office, Author at Organic Farming Research Foundation

Mary Hathaway (she/her/hers)

Research and Education Program Manager

mary[at]ofrf.org

Mary Hathaway is the Research and Education Program Manager at OFRF. Over the past decade she has worked as an activist and farmer in the sustainable and equitable food movement in the Southeast. Her most recent experience includes managing direct marketing farms, administering USDA grant projects, and organizing regional food summits.

Mary specializes in supporting local food systems and is passionate about creating opportunities for organic farmers to be leaders in climate change solutions. Mary has a Master’s Degree in Agroecology that helps her frame the necessary work before us with a collaborative, systems thinking approach. She is a powerful force in the workplace and uses her positive attitude to encourage others to work hard and be engaged participants in their community.

In her free time, Mary likes to play in the ocean, talk at great length about composting, and build Legos creatures with her son.

By office|2024-01-10T02:18:43+00:00May 11th, 2023|Staff|

Gordon Merrick (he/him/his)

Senior Policy & Programs Manager

gordon[at]ofrf.org

Gordon N. Merrick (he/him) joins the OFRF team with first hand experience working on organic farms, distributing food into the marketplace, cooking food in the service industry, and, most recently, helping draft agriculture, natural resource, and municipal laws for the Vermont General Assembly. Alongside this hands-on food and legal system experience, prior to attending Vermont Law School, Gordon was a community organizer working on climate justice related issues in New Hampshire. Throughout all of these experiences, Gordon was able to learn what it takes to lead successful teams and that resilient change stems from, and is led by, people-powered movements.

When Gordon isn’t in the (home) office, he’s generally outside enjoying whatever the current New England season has to offer! With the changing nature of winter in northern New England, that generally means a lot more biking and snowshoeing than skiing, much to Gordon’s chagrin. To chase that skiing, Gordon often heads out west or, increasingly, north to the Quebecois mountain range of the Chic Chocs for some backcountry terrain that stays cold.

By office|2024-03-19T01:13:16+00:00April 19th, 2023|Staff|

Darryl Wong

Executive Director, Center for Agroecology

Board Secretary / Vice Chair

Darryl Wong recently began his tenure in the newly created executive director role at the Center for Agroecology (CfA) in the summer of 2022. Previously, he was the CfA Research Lands Manager, a position he had held since 2013. Darryl has worked across the center’s production, education, and research programs, co-managing 10 acres of production fields, instructing beginning farmer and undergraduate agroecology courses, and collaborating on faculty field research. He is concurrently completing his Ph.D. in the Environmental Studies Department, focusing on soil health, regenerative agriculture and organic no-till systems in California. Darryl has farmed for over 15 years and spent 6 years owning and operating a diversified organic farm North of Santa Cruz.

By office|2024-06-18T18:20:34+00:00April 18th, 2023|Board|

Catherine Greene

Natural Resource Economist

Catherine Greene is a natural resource economist who pioneered and led research on the U.S. organic sector from 1988-2020 in USDA’s Economic Research Service. She initiated USDA’s first organic commodity analysis and farm sector surveys, and led research on organic production, marketing and policy. Catherine has received numerous government awards, including the USDA Plow Honor Award in 2011 and the National Association of Government Communicators Blue Pencil Award in 1995, as well “unsung hero” awards from industry and nonprofit groups. USDA publications include U.S. Organic Farming Emerges in the 1990s and Beyond Nutrition and Organic Labels—30 Years of Experience with Intervening in Food Labels. Catherine has an M.S. degree in Agricultural Economics and B.S. degree in Sociology from Virginia Tech.

