Organic Certification. List of USDA Accredited Certifying Agents. Looking for an agent to certify your farm or business to the USDA organic standards? Eighty two certifying agents are currently USDA-accredited and authorized to certify operations to the USDA organic standards. Of these, 49 are based in the U.S. and 33 are based in foreign countries. Most certifying agents are directly accredited by the USDA National Organic Program (NOP). Twenty additional certifying agents are authorized through recognition agreements between the U.S. and foreign governments. Each of these certifying agents is authorized to issue an organic certificate to operations that comply with the USDA organic regulations. When selecting a certifying agent, you may wish to consider the following criteria: Fee structure.
To help you find a certifying agent, we have provided the list of certified operations by name, by U.S. state, and by country. Already know who you want to certify your operation? Want to see who’s operating near you? Additional Resources. OCIA - Providing Excellence in Organic Certification | OCIA Website. Agriculture. Agriculture, also called farming or husbandry, is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi, and other life forms for food, fiber, biofuel, medicinals and other products used to sustain and enhance human life.[1] Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the development of civilization. The study of agriculture is known as agricultural science. The history of agriculture dates back thousands of years, and its development has been driven and defined by greatly different climates, cultures, and technologies.
However, all farming generally relies on techniques to expand and maintain the lands that are suitable for raising domesticated species. For plants, this usually requires some form of irrigation, although there are methods of dryland farming. Until the Industrial Revolution, the vast majority of the human population labored in agriculture. History[edit] Neolithic[edit] Permaculture. With its system of applied education, research and citizen- led design permaculture has grown a popular web of global networks and developed into a global social movement[citation needed].
The term permaculture was developed and coined by David Holmgren, then a graduate student at the Tasmanian College of Advanced Education's Department of Environmental Design, and Bill Mollison, senior lecturer in Environmental Psychology at University of Tasmania, in 1978. [1] The word permaculture originally referred to "permanent agriculture",[3] but was expanded to stand also for "permanent culture", as it was understood that social aspects were integral to a truly sustainable system as inspired by Masanobu Fukuoka’s natural farming philosophy. It has many branches that include, but are not limited to, ecological design, ecological engineering, regenerative design, environmental design, and construction. History[edit] Several individuals revolutionized the branch of permaculture.
In Australian P.A. Kaw Permaculture Collaborative. About Us | Cosmic Beauty School. Biochar. Biochar created through the pyrolysis process. History[edit] Left - a nutrient-poor oxisol; right - an oxisol transformed into fertile terra preta using biochar Pre-Columbian Amazonians are believed to have used biochar to enhance soil productivity. They produced it by smoldering agricultural waste (i.e., covering burning biomass with soil)[5] in pits or trenches.[6] European settlers called it terra preta de Indio.[7] Following observations and experiments, a research team working in French Guiana hypothesized that the Amazonian earthworm Pontoscolex corethrurus was the main agent of fine powdering and incorporation of charcoal debris to the mineral soil.[8] The term “biochar” was coined by Peter Read to describe charcoal used as a soil improvement.[9] Production[edit] Pyrolysis produces biochar, liquids, and gases from biomass by heating the biomass in a low/no oxygen environment.
Centralized, decentralized, and mobile systems[edit] Thermo-catalytic depolymerization[edit] Uses[edit] Biodynamic agriculture. Biodynamic agriculture is a method of organic farming originally developed by Rudolf Steiner that employs what proponents describe as "a holistic understanding of agricultural processes".[1]:145 One of the first sustainable agriculture movements,[2][3][4] it treats soil fertility, plant growth, and livestock care as ecologically interrelated tasks,[5][6][7] emphasizing spiritual and mystical perspectives. Proponents of biodynamic agriculture, including Steiner, have characterized it as "spiritual science" as part of the larger anthroposophy movement.[1][2][8] Biodynamics has much in common with other organic approaches – it emphasizes the use of manures and composts and excludes the use of artificial chemicals on soil and plants. As of 2011 biodynamic techniques were used on 142,482 hectares in 47 countries.
