How to Get More from Organic
Who do you turn to when you need expert industry guidance? How do you stay current on the ever-changing organic rules and regulations? How do you tackle problems that are bigger than your business alone? The Organic Trade Association can help you get more from organic.
We are stronger together.
The organic industry’s total is greater and more influential than the sum of our parts. By joining OTA, you can amplify your voice with the strength of the entire membership to shape the future of organic. With your participation, we can ensure a thriving, diverse, collaborative, organic trade and community.
OTA works for you.
The Organic Trade Association works to create a strong, valued, and equitable organic brand by protecting the USDA Organic seal and developing a marketplace where our diverse members can flourish. We help protect and grow your businesses.
The single most effective way you can address the range of critical issues facing your organic business is by joining OTA. We have worked to strengthen the organic business community for thirty years and have the strategic know-how to address issues that impact your bottom line, both large and small.
Green
OTA membership offers an investment with high returns:
- Participate in OTA Task Forces, Sector Councils, and Member Forums to influence, get informed, network, and collaborate with other organic businesses.
- Get expert guidance and one-on-one support on organic regulatory issues, government affairs, global trade, and marketing trends related to your business.
- Receive timely and vital updates to stay informed on changes to the U.S. organic standards and National List and stay up to date on activities and developments at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and National Organic Standards Board (NOSB).
- Directly influence elected officials and policymakers by advocating for organic priorities on Capitol Hill.
- Watch live and recorded webinars on the latest topics and trends relevant to organic businesses.
- Download the latest market research to develop your business strategy and promote the benefits of organic to your customers.
- Receive exclusive marketing tools and directory listings to increase your visibility with customers and suppliers.
- Access international distribution channels through OTA’s global market programs and trade missions.
OTA Member Forums, Sector Councils, and Task Forces encourage communication and collaboration among our diverse members so we can work collectively to address the issues impacting your unique business and sector.
OTA is the premier source of information about organic. We provide members exclusive access to market data products on the size of the organic market, industry trends, and insights into the organic consumer.
Organic Industry Survey
The Organic Industry Survey is OTA’s flagship research product and has been the definitive source for business intelligence on the rapidly growing U.S. organic sector for more than 20 years. Each year, we provide our members with the most accurate and comprehensive quantitative picture of the organic industry available. The report includes organic food and non-food sales and growth figures, category data, trends, and forecasts for one of the fastest-growing sectors of agriculture. The Organic Industry Survey is available for purchase for non-members.
The Organic Market Basket
The Organic Market Basket is a data tool from OTA (powered by SPINS) that follows detailed sales trends for a collection of best-selling organic grocery store items. The quarterly snapshot reports sales statistics and price changes for various grocery store items for a glimpse into what’s happening in the U.S. retail food market today.
Organic Opportunity Communications Toolkit
In 2020, OTA regulatory staff worked closely with Amazon to ensure that the USDA Organic seal was added as a recognized certification in its Climate-Pledge Friendly Initiative. That work launched the Advocating for Organic within National Retailers Sustainability Initiatives Task Force, which developed the Organic Opportunity Communications Toolkit. The toolkit is full of resources the industry can use to collectively advocate the benefits of organic to consumers, retailers, and the government alike.
With a fast-changing marketplace, an evolving political climate, and ongoing consumer confusion, it is vital to be part of a strong trade association working proactively with USDA and Congress to defend and strengthen organic.
New standards update: Strengthening Organic Enforcement
The Organic Trade Association works to protect the organic industry by advocating for strong organic regulations that safeguard consumer trust while ensuring new regulations are practical in application to limit the regulatory burden for our members.
Fraud cannot be tolerated in organic. Any amount of fraud in the organic system – wherever it occurs – harms the entire organic sector and threatens consumer trust. Thanks to OTA’s successful advocacy efforts with Congress and the Biden Administration, the new Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) final rule will support the continued growth of the organic market by improving oversight at critical links in the supply chain to prevent fraud and protect the integrity of the USDA Organic seal.
All organic operations must be in compliance with the new rule by March 2024. As a service to our members, OTA’s expert regulatory team performed a comprehensive analysis of the 282-page rule to provide exclusive resources, trainings, and working sessions to support our members and the successful implementation of the regulations. Members and non-members alike can enroll in our Organic Fraud Prevention Solutions program for step-by-step guidance to develop and implement an organic fraud prevention plan as mandated by SOE.
2023 Farm Bill
The Farm Bill is an omnibus legislation package renewed every five years. It sets the agenda for agriculture policy and spending for years to come and is critical to the success of the organic marketplace. With the Farm Bill due for reauthorization in 2023, OTA is putting in a tremendous effort to advocate for organic throughout the legislative process. Our Farm Bill policy priorities will ensure responsive, organic standards, thriving American farmers, and resilient organic supply chains.
We provide OTA members with legislative updates, lobby training, and coordinating visits to key Congressional offices so you can directly influence the organic priorities considered by D.C. lawmakers. OTA hosts industry roundtables, Farm Bill listening sessions, and in-district Congressional events and farm visits.
OTA Political Action Committee (PAC)
A Political Action Committee (PAC) is a transparent, legal, and federally monitored way for trade associations like OTA to engage in the political process. OTA’s Organic PAC is our voice in Washington. The OTA Organic PAC is here for you and for our industry, to ensure that our elected leaders make organic food, fiber and farming a priority and an important part of our nation’s agriculture policy.
The Organic PAC is funded by pooling voluntary contributions from employees of OTA member companies. This allows us to leverage every donation into one strong fund for one very strong voice. With these funds, our Organic PAC board identifies political champions to support so that the organic industry can be heard and understood on the Hill. How effective we are depends on how willing elected officials are to understand our perspective. The Organic PAC helps us elect candidates who understand our point of view so that we won’t be shut out of issues affecting our industry. Rather than supporting along party lines, the Organic PAC is completely non-partisan. Instead, we look at where elected leaders stand on a variety of organic issues such as Farm Bill priorities, and how they vote on regulatory mandates. If they share our perspective, they get our support.
Whether we’re bringing the latest news and trends about the organic industry to diverse audiences, sponsoring business networking gatherings, or hosting listening sessions to gather feedback from the sector, you can count on OTA to be part of the action.
Organic Week in Washington, D.C.
OTA hosts our flagship industry event, Organic Week, annually in Washington, D.C. Organic Week is a place of discovery, collaboration, and advocacy for farmers to retailers, and everyone in between looking to shape decisions that impact organic. The event provides an opportunity for member engagement, networking, and working groups, hosts a policy conference with informative sessions and keynotes discussing today’s critical organic issues and policy updates, and facilitates an advocacy day where members work in small teams to attend hundreds of pre-scheduled meetings across Capitol Hill advocating for organic priorities.
Webinars
Since workflows and colleague collaboration leaned into digital engagement in 2020, OTA and our sister science organization, The Organic Center, have built a robust webinar program to educate and benefit our members. We keep you informed on the regulatory, scientific, and business conversations at the heart of organic.