Farmer Stories

Farmer-Led Trials Program Spotlight: Passion Garden

Experimenting with on-farm materials to create organic soil amendments

Written by Mary Hathaway, OFRF’s Research & Education Program Manager, and Kay Bell, FLT Program participant

Mesquite bean pods, collected by Kay Bell, to use as a soil amendment at Passion Garden

Kay Bell has been farming for ten years on her three-acre farm in Waco, TX, called Passion Garden. She grows a variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs that she sells as fresh produce and herbal teas at local farmers markets and health food stores. Her farm is currently in the process of transitioning to certified organic, with a focus on building her own on-farm fertility.

Kay has a big focus on using locally available, on farm inputs to help improve her soil health, and has long considered using the pods of the Mesquite Tree Bean in her fertility plan. As a farmer focused on growing the health of her community, she looked into the nutrient content of Mesquite Bean, and realized that it has a high protein content and is rich in many nutrients. Since the tree is prevalent on her property, and the pods are not too difficult to harvest, she believed it could be a useful amendment in building her soil health.

Using Mesquite Beans as a Soil Amendment for Tomatoes

To test her idea, Kay wanted to build an experiment that would assess the impact of mesquite bean meal as a soil amendment on the yield of ‘Celebrity’ tomatoes, one of her favorite tomato varieties. She hopes that the addition of Mesquite Bean Meal (MBM) will result in a measurable increase in total or marketable tomato yield compared to her normal soil amendments in raised beds. To create the MBM, Kay harvested the pods, and used a simple mill to grind them so that they were in an easy to use powder format.

On-Farm Trial Plan

Plot map from Passion Garden’s FLT Program trial

In the beginning of August 2025, with technical support from OFRF’s Farmer-Led Trials Program staff, Kay prepared eight raised beds, each measuring 4 feet wide by 8 feet long, to provide a uniform growing area for the plants. All of the beds were filled with the same base soil mixture and compost. Kay planted 4 tomato plants in each of the beds in September. At the time of transplanting, the four treatment raised beds received ½ cup of the MBM. During the growing season, all of the beds were treated consistently, with the same irrigation schedule, staking, and pest management.

By mid-October, Kay began tracking the yields, her key metric of the trial. This was recorded as total weight and marketable weight, the weight of tomatoes that meet standards for commercial sale (free from major blemishes, cracks, or rot). Kay also took observations of plant health, pest pressure, and any plant losses that might impact the findings for the trial.

Farmer-Led Trial Results: Tomato Production Increased with On-Farm Amendment

Once all of Kay’s data had been collected, the analysis revealed a significant difference in yield between the control and meal treatments, with the treatment receiving the MBM yielding more per plant and overall than the control treatment.

Anecdotally, Kay observed improved water drainage and thinks that the MBM helped improve the drainage in her clay soils. She also noted increased presence of worms and other soil organisms, and she speculates that the natural sugars in the MBM help attract more soil invertebrates.

Yield results from Passion Garden’s FLT Program trial, showing yield of tomatoes in the control group (blue) vs the group grown using Mesquite Bean Meal (red).

Kay is very motivated by the success of this trial and plans to use MBM as a pre-transplant amendment throughout her farm. She is also excited to spread the word on the many uses of Mesquite Bean – including as a coffee alternative, as a gluten free flour in baking, and a sweet jelly.

Stay tuned for a final report on Kay’s trial coming out later this year.

Prepped beds at Passion Garden during the 2025 FLT.

“I know this trial has made me stronger as a farmer. And I just look forward to experimenting with nature to grow things with resources I have on-farm.” 

– Kay Bell, FLT Program Participant

Tomatoes harvest from Passion Garden, during the 2025 trial.

This is part of a series of blogs highlighting farmers who are participating in OFRF’s Farmer-Led Trials program. Farmers receive technical support to address their production challenges through structured on-farm trials. To learn more about OFRF’s Farmer-Led Trials Program, visit our website page at https://ofrf.org/research/farmer-led-research-trials/ 

To learn more about Kay Bell and Passion Garden, check out this ATTRA article.

Kay is President of the National Women in Agriculture Association Texas Chapter: https://www.nwiaa.org/texas 

By |2026-01-27T16:04:15-05:00January 27th, 2026|Farmer Stories, News|
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Organic Agriculture Research in Action: High Tunnels and Cover Cropping with Moore Family Farms

Written by Rebecca Champagne, PhD, OFRF Conservation Scientist

Meet Moore Family Farms

Robert and Dakota are the father-son team behind Moore Family Farm.

Moore Family Farms is a family-owned and operated farm located in Warsaw, North Carolina. Managed by Robert Moore and his son Dakota, the farm was founded in 1833 based on principles of sustainability. Out of the 260-acre farm, 22 acres are in production—12 conventional and 10 certified organic. On the organic side of the farm, they grow watermelons, collard greens, and cabbage. The non-organic side of the farm produces bell peppers, tomatoes, and cantaloupe.

“Our farm was revived in 2018, focusing on sustainable practices to honor our heritage while also adapting to modern agricultural trends,” Dakota explained.

Their crops are sold mainly wholesale through a regional organic produce distributor called Happy Dirt. They also had a contract with the Second Harvest Food Bank through the Local Food Purchase Assistance program (LFPA), but this contract was unfortunately lost due to federal funding freezes. They are currently exploring additional markets through Feast Down East, a local non-profit organization that connects farmers, restaurants, grocers, and consumers.

Moore Family Farms began the process of transitioning part of their farm to organic production in 2020 and has been certified since late 2023. Dakota mentioned that rising input prices prompted them to seek certification. “Fertilizer prices skyrocketed between 2019 and 2021, and we couldn’t afford to buy them,” he explained. “We did a lot of economic research into organic and decided to jump in.” 

He also pointed out that other key reasons for seeking certification included market demand for organic produce and the family’s passion for environmental stewardship.

