Written by: Ashley Dulaney, OFRF’s Communications Director
If you farm organic, you already know the problem: the research you need is out there, but finding it means digging through university extension sites, government databases, and search results that are built for conventional agriculture—not yours.
That’s exactly why OFRF built the Organic Research Hub and why we’re excited to share what’s new.
What Is the Organic Research Hub?
The Organic Research Hub is a free, USDA-funded, searchable library of research-backed resources built specifically for organic and transitioning producers. Whether you’re navigating a conservation program like the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) or Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), working through your organic transition, or troubleshooting a challenge on the farm, the Hub puts practical, science-backed answers in one place, instead of scattered across the internet.
For many of the studies in the Hub, you don’t have to wade through a dense academic paper to get what you need. Our team translates the research into plain-language summaries that lay out the methods and outcomes up front, so you can see what was tested and what it means for your farm in a few minutes. Many resources already have summaries, and for those that don’t, we’re adding more all the time.
We’ve spent over three decades as a trusted source of organic farming research and technical guidance. The Hub makes that trove of knowledge searchable in one place for the first time.
What’s New on the Hub
Over the past few months, we’ve been adding new features based on what organic farmers have told us they need. Here’s what’s new:
Pages built for your region.
The Hub now has dedicated pages for each of the six TOPP regions—Midwest, Northeast, Northwest, Plains, Southeast, and West/Southwest—bringing together the resources, experts, and grants most relevant to your climate, soil, and growing conditions. No more filtering through results that don’t apply to you.
- Midwest Regional Hub Page
- Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Hub
- Northwest Hub
- Plains Hub
- Southeast Hub
- West/Southwest Hub
A bigger Directory of Experts.
You can now search over 300 verified Extension agents, researchers, and technical service providers nationwide by name, state, region, or on a clickable map of the U.S. Every person listed is vetted by OFRF and works in organic or organic-adjacent agriculture, so you’re not sorting through contacts who don’t know the difference between organic and conventional practices. If you’d rather talk through a decision with a real person than read another factsheet, this is where to start.
You can now view the Hub in Spanish.
Growers can select their preferred language, English or Spanish, so more research is accessible to more farmers.
A dedicated USDA Organic Research Grant Database.
Curious what organic research is currently being funded? You can now browse USDA OREI (Organic Agriculture Research & Extension Initiative) and ORG (Organic Transition Program) grant projects and reports directly, searchable by keyword, program, year, or award number.
Alerts that do the searching for you.
Set up a free, personalized alert by topic, region, or keyword, and new matching resources will land in your inbox daily, weekly, monthly, or as soon as they’re posted. Subscribe once, and stop searching the same terms over and over.
Get Your Region’s Resource Factsheet
Alongside the Hub itself, we’ve put together a printable, one-page factsheet for each region. It’s a quick reference guide to the research, tools, and local experts curated specifically for your area, plus a QR code straight to your region’s page on the Hub.
Download your region’s factsheet below as it becomes available:
Coming Soon!
Plains
(CO, KS, NE, ND, OK, SD)
Northeast/Mid-Atlantic
(CT, DE, ME, MD, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT, VA, WV)
Want more organic farming resources for your region? Sign up here, and we’ll email them to you as they become available.
Explore What’s Been Built for You
The research, tools, and people you need to farm organically with confidence are already gathered in one place: the Organic Research Hub, built for your region, now in Spanish, and free to use.
Have a resource that should be included, or a question about what you find? Reach out to our team; we’re always adding to the Hub.