Revised: 9/26/2019 – subject to change

National Organic Standards Board Meeting TENTATIVE Agenda 

Doubletree Hotel & Suites Pittsburgh City Center | One Bigelow Square | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Ballroom

October 23-25, 2019

Schedule at a Glance:

TU & TH

Oct 15 & 17

Wednesday

Oct 23

Thursday 

Oct 24

Friday

Oct 25

MORNING

- Call to Order/Intros/ 

 Secretary’s report

- NOSB report

- USDA/AMS/NOP update

- Marine Materials panel

- Public comments 

 continued 

- Crops Sbcmte

- Materials 

 Sbcmte

AFTERNOON

- Public 

comment 

webinar(s)

1 - 4 pm ET

- Public comments 

- Group photo

- Handling 

 Sbcmte

 

- Policy Development Sbcmte

- Livestock Sbcmte

- CAC Sbcmte

- Deferred proposals/Final 

 votes

- Officer Elections

- Work agendas/Materials’ 

 update

- Recognition of outgoing 

 members and closing remarks

Face-to-Face Meeting Format

• The Designated Federal Officer calls the meeting to order and adjourns the meeting. The NOSB Chair presides over

the meeting. 

• The USDA and National Organic Program (NOP) provide the NOSB with updates, and an overview of petitioned 

substances, sunset materials, and technical reports. 

• The Board hears public comments. 

• NOSB members present Subcommittee proposals, reports and discussion documents, and discuss public comment, 

prior to voting on proposals. Final votes may be deferred to the last day of the meeting if more deliberation is 

needed. NOTE: Agenda items may be withdrawn, or votes postponed at the discretion of the Board.

• There will be two 15-minute breaks (mid-morning & mid-afternoon) and a 90-minute lunch break mid-day. Recess 

and adjournment times may vary based on completion of business. 

Public Comments (Written and Oral) 

• All persons are encouraged to provide written comments via Regulations.gov.

• All persons wishing to provide oral comments are asked to sign up in advance. Instructions are available at 

https://www.ams.usda.gov/event/national-organic-standards-board-nosb-meeting-pittsburgh-pa. There are two

(2) opportunities to provide oral comments to the Board: During webinar(s) on October 15 & 17, 2019, and during 

the in-person meeting. Walk-in comment slots may become available on a first come-first served basis at the 

meeting, if the schedule allows.

• Each person may sign up for only one speaking slot. Commenters will be allowed a 3-minute time slot during either 

the webinar or at the face-to-face meeting. Each commenter must state his/her name and affiliation for the record 

at the beginning of their comment.
 

 Revised: 9/26/2019 – subject to change TUE/THU OCT

1

5 & 

1

7

1:00 - 4:00 

PM ET

Public comment webinar(s)

Please see the NOSB meeting webpage for login information and instructions 

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 23, 201

9

8:30 AM Call to Order, Agenda Overview, Introductions

Dr. Jennifer Tucker, NOP Deputy Administrator and NOSB members

Secretary’s report (acceptance of Spring 2019 meeting summary as official record)

Scott Rice, Secretary

9:00 AM NOSB report

Harriet Behar, NOSB Chairperson

9:15 AM USDA and Agricultural Marketing Service, National Organic Program Update

Dr. Jennifer Tucker, NOP Deputy Administrator

10:15 AM BREAK

10:30 AM Marine Materials Panel

Panelists: Mr. Chris Grigsby (Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association) 

 Dr. Nichole Price (Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences) 

 Dr. Allison Schmidt (Dalhousie University) 

 Dr. Raul Ugarte (Acadian Seaplants)

12:00 PM LUNCH

1:30 PM -

5:45 PM

Public comments

~3:30 PM BREAK

5:45 PM RECESS

NOSB GROUP PHOTO
 

 Revised: 9/26/2019 – subject to change THURSDAY OCTOBER 24, 201

9

8:30 AM -

2:45 PM 

~10:15 AM 

BREAK

~12:15 PM -

1:45 PM 

LUNCH

Public comments continued

2:45 PM -

5:30 PM

15 min 

BREAK 

mid-way

Handling Subcommittee (HS) 