The volatility of various markets, like fertilizers, can put significant financial strain on farmers. That’s why federal funding for organic agriculture research is so important and helps family farms hedge against production risks.

The Importance of Organic Agriculture Research

During his college days at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical (A&T) State University, Dakota had the opportunity to work on agricultural research in high tunnel systems. He immediately noticed the difference in crops grown in high tunnels during extreme weather. Dakota and his father knew that with a high tunnel, they could get their watermelons planted earlier in the season and have more control of the growing environment. For farmers who rely on wholesale markets, getting their produce out of the field earlier can mean a longer growing season, protection against extreme weather, and ultimately more revenue.

Dakota with watermelon grown on their farm.

“With our high tunnel, we can now harvest watermelons before the Fourth of July,” Dakota said.

Since establishing their high tunnel for organic watermelon production, they’ve seen increased crop protection against extreme heat and cold, which has enhanced the quality of the crop. The high tunnel also extends their growing season, allowing them to plant and harvest crops earlier and later than before.

They’ve also been planting cover crops in their organic and conventional cropland, which have provided weed suppression, reduced soil runoff/erosion, and provided water retention benefits. “We were using plastic mulch for water retention to trap soil moisture, but we didn’t want to be throwing it away every season. We started using cover crops and saw that it helped keep more moisture in the soil,” said Dakota. He also saw the soil health benefits. According to soil test results, one of their fields saw an almost 3% increase in soil organic matter (SOM) over a three-year period, from 1.76% to 4.26% after using cover crops consistently.

View soil test results from Moore Family Farms BEFORE and AFTER utilizing cover crops in their cropping rotations ⬇️

Cover crops growing at Moore Family Farm.

The benefits of cover cropping on soil health and soil organic matter show that investments in organic agriculture research can benefit all farms looking to adopt conservation practices, not just organic farms. Moore Family Farms, operating as a split operation with both conventional and certified organic land, can utilize methods that are foundational to organic production across their entire farm. There has been abundant research on cover cropping across the country to provide organic and conventional farmers with the latest practices to help increase soil fertility and organic matter levels without costly synthetic fertilizers.

Without public research funding on these and other agronomic topics, the risk associated with agricultural experimentation would be placed more on farmers themselves, leading to slower development of beneficial innovations and less widespread adoption of practices that can result in greater conservation of natural resources. Investments in organic agriculture research advance environmental stewardship on more than just certified organic land as the findings from this research can give all farm types the knowledge and resources they need to make their operations more resilient. And the benefits of research extend beyond the farm, too. According to an analysis done by the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS), every $1 invested into agricultural research triggers a $20 economic benefit. This provides long-term benefits in addressing agronomic issues, increases farm productivity and profitability, and ultimately benefits the economies and resiliency of communities.

You can support farms like Moore Family and help strengthen the agricultural research all farmers depend on by:

  • Letting us know about the impact agricultural research has had on your farm (contact communications[at]ofrf.org!).
  • Enrolling in our free Communicating with Legislators email-based course and sharing your story with elected officials.
  • Writing a letter to the editor or an opinion piece in your local newspaper, talking about how research projects/programs have benefited your farm.

Dakota Moore in front of a high tunnel on their farm.

By |2026-01-15T09:46:04-05:00January 21st, 2026|Farmer Stories, News|
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Organic Agriculture Research in Action: Navigating Urban Farming with Little Lighthouse Farm

Written by Rebecca Champagne, PhD, OFRF Conservation Scientist

Meet Little Lighthouse Farm

Little Lighthouse Farm is a half-acre, certified-organic urban farm founded in 2022. Located in central Phoenix, Arizona, Rachel Opio runs the farm at the house she was born and raised in. She aims to grow everything that’s in season: produce, leafy greens like collards, dandelion greens, and swiss chard, as well as herbs, pasture-raised chickens for egg production, and a beehive for honey. She also cultivates native plants that many people don’t realize they can eat, like purslane.

Rachel sells her produce and other products at the local farmer’s market, at the farm stand right on the farm, and at the food bank. She accepts SNAP, WIC, and the Senior Nutrition Program, and she’s one of only a few places in the area to do so.

“As a black female farmer, I want to ensure my neighbors of all races, backgrounds, and ethnicities have nutrient-rich foods,” Rachel said. “I also offer garden consulting for my neighbors who want to learn how to grow their own edible landscapes.”

Little Lighthouse Farm gained USDA organic certification in February 2025. It is currently the only black-owned, certified organic urban farm in Arizona. Given the history of discrimination in federal lending programs against black farmers by the USDA, it was important to Rachel to seek certification and build trust in what she produces.

(Recommended reading → USDA issues payments to address discrimination against Black farmers; Racial Equity in Organic)

Although Little Lighthouse Farm is only half an acre in size, producing crops on even a small scale comes with its challenges. Additionally, there are unique challenges to urban farming. That’s why federal funding for organic agriculture research is so important and helps producers of all sizes.

The Importance of Organic Agriculture Research

Rachel was motivated to implement conservation practices to reduce the risks associated with irrigation costs, one of the biggest concerns on her farm. During the very hot Arizona summers, Rachel can spend up to four hours a day hand-watering her crops. Not only is this time-consuming, but because she operates an urban farm that’s reliant on city water, it can be expensive. She is also passionate about soil health and providing habitat for beneficial insects, like pollinators.

Rachel is already seeing the benefits of implementing conservation practices. She began using cover crops and set up a pollinator garden when she started the farm three years ago. Cover cropping, in particular, has helped alleviate compaction that is typical of the soil in Phoenix.

“If I hadn’t used cover crops, I would have never been able to grow anything in this soil. The first day I put a trowel in the soil after amending it for over a year, the trowel just slid in like a glove. And then I saw the worms. I was crying. Soil life is amazing.”

