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How does OMRI assess the preferential use of acids for the stabilization of liquid fish?
By Colleen Al-Samarrie
Fish products include fish meal, fish powder, fish farm wastes and hydrolysate, emulsions, and solubles. All that fishy goodness is prone to decay, so manufacturers generally stabilize these materials with an acid. The Canadian Organic Standards at CAN/CGSB-32.311 Table 4.2 states, “Chemical treatment is prohibited, with the exception of the following substances which are in preferential order: a) vinegar; b)...
I would like to formulate a foliar spray or ground application crop pesticide that will include a synthetic inert ingredient from EPA List 3. Are List 3 inerts allowed in pesticides used in organic production?
By Doug Currier
Yes and no. As with all allowed synthetic materials, synthetic inerts allowed for use in pesticide formulations are listed at §205.601 of the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances. For foliar or ground application pesticides, the NOP rule at §205.601(m)(1) currently only allows...
Is non-certified organic molasses permitted in crop fertilizers? What about molasses derivatives, such as vinasse?
By Tessa Barker
Let’s say you are a fertilizer manufacturer, looking for ingredients for a blended fertilizer marketed to Canadian organic crop producers. Thinking it will probably be allowed; you select a molasses product that is already listed by OMRI under the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) standards to use as an ingredient. Surprisingly, your proposed product gets prohibited by the OMRI Canada...
A guest article from SaskOrganics
Deb Tuchelt, Programs Coordinator, SaskOrganics
Myriam Fernandez, Research scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Swift Current Research & Development Centre
Over the last two years, grasshoppers have been wreaking havoc on many parts of the Canadian Prairies. When these voracious pests descend on an area, they can severely damage plants, in some cases devouring crops so thoroughly as to leave previously green fields brown and barren. They have even been known to...
By Lindsay Fernandez-Salvador
Methionine (MET) is an essential amino acid that supports complex metabolic processes in poultry, including the synthesis of body proteins that make up muscles, organs and feathers. A lack of methionine nutrition in poultry can lead to reduced immune function and may result in poor feathering, feather pecking, cannibalism and mortality. While birds can obtain methionine from dietary sources such as fish, sunflower meals and insects, it can be difficult to ensure they have sufficient amounts from their...
How does OMRI review chelates under the COR standards?
By Maddie Nagy
In general, chelation of crop nutrients and production aids is allowed under the Canada Organic Regime (COR), with some exceptions. There are several entries on Canada’s Permitted Substances List (PSL, CAN/CGSB-32.311-2020) that specify that...
Does OMRI restrict compost tea products?
By Annie Amos
Compost tea is made by steeping compost in water. Typically, manufacturers aerate the tea during the steeping process, and then filter it to get a liquid product that will not clog irrigation or spray lines. Manufacturers may add other ingredients such as molasses or yeast to increase microbial growth. Crop producers use compost tea for a variety of purposes, including plant disease control and soil fertility. Because it is a liquid, the microbial biomass, fine...
This article describing our policy position on Corn Steep Liquor (CSL) was reposted to our website on January 13, 2011, after originally appearing in our spring 2010 OMRI Materials Review newsletter. Subsequent to reposting, the NOSB met again in April 2011 to further discuss CSL. While our position did not substantively change following the April 2011 NOSB meeting, we are amending the article to include additional details that resulted from the discussion.
This article describes OMRI’s position regarding CSL,...
What alternatives to antibiotics exist for the control of fire blight on fruits such as apple and pear in organic production?
By Amber Lippert
If you grow pome fruits (such as apple, pear, and quince), chances are you know about fire blight. This destructive disease is caused by a bacterium, Erwinia amylovora, which forms cankers that can kill branches and tree trunks. Bacterial “ooze” infects flower blossoms and new shoots, and subsequently spreads into woody tissues. The bacteria can also be spread by...
Is charcoal allowed as a soil amendment in organic farming?
The answer depends on how the charcoal is made. If the charcoal is produced by burning untreated plants or animals, then the charcoal would be permitted as a soil amendment on organic farms. Guidance NOP 5034-1, Materials for Organic Crop Production lists biochar as an allowed nonsynthetic substance. Charcoal produced by burning manure, sewage sludge or fossil fuel sources, such as coal, is prohibited.
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