Dr. Asa Bradman, Chairperson

Topics:

 2021 sunset substances review:

 Acids, Citric

Acids, Lactic

Calcium chloride

Dairy cultures

Enzymes

L-Malic acid

Magnesium sulfate

Microorganisms

Perlite

Potassium iodide

Yeast

Activated charcoal

Alginic Acid

Ascorbic acid

Calcium citrate

Ferrous sulfate

Hydrogen peroxide

Nutrient vitamins and minerals

Peracetic acid 

Potassium citrate

Potassium phosphate

Sodium acid pyrophosphate

Sodium citrate

Tocopherols

Celery powder

Fish oil

Gelatin

Orange pulp, dried

Seaweed, Pacific kombu

 Seaweed, Wakame (Undaria pinnatifida) 

 

Subcommittee discusses proposals and documents as needed

Board votes if ready 

5:30 PM RECESS
 

 Revised: 9/26/2019 – subject to change FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2019

8:30 AM -

10:30 AM

Crops Subcommittee (CS)

Steve Ela, Chairperson

Topics: 

Proposal: Fatty Alcohol (C6, C8, C10, C12 Naturally Derived) - petitioned

Proposal: Potassium hypochlorite - petitioned

2021 sunset substances review:

Hydrogen peroxide (§205.601a and §205.601i)

Soaps, ammonium

Oils, horticultural (Narrow range oils) (§205.601e and §205.601i)

Pheromones

Ferric phosphate

Potassium bicarbonate

Magnesium sulfate

Hydrogen chloride

Ash from manure burning

 Sodium fluoaluminate

Discussion Document: Paper (Plant pots and other crop production aids) - petitioned

Subcommittee discusses proposals and documents as needed

Board votes if ready

10:30 AM BREAK

10:45 AM Materials Subcommittee (MS)

Emily Oakley, Chairperson

Topics:

 Proposal: Excluded methods - Induced mutagenesis and embryo transfer in Livestock

 Proposal: Genetic Integrity Transparency of Seed Grown on Organic Land

 Proposal: NOSB Research Priorities 2019

 Discussion document: Marine materials in organic crop production

 Verbal update: Assessing cleaning and sanitation materials used in 

 organic crop, livestock and handling 

 

Subcommittee discusses proposals and documents as needed

Board votes if ready

12:30 PM LUNCH

2:00 PM Policy Development Subcommittee (PDS)

Rick Greenwood, Chairperson

Topics:

 Proposal: Updates to the policy & procedure manual (PPM)

Subcommittee discusses proposals and documents as needed

Board votes if ready
 

 Revised: 9/26/2019 – subject to change FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2019

2:15 PM Livestock Subcommittee (LS)

Sue Baird, Chairperson

Topics:

 Proposal: Use of excluded method vaccines in organic livestock production 

 2021 sunset substances review:

 Atropine 

 Hydrogen peroxide 

 Iodine (§205.603a and §205.603b) 

 Magnesium sulfate

 (Parasiticide) Fenbendazole 

 (Parasiticide) Moxidectin 

 Peroxyacetic/Peracetic acid

 Xylazine

 DL - Methionine

 Trace minerals

 Vitamins

 Discussion document: Fenbendazole - petitioned

Subcommittee discusses documents as needed

Board votes if ready

3:45 PM Compliance, Accreditation, & Certification Subcommittee (CACS)

Scott Rice, Chairperson

Topics:

Verbal update: Integrity of the supply chain/Oversight improvements to deter fraud

4:00 PM BREAK

4:15 PM Deferred proposals/Final votes 

NOSB Officer Elections

NOSB work agendas/Materials update

Recognition of outgoing members and closing remarks

ADJOURN