Investments in organic agriculture research can help farmers of all backgrounds and farms of all sizes. Urban farms face unique challenges of their own but can implement conservation practices just like larger-scale farms, which means they benefit from research findings, too. Organic research projects focused on urban agriculture have published studies that can help with conservation goals such as guides about water management and access and strategies for hydroponic strawberry production.

At Little Lighthouse Farm, soil health was restored because of the years of research on the benefits of cover cropping. Better soil health allows Rachel to grow better crops, which provide nutritious products to community members. Research funding makes this all possible and demonstrates that innovations in organic agriculture research can result in widespread adoption of beneficial practices, helping farms of all sizes and production types meet conservation goals. And the benefits of research extend beyond the farm, too. According to an analysis done by the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS), every $1 invested into agricultural research triggers a $20 economic benefit. This provides long-term benefits in addressing agronomic issues, increases farm productivity and profitability, and ultimately benefits the economies and resiliency of communities.

You can support farmers like Rachel and help strengthen the agricultural research all farmers depend on by:

  • Letting us know about the impact agricultural research has had on your farm (contact communications[at]ofrf.org!).
  • Enrolling in our free Communicating with Legislators email-based course and sharing your story with elected officials.
  • Writing a letter to the editor or an opinion piece in your local newspaper, talking about how research projects/programs have benefited your farm.
By |2026-01-06T13:04:46-05:00January 6th, 2026|Farmer Stories, News|
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Three Springs Farm: Small-scale Farming Rooted in Organic Principles

Source: Three Springs Farm, Cherokee County, Oklahoma
Farmer Mike Appel stand in a field of tall corn.Source: Three Springs Farm, Cherokee County, Oklahoma
A greenhouse on the far side of a farm field.Source: Three Springs Farm, Cherokee County, Oklahoma

By Clare Boland, Communications & Outreach Fellow, and OFRF staff

Three Springs Farm is a certified organic farm located in eastern Oklahoma in the Ozark Hills. Farmers Mike Appel and Emily Oakley cultivate over forty different crops and more than 150 individual varieties on three acres of land. Their goal is to maintain a family operation that demonstrates the economic viability of small-scale farming.

Originally, Three Springs sold the majority of their produce at farmers’ markets, but since the pandemic, they’ve transitioned into being majority Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Instead of giving customers a pre-packed box like a traditional CSA, they offer a free choice model, allowing customers to pick what veggies they want to receive at their weekly pick-up in Tulsa. CSA members also receive a newsletter containing recipes, photos, and stories from the farm. “It’s non-traditional, but we still have that community support,” says Mike. In addition to their CSA, they also sell wholesale to a restaurant and a Food is Medicine Program.

For Mike and Emily, farming organically was their intention from the start. Both studied agriculture in college, and afterward gained experience working at organic farms like Full Belly Farm in California. After Emily finished her graduate degree at the University of California-Davis, they relocated to Oklahoma, where Emily was raised, to start a farm of their own.

But finding a permanent home for their farm took a bit longer than they had hoped. They looked at more than 100 properties over the course of three years. During this time, they farmed on leased land, but were unable to become certified because of soil amendments used on the land prior to their lease. Eventually, they found land in Eastern Oklahoma, about an hour east of Tulsa, where they have been farming for the past 22 years.

“Oklahoma is really difficult because there’s not a lot of good soil,” Mike explains. “The best land tends to be river valleys, but they’re prone to flooding. Or, there might be really great land but no water. The best land we saw was south of Tulsa, but it was too expensive for us. We were at the eleventh hour when we just kind of stumbled upon our place.”

Why Organic

The land they purchased hadn’t been farmed before, so they didn’t have to go through the three-year organic transition period to obtain organic certification. “It’s why we do what we do,” Michael said when asked about the decision to be certified organic. “There was never a question of doing anything other than that… We actually don’t need it for marketing purposes.”  

Despite that, Mike says their CSA customers are still interested in the organic label – what it means and the integrity behind it. He also thinks the bashing of big organics doesn’t do a lot to support the label overall. “When you’re doing that consistently, the consumer doesn’t understand and is going to equate organics as something that is fraudulent. That’s a worry. It has to be a lot more delicate and balanced. There are a lot of us out there doing it right. There’s a lot of concern, and I think we’re riding a very fine line of losing consumer support if we don’t make integrity and strict standards the priority.”

In addition to being USDA-certified organic, Three Springs Farm is also certified through the Real Organic Project. Emily served on the National Organic Standards Board from 2016-2021 and advocated against the inclusion of hydroponic vegetables under the USDA label. The USDA’s decision to include hydroponics was what led to the founding of the Real Organic Project, where Emily currently serves on the standards board. The Real Organic Project label goes beyond the USDA organic label, differentiating organic food produced in concert with healthy soils and pasture, and offering customers greater transparency.

Mike’s top reasons why people should choose organic whenever possible start with the obvious. “You don’t want poisons in your food. That to me is fundamental. We don’t want to eat food grown with chemicals and we don’t want other people to either. 

“Also, farmworkers shouldn’t be working in fields that have nasty chemicals. We have a long way to go to ensure people have good working conditions, but at least we can ensure people aren’t being exposed to bad chemicals when they’re growing our food.”

Then there are the larger environmental impacts. “Living near a creek and seeing the life that’s there is incredible. While it is resilient, it’s also very vulnerable to our influences. It’s important to make sure your food choices don’t impair that. When we buy organic, we think beyond ourselves. Our choices have huge impacts in other parts of the world. Just try to make the best choices you can with what you have in front of you.”

Cover Cropping for Scale and Climate Extremes

Although Mike and Emily own around 100 acres, they only keep three to four acres in production since it’s just the two of them and their daughter. The majority of their land is in conservation for wildlife habitat and native ecosystem restoration. Determining the right schedule for their cover cropping has helped not only to build biomass, but also to manage their farm with minimal staff.

