Nate Powell-Palm is a first generation organic farmer, and Owner & Consultant for Cold Springs Organics, LLC, an 800+ acre certified organic grain, cattle and flour milling operation outside Belgrade, Montana.
It’s been a rough year for much of the Ag industry, as farmers and ranchers are constantly challenged by higher costs, disruptions in the supply chains and shifting markets, but Powell-Palm says there’s good news as the niche market moves mainstream.
One of the recent highlights came in late June, when Congresswoman Shontel Brown (Ohio) and Congressman Zach Nunn (Iowa) introduced the Organic Imports Verification Act, bipartisan legislation to protect American organic farmers and consumers from fraudulent organic imports.
Companion legislation was introduced last year in the Senate by Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska) and Senator Tina Smith (Minnesota).
“Hopefully our delegation is going to sign on and support this legislation as well, going into the Farm Bill, and we’re going to be able to realize this potential of organic farming being a path toward better resilience for rural communities, cleaner water, being able to have more control over our inputs, and producing a product that consumers want.”
Powell-Palm is also inspired by organic grower’s embrace of new ideas, and who comes up with those ideas.