BOSTON, October 9, 2020 – Dr. Jennifer Tucker, deputy administrator of the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) National Organic Program (NOP), will be the keynote speaker at the sixth annual Organic & Non-GMO Forum, to be held virtually November 9-10, 2020.
Tucker, who has been in her position since 2018, will speak on the new amendments to USDA organic regulations sought to strengthen oversight and enforcement of the production, handling, and sale of organic agricultural products. She will provide an overview of the efforts and achievements by many across the organic industry and government to protect the organic market. She also will present the 2021 high-priority goals for the National Organic Program, and discuss the past, present and future of organic integrity.
Previously Tucker served as associate deputy administrator of the National Organic Program since 2011. Before joining USDA, she served as a group facilitator and organization development consultant, working primarily with scientific and technical government and non-profit organizations. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in environmental science from Wesleyan University, a Master of Science in management from Purdue University, and a Ph.D. in science and technology studies from Virginia Tech.
Others presentations to be heard at the Organic & Non-GMO Forum, which brings together producers, processors, manufacturers and buyers for critical industry discussions, include Update on Organic and Non-GMO Acres, Litigating Over Organic Packaging and Investing in Organic & Non-GMO. Additional topics on the agenda include trade policy, compliance and traceability, sustainability, and a case study on committing to non-GMO, as well as the ever-popular producer’s panel.
This event is the source for conventional food and ag businesses to learn about opportunities in the organic and non-GMO industry, which while still a niche segment – in the U.S., there were 5 million certified organic acres of farmland in 2016 (the latest data available), representing less than 1 percent of the 911 million acres of total farmland nationwide – is growing rapidly. Organic food sales rose 5.9 percent in 2018 in the U.S. to reach $47.9 billion, according to a May 2019 report by the Organic Trade Association.
Learn more and register to meet like-minded professionals in the sector at ongforum.com. Follow us @ONGForum.
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The Organic & Non-GMO Forum is hosted by HighQuest Group, a north of Boston, Mass.-based strategic advisory, conference and media company serving corporations, financial investors and governments across the global food and agribusiness value chains. highquestgroup.com