”Anything that was spring crops gets turned into a summer cover crop. And then any land that isn’t gonna be utilized at all that year is also in summer cover crop. We end our season on Labor Day to get our winter cover crop planted. So we spend most of September, and a little bit of October, cleaning up fields and just selling to the restaurant and the Food is Medicine program.” The goal, Mike says, is to get the entire farm into cover crop by mid-fall. “Over time, we’ve figured out how to sustain the farm as two people; not growing year-round is one way to do that.”

Though, climate irregularities have caused them to adapt their plans season to season. “ Our falls have been a lot drier, so we’re not able to plant until we get a rain, and those rains haven’t been coming until October. So we’ve modified our winter cover crop a little bit because of that, adding more winter-hardy [varieties].”

In addition to fall droughts, they’ve also been experiencing heavy rains in the spring. This past year was “the wettest spring we’ve ever had, which is saying a lot for this region because we have pretty wet springs. We get pretty severe storms. It’s usually a deluge. And this spring was the worst in our 20 years of farming. We just could not get back into the field. And there were a lot of disease problems in our potatoes and onions because of it.”

Along with the changes they’ve made to their cover crop mix, Mike and Emily are also experimenting with reduced tillage to combat climate extremes. This year, instead of rototilling their summer crop prior to winter planting, they tried discing it in instead. “We’re really happy the way that turned out. The soil is a lot less abused when we don’t rototill.” In the coming year, they are hoping to experiment with interseeding, planting cover crops alongside cash crops, to combat soil erosion and build resilience for rain events.

Learning Through On-Farm Research

Mike and Emily have also developed a good relationship with Oklahoma State University. “We’ve done some varietal trials with them, which helped us figure out what works,” says Mike. “What’s been interesting is to see the extension agents become more interested in cover cropping. They’re still very conventional, but they’ve become more interested after seeing what cover crops have done for us—the fact that we’re organic, our plants are healthy, and our yields are good—without having to put down chemical fertilizers.”

“We’re a bit far away from the university, so it makes it harder to collaborate, but we’ve told them to call us whenever they do variety trials. We have lots of ideas and have trialed a bunch of different crops.”

His best advice for new farmers? Perseverance.

“There are times I’ve definitely wanted to just throw in the towel. But in the end, things work out. You talk to people, figure out the problems. Each year it gets better, but you’ll still have setbacks, like the weather for us this year. Know that while nothing is static, each year you’ll be able to build on your experience.”

By |2025-12-18T11:47:59-05:00December 17th, 2025|Farmer Stories, News|
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Lessons from the Plains on the Transition to Organic

A Farmer Panel recap from the Transitioning to Organic Farming Conference at the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension, and Education Center in Ithaca, NE

By Brian Geier, OFRF Communications Manager.

“I used to write checks to chemical companies. Now I write them to my kids,” explains Tom Schwarz, a 5th-generation farmer from southern Nebraska, while discussing the advantages of organic production. The Schwarz Family Farm has been farming organically since transitioning the farm in 1988. Along with his wife and two kids, Tom raises corn, soybeans, wheat, field peas, alfalfa, oats, and numerous cover crops. He was speaking at the Transition to Organic Farming Conference hosted by the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, alongside two other organic farmers. 

As may be the case for many farmers in rural Nebraska, farming is not new to any of the organic farmers on this particular panel. Each spoke with a familiarity and vocabulary that comes with decades of experience. All three of them are from families who are farming hundreds or thousands of acres, some owned, many rented, in various stages of leases. And all of them had, at some point in the past few decades, switched a portion of their farming enterprises to certified organic production. For these farmers, who carry on family legacies of farming that survived the farm crises of the 1970s and 80s, organic is, among other things, a way to survive. It is also a path toward passing a farm operation onto the next generation that is better, safer, and more profitable than when they started. 

No-till, organic corn at Young Family Farm in Nebraska. Photo credit: Barry Young, farmer-presenter on the “Organic Production: Nebraska Growers’ Perspectives” panel. 

Like most farming, organic is not all easy. Tom presented what he sees as the disadvantages of organic: it is management-intensive (more machinery passes per season), requires extra recordkeeping, and WEEDS (emphasis via capitalization added from Tom’s presentation). “It’s just plain harder,” he explained, citing the need to be able to adapt on the fly and to creatively problem solve.

Matt Adams, who started farming with his dad in 2016 and operates about 600 acres in Seward, Nebraska, also spoke on the panel. He agreed that there can be difficulties with the transition to organic, particularly with having machinery settings or setups needed for larger-scale grain production. “Get everything ready way before,” he warns, “so the day you need to be out there, you’re ready.” 

Matt transitioned non-irrigated land that was previously in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to organic hay and row crops. Since the fields were in CRP, there had been no prohibited substances applied to them, and they were ready to certify, meaning he did not have to steward them through the three-year transition period to organic. But since the land had not been fertilized or cultivated, Matt is finding that yields have been low and weed pressure high, putting extra strain on the need for timely, effective cultivation setups. 

When addressing challenges, the number one source of information for organic farmers is other farmers. And Nebraska’s organic farmers on this panel are no exception. 

“I do have some original thoughts. But I always throw them to the wolves first,” explains Barry Young, the third panelist who operates Young Family Farm in southeast Nebraska. “I should call it ‘Young Community Farm’”, he chuckles, giving credit to past mentors that first taught him about polyculture planting, and acknowledging fellow farmers and family members that he discusses ideas with before trying them. Barry finds that sourcing inputs is one of his biggest challenges. Despite living in farm country, “No one around me was doing what I’m doing,” he said. Still, by persistently asking questions of fellow organic and regenerative farmers, who he finds are more apt to share knowledge than many conventional growers, he has learned to meet main challenges like developing inter-species planting mixes for weed control. 

