ISSUE SUMMARY

Valuable nutrients are naturally lost from animal waste streams. For the most part there are management practices to manage these nutrients and prevent their loss. However, even with the best methods, nitrogen can still be lost through volatilization of ammonia in the handling and application of manures. Drying manure and condensing the steam in a liquid enable the capture of this ammonia. The ammonia that is normally lost to the environment can be captured and upcycled into valuable, safe and yield enhancing organic nitrogen fertilizers. Currently, rules and guidelines in place in the National Organic Program (NOP) classify these products as allowed natural products. Currently OMRI and CDFA have products matching this description listed as allowed fertilizers with certain restrictions.

The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) recently proposed to restrict and/or prohibit certain liquid organic fertilizer products containing ammonia, which is naturally derived from animal manures and various agricultural and pre-consumer feedstocks. While CERO agrees with the NOSB about protecting the integrity of the National Organic Program, we believe these novel products have a place in organic agriculture and are consistent with the USDA and NOP statutory responsibilities, while also meeting the nation’s goals in supporting Climate Smart Technologies. The novel technologies currently under consideration will help capture greenhouse gasses, improve water quality, augment soil health, and allow for the growth of organic production of both crops and livestock. Most importantly, these innovations will provide for the production of domestically produced crop inputs that will be certified by state and nationally recognized certifiers in which American growers and consumers have confidence.

Members of CERO are growers, innovators, and supporters of environmental sustainability and many members have decades of participation in the NOP. We collectively are dedicated to ensuring the integrity of the organic brand while also providing organic farmers additional fertility options. We believe a science-based approach to reviewing these technologies and products is of the utmost importance in understanding their ability to meet USDA and NOP goals.

In summary, CERO is providing our support and resources to the NOSB, NOP, and USDA so novel manure derived products can be fairly evaluated by current and future scientific evidence – including their environmental, economic and agronomic benefits.