By office|2024-06-18T18:20:42+00:00April 18th, 2023|Board|

Brian Geier (he/him/his)

Communications Contractor

Brian Geier has worked within organic agriculture for over 20 years. While he did not grow up on a farm, his interest was sparked when volunteering with the Landless Peasant Movement in Brazil as a teenager. In college, he studied under Marianne Sarrantonio in the Sustainable Agriculture program at the University of Maine. Following seasonal internships at various crop/livestock farms, he worked under Dr. Michael Bomford on soil-borne disease control in organic vegetable systems at Kentucky State University. He has 8 years experience as a small farm operator and with commercial, organic, value-added processing, and was a co-founder of the Organic Association of Kentucky. In recent years, Brian worked with land-based non-profits with a focus on education programs, including White Oak Farm and Education Center and the Vesper Meadow Education Program. He currently lives on a farm in Indiana near Louisville and is launching a farm-based non-profit focused on land-connected crafts with his partner. When Brian isn’t in the office, you can most likely find him out on the farm or hiking near water, or, just as likely, in the water.

By office|2024-06-18T18:22:31+00:00March 3rd, 2023|Contractors|

Elizabeth Tobey (she/her/hers)

Communications Contractor

Elizabeth Tobey (she/her) is a farmer and freelance communications contractor. She is motivated by a deep desire to connect people to the land on which they live and believes that we all have a responsibility to care for the earth and each other. Elizabeth grew up an unschooled youth, learning alongside her family’s goats, chickens, ducks, vegetable gardens, and fruit trees. Her background includes immersive studies of organic agriculture, permaculture, intentional community development, natural building, dance, yoga, and creative nonfiction writing, and she holds a degree in Sustainable Community Development from Prescott College, with a focus on Mentoring Future Generations. She has extensive experience as an educator in both indoor and outdoor settings, with preschoolers through adults.

In 2022 she and her partner moved to the traditional homelands of the Shawnee in what is now known as Southern Indiana, and launched Bundle Sticks Farm and Education Center, a nonprofit focused on land-connected craft. On the farm and in all life Elizabeth honors the complexities of power and privilege and is committed to ongoing learning around how to be a better ancestor, ally, and activist. When she’s not at work in front of a computer, or out tending to the land, you’ll likely find her cooking delicious food to share with friends.

By office|2024-06-18T18:22:40+00:00March 3rd, 2023|Contractors|

Mark Schonbeck

Research, Education & Policy

Mark Schonbeck has worked for 31 years as a researcher, consultant, and educator in sustainable and organic agriculture. He has participated in on-farm research into mulching, cover crops, minimum tillage, and nutrient management for organic vegetables. For many years, he has written for the Virginia Association for Biological Farming newsletter and served as their policy liaison to the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. He has also participated in different research projects to analyze, evaluate and improve federally funded organic and sustainable agriculture programs. In addition, Mark offers individual consulting in soil test interpretation, soil quality and nutrient management, crop rotation, cover cropping, and weed management.

By office|2024-06-18T18:22:47+00:00March 3rd, 2023|Contractors|

Ashley Dulaney (she/her/hers)

Communications Director

ashley[at]ofrf.org

Ashley Dulaney brings a decade of strategic marketing expertise to her role as Communications Director at OFRF. She has extensive experience across various sectors, including higher education and for-profit industries, giving her a strong understanding of effective communication strategies. Her passion lies in creating impactful content and campaigns that resonate with diverse audiences. As Communications Director, Ashley is committed to raising awareness of organic farming research, education, and advocacy efforts. She leverages her skills to connect with organic producers, researchers, and partners, amplifying their efforts toward a thriving organic farming future.

Beyond her professional endeavors, Ashley is deeply passionate about environmental sustainability and community engagement. She is an active member of her city’s Climate Task Force, where she contributes her expertise to help achieve New York State Climate Smart Community (CSC) and Clean Energy Community (CEC) goals. Additionally, Ashley serves as a board member of the Lake Champlain chapter of Trout Unlimited, advocating for the conservation and preservation of local ecosystems. Outside of work, Ashley finds joy in gardening, cooking, and believes in the power of food to bring people together. She also enjoys spending time outdoors, especially trail running, hiking, camping, and canoeing through the Adirondack Park.