Organic farmer Barry Young explains his polyculture planting mix for organic wheat, which includes a custom mix of 120 pounds of wheat with 2 pounds of radish and 3 pounds of flax. The flax, a legume, helps enhance the soil microbiome while the radish helps break compaction especially following alfalfa. Both winterkill and the wheat matures as a pure stand for harvest the next season.

Earthworms and good soil structure in a November cover crop at Young Family Farm.

A high biomass (10-ton per acre) pea/oat cover crop following no-till corn planting at Young Family Farm

Corn grows with a soil-building mix in wheat stubble at Young Family Farm.

Secondary roots on organic, no-till corn at six weeks post-emergence at Young Family Farm.

“This is the way we’re intended to farm.”

-Nebraska organic farmer

All three of the farmers spoke about several advantages of organic production, too. One described lying down in a field, observing the increase in bug and bird life following the switch away from pesticides, and thinking, “This is the way we’re intended to farm.” 

Other advantages cited include organic’s market stability, and the regional control and accountability within the market chains. With organic grain production, many farmers are selling niche crops to regional processors who are then selling food back to the community. This creates a market and economy that farmers form long-term relationships with, and it stands in contrast to the volatility and lack of accountability from larger, conventional commodity crop markets where crops are shipped out of state or country for processing. It is “consumer-based as opposed to commodity-based,” Tom points out. 

But ultimately, for Tom and others on the panel, it is about their farms’ future, and that is about the quality of life of the next generation. Today, there are challenges with organic, for sure, but farming has been a difficult profession for generations of Nebraskans. With organic production as at least a part of the farm, Tom feels he is creating something that will be passed on to the next generation and be better than what he inherited. Aside from now being a paid part of the organic operation, Tom notes that “The kids will not be exposed to chemicals like I was,” adding, matter-of-factly, “that’s the biggest reason I do it.”

For Plains farmers interested in learning more about the USDA’s National Organic Program, we encourage you to explore resources and upcoming events hosted by the region’s Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP). You may also want to explore OFRF’s step-by-step guides, printable tools, and farmer experiences to help you access USDA programs and funding, such as the NRCS’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the RMA’s Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) program.

By |2026-01-06T16:40:14-05:00December 16th, 2025|Farmer Stories, News|
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Farmer-Led Trials Program Spotlight: Oxbow Farm and Conservation Center

Investigating Seeding Rate of Cover Crops for Biomass and Nutrient Content

Written by Mary Hathaway, OFRF’s Research & Education Program Manager, and Anthony Reyes, FLT Program participant

Anthony Reyes, FLT Program Participant. Photo credit Washington Soil Health Initiative, https://washingtonsoilhealthinitiative.com/2025/02/soil-health-ambassador-anthony-reyes-cover-crops/

Oxbow Farm & Conservation Center is a nonprofit farm in the floodplains of Snoqualmie Valley, WA. Anthony Reyes, the Agricultural Program Manager, manages 81 acres of certified organic land by experimenting and trialing climate adaptive and resilient agricultural practices. Along with his team, he works to reconcile our expanding human needs and the health of our ecosystem through sustainable agriculture, thoughtful management of our forests, ecological restoration, and education.

Oxbow Farm cultivates a variety of different crops well suited to the Snoqualmie Valley floodplain, and maintains a crop rotation to allow the soil to recover and regenerate. Anthony strategically removes fields from production each year and leaves them fallowed in cover crop to help protect the watershed, build up nutrients, and manage weeds, pests, and diseases.

Finding a Cover Crop that Works

Anthony was interested in understanding how to find a cover crop that would meet the needs of the farm – managing climatic challenges, erosion, and weed pressure. Ideally, anything that would be planted would help add biomass and could withstand drought conditions. Manipulating the seeding rate of the cover crops had been one way that the farm had considered better coverage of the soil, and Anthony was curious if the recommended seeding rate was the right density for their soil.

Farm Trial Plan

A portion of the cover cropped trial field.

With technical support from OFRF, Anthony is investigating the impact of seeding rate on biomass and nutrient content for German Foxtail, Pearl Millet, and Sudex cover crops. He will plant single varieties at two different seeding rates: the recommended rate and 25% above the recommended drilling rate.

The trial was arranged in  a randomized complete block design, with 24 rows, each 100’ x 10’ wide, with 1’ pathways and borders on outside rows. Each of the 4 replications contained  6 plots (3 varieties at 2 different seeding rates), for a total of 24 plots.

Measurements were taken from a random 3×3’ quadrat from each plot, including a biomass and leaf tissue sample. These samples were sent to Ward Lab for analysis of biomass, nutrient content, dry matter, and C:N ratio of the crop matter.

Trial updates

The quadrat samples were taken in September and lab results were returned in late October. The OFRF team is now reviewing the data with Anthony, for a full report on how the trial went and findings from the data.

Trial fields at Oxbow Farm and Conservation Center

“I have long been interested in conducting and furthering our on-farm research, having worked on and set up many trials throughout my career. The Farmer-Led Trial Program goes beyond and centers the experience and voice of farmers by identifying us as the content experts and by playing a highly supportive and facilitative role in creating sound research from our identified goals. I have greatly valued the time and care given by OFRF staff and am so appreciative of this program.” 

– Anthony Reyes, Oxbow Farm and Conservation Center

An overhead drone shot of Oxbow Farm and Conservation Center

This is part of a series of blogs highlighting farmers who are participating in OFRF’s Farmer-Led Trials program. Farmers receive technical support to address their production challenges through structured on-farm trials. To learn more about OFRF’s Farmer-Led Trials Program, visit our website page at https://ofrf.org/research/farmer-led-research-trials/ 

To learn more about Oxbow Farm and Conservation Center, visit their website at https://www.oxbow.org/ 

By |2025-12-17T17:31:33-05:00December 2nd, 2025|Farmer Stories, News|
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Farmer-Led Trials Program Spotlight: The Woven Trifecta

Testing the Impact of Anaerobic Ferments on Crop Health

Written by Mary Hathaway, OFRF’s Research & Education Program Manager, and Samantha Otto, FLT Program participant

Samantha Otto is the founder and farmer of The Woven Trifecta, a 10-acre farm in western Michigan. Currently in transition to organic, the farm focuses on diversified vegetables for a CSA, local farmers market, as well as farm-to-school sales throughout the school year. Samantha raises Jacob sheep for fiber as well as assorted poultry for meat and eggs. The livestock is rotationally grazed on just over 3 acres of pasture, with 2 acres of no-till beds in production.