Germany accounts for 45% of the global total;[9] the remainder average 1750 ha per country. History[edit] Geographic developments[edit] Biodynamic method of farming[edit] Reviews[edit] Biodynamics. Rudolf Steiner. Austrian philosopher, social reformer, architect and esotericist In the first, more philosophically oriented phase of this movement, Steiner attempted to find a synthesis between science and spirituality.[13] His philosophical work of these years, which he termed "spiritual science", sought to apply the clarity of thinking characteristic of Western philosophy to spiritual questions,[14]:291 differentiating this approach from what he considered to be vaguer approaches to mysticism. In a second phase, beginning around 1907, he began working collaboratively in a variety of artistic media, including drama, the movement arts (developing a new artistic form, eurythmy) and architecture, culminating in the building of the Goetheanum, a cultural centre to house all the arts.[15] In the third phase of his work, beginning after World War I, Steiner worked to establish various practical endeavors, including Waldorf education,[16] biodynamic agriculture,[17] and anthroposophical medicine.[16] General.
Agribusiness. In agriculture, agribusiness is the business of agricultural production. It includes agrichemicals, breeding, crop production (farming and contract farming), distribution,farm machinery, processing, and seed supply, as well as marketing and retail sales. Within the agriculture industry, "agribusiness" is used simply as a portmanteau of agriculture and business, referring to the range of activities and disciplines encompassed by modern food production. There are academic degrees in and departments of agribusiness, agribusiness trade associations, agribusiness publications, and so forth, worldwide. In this context the term is only descriptive, and is synonymous in the broadest sense with food industry.
In the context of agribusiness management in academia, each individual element of agriculture production and distribution may be described as agribusinesses. Examples[edit] Studies and reports[edit] See also[edit] Notes and references[edit] Further reading[edit] John Wilkinson. Monsanto. John Deere Worldwide. Claas Home. The 800 Series offers four new models: JAGUAR 880 (626 hp), JAGUAR 860 (516 hp), JAGUAR 850 (462 hp), and the JAGUAR 840 (408 hp). Mercedes inline 6 engines deliver Tier 4f power to the entire line. The top-end 880 offers a power curve comparable to the JAGUAR 960, while the JAGUAR 840 – the least powerful offering in the new JAGUAR 800 series – fits a niche for those who don’t require quite as much power as the base JAGUAR 930. The same DYNAMIC POWER option offered on the 900 Series – a system that modifies engine output and fuel consumption based on operating conditions – is also an available option on the JAGUAR 880 and 860. According to CLAAS of America Product Coordinator, Matt Jaynes, “Those who are familiar with the JAGUAR line of forage harvesters will remember the ‘Green Eye’ series, which was sold here in North America just a few years ago.
Its simple, rugged and powerful design made it a favorite among many of our customers. Official Site for Gleaner Combines. New Holland - Choose your brand. List of agricultural machinery. Agricultural equipment is any kind of machinery used on a farm to help with farming. The best-known example of this kind is the tractor. Traction and power[edit] Soil cultivation[edit] Planting[edit] A plough in action in South Africa. Notice the soil being turned over. Fertilizing & Pest Control[edit] Irrigation[edit] Produce sorter[edit] Weight sorterColor sorterBlemish sorterDiameter sorterShape sorterDensity SorterInternal/taste sorter Harvesting / post-harvest[edit] Case IH Module Express 625 picks cotton and simultaneously builds cotton modules. CTM Johnson Tomato Harvester Hay making[edit] Round baler in action Loading[edit] A "backhoe loader" A restored JCB 3C MkII, showing the conventional arrangement of front loader and backhoe Milking[edit] Other[edit] TOL Tree Trimmer Obsolete farm machinery[edit] Steam-powered: External links[edit] Media related to Agricultural machines at Wikimedia Commons.
Case IH - Select your Country/Region. Food Processing Industry. Food Processing Top 100 Food and Beverage Companies. Food Processing's annual list of the top 100 food and beverage companies in the United States and Canada is the only list of its kind. Nowhere else can you sort manufacturers by sales, rank or income all in one place. Our 38th annual Top 100© list ranks food and beverage processors based on their sales of value-added, consumer-ready goods that were processed in U.S. and Canadian facilities.
You won't find a comparable list anywhere else; you won't find many of these figures anywhere else, either. Read the analysis for the 2013 list by visiting Top 100 Food and Beverage Companies for 2013: Starting Over. Be sure to visit the current list Top 100 Food and Beverage Companies for 2014 Click on the table headers to sort each column; All figures in millions, U.S. dollars. Campbell’s Soup - Home. ConAgra Foods — making the food you love. Food Processing Industry News. Cargill: international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services. DuPont.