By office|2024-06-18T18:22:55+00:00March 1st, 2023|Staff|

Leah Lawson (she/her/hers)

Partnerships & Development Director

email: leah[at]ofrf.org

Leah Lawson has been an active and passionate advocate for an equitable food system that uplifts communities and reinvigorates the land for the past decade. She fell in love with agriculture while working on a process evaluation in a small farming community in Maharashtra, India, as part of her Masters’ degree in International Development. The combination of regenerative practices and community-led action left a deep impression on her work. Since then, she has built skills in grant writing, fundraising, board structure, strategic planning, project management, and facilitation, which she uses to further the creation of a strong and inclusive food system.

Leah lives in Chicago, where she has worked for organizations that serve rural and urban farmers, including Angelic Organics Learning Center, one of her favorite places in northern Illinois. She enjoys board service and helping new and young organizations get their footing. She has served on the board of Advocates for Urban Agriculture and North Branch Projects, both community-based orgs. Currently, she sits on the board of Windy City ToolBank, an affiliate of ToolBank USA, where she is helping to establish programming that allows organizations in the region to participate in radical sharing; ensuring everyone has access to tools they need to create, improve, and care for their community.

By office|2024-06-18T18:23:11+00:00February 16th, 2023|Staff|

USDA Announces Organic Transition Initiative Investments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Funding toward Technical and Direct Farmer Assistance, Market Development

(August 22, 2022) – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the initial details on a historic $300 million investment in the Organic Transition Initiative. As part of its Food System Transformation Framework, the USDA is taking important steps toward supporting both organically-certified farmers and ranchers and producers who wish to transition into organic production. Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) has been working alongside policymakers and industry partners to advocate for this crucial investment that supports producers’ adoption of organic management while building a resilient and equitable food system.

“Organic farming brings environmental and economic benefits to communities across the country, but has historically been under-invested in,” said Brise Tencer, OFRF Executive Director. “This is a meaningful investment in key programs to support organic and transitioning farmers. We have advocated for these goals for many years and it is exciting to see them come to fruition.”

“We are expanding USDA’s support of organic farmers to help them with every step of their transition as they work to become certified and secure markets for their products,” said  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. The USDA’s announcement proposes four primary Organic Transition Initiative investments:

Transition to Organic Partnership Program: Up to $100M in wrap-around technical assistance for organic transition across six regions and includes farmer-to-farmer mentoring. This program will be managed by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS).
Organic Pinpointed Market Development Support: Up to $100M in organic supply chain improvements that provides more and better market options for producers seeking support in areas such as organic processing capacity and infrastructure, market access, and insufficient supply of certain organic ingredients. This program will be managed by USDA’s AMS.
Organic Management: $75M for Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to develop a new Organic Management conservation practice standard and offer financial and technical assistance to producers who implement the practice.
Transitional and Organic Grower Assistance (TOGA): $25M for USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) to support transitioning and certain certified organic producers in reducing cost related to crop insurance coverage.

The USDA’s Organic Transition Initiative programming directly responds to research findings in OFRF’s 2022 National Organic Research Agenda (NORA). Overwhelmingly, organic and transitioning-to-organic producers surveyed found “farmer-to-farmer networks and mentoring are by far the most effective ways to obtain and share information.” Additionally, finding and developing markets for organic products was a leading non-production challenge among organic farmers surveyed in the 2022 NORA report.

“We are thrilled to see this investment,” said Gordon N. Merrick, OFRF Policy & Programs Manager, but also added, “Importantly though, we must remember that this is Agency action with a limited time table. We are committed to making sure we see meaningful support for organic agriculture be codified in the Farm Bill in 2023, which is just around the corner.”

With the 2023 Farm Bill season beginning in earnest after the finish of August recess, Members of Congress will start introducing marker bills and staking out positions on important issues. OFRF will be working closely with its partners on Capitol Hill to ensure there are the necessary resources and organic research for producers to transition to or maintain organic farming systems as seamlessly as possible.

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About Organic Farming Research Foundation
Organic Farming Research Foundation works to foster the improvement and widespread adoption of organic farming systems. OFRF cultivates organic research, education, and federal policies that bring more farmers and acreage into organic production.
http://www.ofrf.org/

Policy Contact
Gordon Merrick, OFRF Policy & Programs Manager, gordon@ofrf.org

Media Contact
communications@ofrf.org