Samantha has a decade of hands-on farming experience and is a graduate of Michigan State University’s Agricultural Technology program. Since she started the farm, her primary focus has been on cultivating no-till organic vegetables and cut flowers. But as a curious farmer, she is continuously exploring innovative approaches to sustainable agriculture. Last year, as a participant in the Midwest GRIT program, she began integrating grains into her system, and  she has also recently incorporated livestock into her rotations to create a closed-loop system to help improve soil fertility.

From Waste Product to Resources: Building Fertility and Reducing Reliance in Off-Farm Inputs

One of the main goals of The Woven Trifecta is to reduce reliance on off-farm inputs, and to transform the farm waste products into a resource. Samantha has experimented with different anaerobic fermentation, and was interested in scaling up and fine-tuning its use as a soil amendment. She is particularly interested in incorporating waste from her livestock and compost into anaerobic ferments to improve soil fertility and plant health.

With the help of OFRF’s Farmer-Led Trial (FLT) Program, Samantha hopes to understand how anaerobic ferments impact the health of her crops. When considering which vegetable to test, the team landed on artichokes – a promising crop that her CSA members love and that has yielded well in past seasons. As a long-season vegetable with a short harvest window, the Tavor Artichoke was an ideal crop to trial.

Farm Trial Plan

To answer Samantha’s question, ‘Does an anaerobic compost tea impact yield or plant nutrition in artichokes?,’ she will weigh all harvested artichokes from each plot. Marketable artichokes will be weighed and counted separately. In addition to weights, leaf tissue samples will be collected prior to flowering stalk emergence. 10 representative samples will be taken from each plot, with one leaf collected per plant.

There are two treatments in the trial: a control with no ferment spray, and the anaerobic ferment foliar drench. Samantha will plant in 8 plots to provide sufficient replication. The trial is in a 30′ x 90′ space, in 3′ wide no-till beds, with each row containing 10 plants spaced 36’ apart. Buffer plots will be added on each side, planted with sunflowers.

plot map for on-farm trial at Woven Trifecta Farm

The recipe for the anaerobic fermentation is 60/40 with vegetation scraps and rabbit manure. Samantha brews a fresh batch every two weeks, beginning in early June and applies the fermented drench application biweekly.  A 5-gallon bucket will be suitable for each batch.

Recipe for Anaerobic Fermentation Fertilizer

Using 5-gallon buckets, mix: 

  • 60% vegetation scraps from on-farm and/or compost club program 
  • 40% manure from our rabbits.  
  • 4 cups of soil. 

These will be well mixed, with scraps being chopped into small pieces, and will fill about 3/4 of the 5-gallon bucket.  This mix will then be submerged in water (from well), covered with a lid and stored in the pump shed. The bucket will be fitted with a fermentation lid with spout to release any built-up gases over the course of the fermentation process. 

Ferment will be checked at 7, 14, and 21 days; ready to use at  21 days. Solids are then strained, and the liquid is bottled for use.  

Application: 1 part recipe to 20 parts water every 14 days, and apply it as a soil drench via backpack sprayer.

Samantha is excited to see how the ferment impacts the health and yield of her plants. The process of testing her application of the anaerobic ferment is something she hopes can impact her farm system, and possibly provide sustainable answers for other small farms like The Woven Trifecta.

Sunset over a crop field at The Woven Trifecta

“Working with OFRF has been an amazing opportunity for our farm! Closing the loop in our production is a long-term goal of ours, and this project has provided the opportunity to take the time to explore a potential process for making that happen. It has been especially delightful to work with OFRF on creating the foundation of our project, making a once-intimidating idea very fun and feasible to trial! It has been a thrill to find on-farm solutions that support both our livestock and vegetable production. While we are a ways away from harvest, our on-farm ferment is visually showing benefits in our test plot. I look forward to collecting further data as the season progresses! This data will help us make decisions on how to incorporate ferments in our wider production in the future so that we can continue to grow beautiful, healthy, thriving vegetables for our community.”

– Samantha Otto, The Woven Trifecta

One of the livestock that Samantha integrates into her crop rotations

This is part of a series of blogs highlighting farmers who are participating in OFRF’s Farmer-Led Trials program. Farmers receive technical support to address their production challenges through structured on-farm trials. To learn more about OFRF’s Farmer-Led Trials Program, visit our website page at https://ofrf.org/research/farmer-led-research-trials/ 

To learn more about The Woven Trifecta, visit their website at https://thewoventrifecta.com/

By |2025-12-17T17:31:56-05:00September 2nd, 2025|Farmer Stories, Livestock, News, On-Farm Research, Soil Health|
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Farmer-Led Trials Program Spotlight: Parker Farms

Managing Moisture in Organic Tomatoes on an Urban Farm

Written by Mary Hathaway, OFRF’s Research & Education Program Manager, and Markisha Parker, FLT Program participant

Parker Farms, located in Warren, Ohio, is a small farm with a big heart, committed to serving their community with sustainable, urban agriculture. The farm provides fresh, locally grown produce through wholesale partnerships with food banks and community programs, supporting local food security. Markisha Parker, owner and founder, specializes in sustainable urban farming and organic production and is in her second year of transitioning to certified organic (a process that typically takes three years). With a background in urban agriculture, education, and research, she offers hands-on experience and community education on soil management, crop rotation, and organic pest control.

