pm EST).
HOT TOPICS
Crop and Livestock:
EPA List 4 Inerts
The NOP will collaborate with the EPA and NOSB to determine the best way to amend regulations to work with EPA’s new Safer Chemical Ingredient list for evaluating inert ingredients used in pesticides. This would replace the obsolete EPA List 4 currently on the National List.
Handling:
§205.606 Materials at risk for removal
Carnauba Wax: The Handling subcommittee seeks more information from stakeholders regarding the use of volatiles/solvents in the production of carnauba wax, availability of organic forms, and concerns about unlabeled used on produce.

Glycerin: The Handling subcommittee is considering glycerin's removal and requirement to use organic glycerin. Organic operations that rely on glycerin should provide comments.

Kelp: Reported abundant organic kelp availability puts 205.606 listed kelp under question for removal or update. The related discussion on requiring the use of only sustainably harvested Marine Materials may also affect the NOSB's decision.

Orange shellac: The NOSB is not in agreement on shellac's re-listing due to a lack of information on need. Commenters are pushing to require the labeling of produce with applied orange shellac.
Other materials for likely removal
Additionally, the following materials are reportedly readily available in organic form, and a majority of the handling subcommittee support removal:

• Cornstarch (Comments requested for any specific forms that can't be found organically)
• Sweet Potato starch
• Turkish Bay Leaves
• Whey protein concentrate
• Colors (Beet juice extract, Beta carotene extract, Black currant juice, Black/purple carrot juice, Blueberry juice, Carrot juice, Cherry juice, Grape juice, Grape Skin Extract, Paprika, Pumpkin juice, Red cabbage extract, Red radish, Saffron extract, Turmeric extract)
Learn more: https://www.ams.usda.gov/event/national-organic-standards-board-nosb-meeting-cedar-rapids-iowa

National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) Meeting - Virtual | Agricultural Marketing Service

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