OFRF initiated SCOAR in 2000, and serves as facilitator of the SCOAR network. SCOAR's mission is to plan and promote organic farming research and information-exchange to improve and better understand organic agricultural systems. SCOAR is a multi-year collaboration among certified organic growers, researchers, extension agents, educators, and others.

The inauguaral SCOAR assembly was held in January 23-24, 2001, at the Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove California. Over 100 farmers, scientists, information specialists and other organic experts from around the nation met to discuss the current state and the future direction of organic farming research. This meeting marked the first in a series of regional and national meetings, bringing together producers and scientists to share their knowledge of organic production systems.

The Network

The SCOAR now has just over 2,000 members. Participants receive bi-monthly issues of the SCOAR Bulletin, which highlights organic funding resources, organic job opportunies and news in higher education, news of the latest organic research and more. Farmers, extensionists and researchers interested in partcipating in the SCOAR network are encouraged to subscribe to the SCOAR Bulletin.

The SCOAR Bulletin

Special SCOAR Bulletin
July 14, 2008 - Specialty Crop Proposals Due One Month From Today

SCOAR Bulletin No. 20
June 4, 2008 - The new CSREES Horticultural National Program Leader position has significant responsibilities for organic research; Upcoming Request for Applications for $30 million Specialty Crops Research Initiative, and more..

SCOAR Bulletin archives

• Cultivate a peer-level process of mutual learning and democratic collaboration among a diverse community of organic farmers & ranchers, scientists, extensionists, consultants, consumers and others for pursuit of the project Mission.
• Create a shared understanding of organic agriculture as an ecological approach to managing agricultural systems.
• Identify and characterize research and information-exchange priorities pertaining to the Mission, through various activities and documentation of those activities.
• Advance the state-of-the-art of organic systems research, including on-farm, participatory, whole systems, and multi-farm studies.
• Increase access to the knowledge, skills, and practices of successful organic producers by developing and implementing models for networking and information sharing among organic producers and scientists.
• Encourage the use and implementation of SCOAR's results.

In addition to the inaugural SCOAR aseembly in January 2001, the following SCOAR meetings and workshop sessions have taken place:

The First National Organic Tree Fruit Symposium
Grand Junction, Colorado
May 31 - June 1, 2001

Toward a National Organic Research Agenda & Action Plan
Baxter Hood Conference Center, Rock Hill, South Carolina
November 4 - 5, 2001

SCOAR National Steering Committee Meeting
Asilomar Conference Center, Pacific Grove, CA
January 20-22, 2002

Meeting the research needs for certified organic livestock production, marketing and ecological assessment
Western SAWG meeting, Santa Fe, NM
February 8, 2002