Her urban farm spans multiple sites totaling approximately one acre with areas dedicated to cultivating native plants, vegetables, and fruits, allowing Parker Farms to grow their impact and bridge the gap between urban gardening and farming. Markisha’s primary crop is tomatoes, but the farm’s mission extends much further: to empower others in agriculture by offering resources and support to help gardeners build successful commercial farming enterprises. While Markisha has done field trials in the past, she was looking for an opportunity to have support in improving her processes and systems on the farm. After this trial, Parker Farms hopes to integrate educational elements by inviting local farmers, aspiring growers, and community members to observe and learn from their research.

Puddling Problems: Managing Moisture in Tomatoes

With limited space in an urban environment, Parker Farms wants to improve their yield and systems in the area that they have. This means making every square foot count. In previous seasons, Markisha had issues with excess moisture and puddling in the fields. One of her biggest challenges was in her most valuable crop: tomatoes. Episodes of excess rain left much of her crop with splitting or blight.

In order to address these issues, she wanted to trial different materials that were readily available as a mulch material to help her tomatoes get to market. In her area, Markisha knew that woodchips, grass clippings, and straw were readily available. So she asked: does a mulching material help mitigate soil moisture for greater tomato yield?

Farm Trial Plan

With technical support from OFRF, Markisha has set up a trial to compare how straw, grass clippings, or woodchips, impact the yield and marketability of slicer tomatoes, and compare it to a control group with no mulch. The design of the trial includes 4 treatments and 4 replications, in a 16-plot layout. Each plot will have 5 tomato plants.

Trial updates

The tomatoes were transplanted on May 22nd, and the mulch types were laid down just after transplanting. The mulch varieties of aged wood chips, straw from a neighboring farm, and fresh grass clippings from areas around her farm, were applied at an approximate 2” depth. The control plot had no mulch added, and was left as bare soil. An initial harvest is expected at the beginning of August. For data collection, Markisha will take both the total weight of tomatoes and the marketable weight of tomatoes. These measurements will help the farm understand if the different mulching materials impact yield, and especially the marketable yield of tomatoes that don’t have damage related to uneven moisture.

Stay tuned for trial updates and a final report at the end of the season!

Farmer-researcher Markisha Parker

“Participating in the Farmer Led Trials has given me the structure and support to test practices that could improve both the health of my crops and the sustainability of my urban plots.”

– Markisha Parker, Parker Farms

Parker Farms.

This is part of a series of blogs highlighting farmers who are participating in OFRF’s Farmer-Led Trials program. Farmers receive technical support to address their production challenges through structured on-farm trials. To learn more about OFRF Farmer-Led Trials Program, visit our website page at https://ofrf.org/research/farmer-led-research-trials/ 

By |2025-12-17T17:32:05-05:00July 28th, 2025|Farmer Stories, News, On-Farm Research, Water Management & Irrigation|
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Farmer-Led Trials Program Spotlight: Ledoux Grange

Can teff handle high winds? This on-farm trial aims to find out.

Written by Mary Hathaway, OFRF’s Research & Education Program Manager

Ledoux Grange, situated at 7,400 feet in Mora, New Mexico, is an organic-certified, 34-acre operation focused on regenerative agriculture. Farmer Kristin Swoszowski-Tran has been cultivating Lilium species (a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, including lilies) and hybrids  – since the 1990s, registering novel cultivars with the Royal Horticultural Society in Great Britain. As a member of the Southwest Grain Collaborative, Ledoux Grange also specializes in growing drought-tolerant, high-altitude pulses, legumes, grains, and cover crops, and is committed to bringing culturally rich, locally-grown produce to their community.

Testing Teff for Lodging Resistance

One of the grains that Ledoux Grange grows is Teff, an annual grass, a species of lovegrass native to Ethiopia, where it first originated in the Ethiopian Highlands. It was one of the earliest plants to be domesticated and is one of the most important staple crops in Ethiopia. Ledoux Grange is currently testing 14 teff accessions rated for their lodging resistance in its characteristically windy location. Teff’s versatility as human food, livestock fodder, and a drought-tolerant cover crop suited for high altitudes makes it a promising addition to their operation. The farm owner, Kristin, is enthusiastic about experimenting with various accessions, drawing inspiration from past successes with teff in the area. She has a broader interest in lovegrass species and is eager to observe their growth, hoping to identify types that will flourish and resist lodging in her environment.

Terminology Touch Point

ACCESSION: a distinct sample of germplasm representing a cultivar, breeding line, or a wild or cultivated population, maintained in a genebank for conservation and use. Its genetic stability is optimally preserved through careful monitoring and multiplication.

Source: GGCE

On-Farm Trial Plan

The plot layout includes 12 accessions from a western regional station, all of Ethiopian origin, alongside two commercially available varieties: ‘Bolorosso’ from Experimental Farm Network and teff from Great Basin Seeds. The experiment includes four replications, and is laid out in the field as four blocks border rows on each end. Each packet contains 200 seeds, with 50 seeds per plot, weighed out for accuracy. Rows will be one meter long, with seeds distributed evenly within each plot area. Planting is scheduled for late June, following thorough bed preparation.

Trial Evaluation Metrics

Data collection will be comprehensive, focusing on key metrics such as days to emergence, vigor, time to flowering, time to maturity, tillering, height, and lodging. Grain yield and seed color will also be recorded. Vigor will be assessed using either GRIN standards or a custom scale. Lodging will be rated on a 1-5 scale. To assess the tillering, she will record the number of tillers on 10 plants per plot and calculate the average. Grain yield will be determined by weighing the collected seeds. Seed color will be evaluated with a pantone scale.

Plot Map

Looking Ahead

The evaluation of these teff accessions will help Kristin identify promising teff accessions, and will facilitate seed increases for subsequent on-farm research at Ledoux Grange. Looking to the future, Kristin aims to address key challenges for this specific environment, like lodging prevention and optimal timing for growth relative to the monsoon season. Ultimately, Ledoux Grange hopes to expand crop diversity in the region, provide the community with nutrient-rich food options, and create new market opportunities.

Farmer-researcher Kristin Swoszowski-Tran

“I believe that it is crucial to conduct trials in diverse agricultural ecotypes so that we can perpetuate and ensure suitable, local production to idiosyncratic conditions. It is an honor and privilege to work with OFRF staff members, Mary and Heather, to organize this trial. They’ve made an easy and seamless process to plan the implementation. My hope is that we can identify drought-tolerant candidates that can withstand our windy conditions here at this elevation. I’m eager to see what this trial produces!”

– Kristin Swoszowski-Tran, Ledoux Grange

Teff trial layout.

Stay tuned:

This is part of a series of blogs highlighting farmers who are participating in OFRF’s Farmer-Led Trials program. Farmers receive technical support to address their production challenges through structured on-farm trials. To learn more about OFRF Farmer-Led Trials Program, visit our website page at https://ofrf.org/research/farmer-led-research-trials/ 

To learn more about Ledoux Grange visit https://www.facebook.com/ledouxgrange 

By |2025-12-17T17:36:23-05:00July 1st, 2025|Farmer Stories, News, On-Farm Research, Plant Breeding & Variety Selection|
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Farmer-Led Trials Program Spotlight: Farmacea

Farmacea Strawberry Trial Explores Sustainable Mulching

Written by Mary Hathaway, OFRF’s Research & Education Program Manager

In the heart of Munith, Michigan, Farmacea is undertaking an exciting experiment to help enhance their farm systems and design. Run by Mike Lucas and Rollin Baker, the farm’s 31 acres had previously been dedicated to conventional corn production for many decades. Over the past two years, Mike and Rollin have been diligently working to convert about 2 acres into arable, quality land by incorporating leaf mold and other organic materials. As they work to transition their land to certified organic, they are excited and energized to grow healthy, sustainable fruits and vegetables for their community. Mike and Rollin are committed to bringing the land back to life and hope to honor the tradition of Food as First Medicine.

The Strawberry Trial: Plastic vs. Clover

On-farm research trial at Farmacea comparing clover living mulch with conventional plastic mulch in organic strawberry crops.Farmacea’s project is a strawberry trial comparing traditional plastic mulch to a living mulch of white Dutch clover. Their research question is simple but will help Farmacea determine which strawberry planting system will work best for them in the coming years: “Does a living clover mulch produce higher strawberry yields than a plastic mulch?”.

To answer this, they’ve set up six beds. Three beds use the conventional plastic mulch, while the other three are planted with New Zealand White Clover (Trifolium repens) to serve as a living mulch. Both sets of beds include a mix of strawberry cultivars: Earliglow, Chandler, Allstar, and San Andreas, ensuring consistency in strawberry varieties across the trial.

Careful initial planning was essential, focusing on a consistent number and mix of strawberry plants in each bed. Mike and Rollin standardized the beds and timed clover planting, which faced weather-related delays and farm facility damage. Additionally, deer intrusions necessitated the construction of higher fences to protect the crops.

What They’re Measuring

Farmacea will be tracking several key metrics to determine the success of each mulching method:

  • Yield: Weight of harvested berries, percent marketable yield, and pint counts.
  • Brix: A measure of sugar content in the berries.
  • Weed Pressure: Observations and frequency of weeding interventions.
  • Photo Documentation: Keeping a visual record of the trial’s progress.
  • Soil Testing: Collecting samples to analyze soil health.

Data is being collected consistently over the season, with harvests twice weekly. They plan to document everything from the number of pints of berries to the weight of both marketable and unmarketable yields. Brix levels are being measured to gauge the sweetness of the berries and will ideally be taken at three intervals during the strawberry season.

Why This Matters

Farmacea’s trial is about more than just growing strawberries. It’s about finding sustainable options for weed suppression and improving soil health through practices like cover cropping. They are also interested in decreasing their reliance on nonrenewable resources and preventing microplastic contamination in their soil. Implementing a living mulch strategy is intended to lessen the need for manual weeding, enhance soil structure, and foster an environment that naturally inhibits weeds.

“For too long, the bulk of attention, funding, and resources in the agricultural research world have gone toward so-called ‘conventional’ farming methods. As a result, advances in organic farming practices have stalled and many today consider it an inefficient, outdated, and impractical way to produce food. We couldn’t disagree more. We see participating in a research trial on organic farming to be an important step in turning this tide, and hope that it will lead to better understanding and acceptance of these essential practices.”

– Rollin & Mike, Farmacea

Looking Ahead

As the trial progresses, Farmacea will continue to monitor and collect data. Soil tests will be conducted, and observations on weed pressure will be recorded. At the end of the trial, they will analyze the results to determine which mulching method provides the best yields, berry quality, and weed control.

This trial at Farmacea is a perfect example of how farmer-led research can lead to valuable insights and sustainable agricultural practices. By sharing their findings, Farmacea contributes to a broader community of farmers and researchers working towards a healthier, more resilient food system.

Stay tuned:

  • Follow Farmacea on Instagram @farma.cea to see photos and updates as Farmacea’s strawberry trial unfolds!
  • Check back here for future blog posts on the trial’s progress.

This story is part of a series profiling farmers who are taking part in OFRF’s Farmer-Led Trials (FLT) program. Farmers receive technical support from OFRF to address their challenges through structured on-farm trials. To learn more about OFRF Farmer-Led Trials Program, visit our website page at https://ofrf.org/research/farmer-led-research-trials/

By |2025-12-17T17:37:24-05:00May 29th, 2025|Farmer Stories, News, On-Farm Research, Weeds|
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