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Elmwood Stock Farm

October 31, 2018 – Elmwood Stock Farm is a 6th-generation family farm in Lexington, Kentucky that began as a producer of Black Angus breeding-stock cattle. The cattle are still an important part of the farm ecosystem and farm business, though over the past decade the family has branched out to produce a variety of organic vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs, and cornmeal. Organic certification and close family involvement ensure that safe and sustainable farming practices are followed, livestock are well cared for, and land and water conservation remain a priority.

Today, farm owners, Cecil and Kay Bell reside and farm full-time at Elmwood. Cecil oversees his Black Angus cattle herd, makes hay, and maintains pastures, barns and on-farm construction projects. Cecil’s son, John Bell, and his wife, Melissa Bell, oversee all of the vegetable production, are partners in the cattle herd, and raise pastured pigs. John’s sister, Ann Bell Stone, and her husband, Mac Stone, maintain the organic poultry, sheep flock, and CSA pickups of Elmwood products. Mac’s tours of the farm help visitors understand where their food comes from and what it takes to be successful farmer. Mac served two terms on the OFRF board from 2005-2010.

Elmwood Stock Farm began transitioning to organic around 2000 and it took them about 12 years to get their 575 acres shifted over. Now Mac says everything they do is certified organic or they don’t do it. “My brother-in-law had gone off to to college, studied abroad, and come back to farm with his dad,” Mac explains. “When he had a bug or disease problem, he’d figure out what he should spray, but didn’t like the idea of having to wear a respirator to drive a tractor on his fields. And, he was smart enough to recognize that the spraying was still just a band aid. He was looking at more long-term solutions like rotations and cover crops. Parallel to that, my wife was selling at the farmers’ market. The customer engagement about organic and pesticides brought them to the common goal of eliminating pesticides for both reasons.

“We give tours of the farm and it’s all about how organic works and the biology behind it. The premise for our farm tours was that the people we know and love were making really bad food choices. The tours have been really well received and people always go away with a different image of food and farming.”

The tours also play an important role in educating consumers on the integrity of organic. “When I explain how the certification process works, with the inspections and audit trails, people are shaking their heads, they have no idea. It’s more stringent than a health inspection at a restaurant. I share the process in a way so it’s not, oh look what I have to do, but look what I get to do.”

The family farms about 55 acres of vegetables each year, keeping the rest either in hay or pasture, which is very integral to the produce production. They have an eight-year crop rotation with five years of alfalfa for hay, then vegetable crops for three, then back to alfalfa for five.

Elmwood’s CSA includes about 600 members and they do four farmers’ markets on weekends. They also maintain a few restaurant and retails accounts, but it’s not a big volume for them.

We have 11 workers from the H2A guest worker program and another 12-15 for farmers’ markets and delivery. “It is skilled labor and we were glad to see our workers come back this year,” says Mac. “We were nervous about it.”

When asked what his most value able resource was when he began farming organically, Mac says OFRF was a groundbreaker. “Back then, organic was a sore word, in Kentucky anyway. There were just a handful of organic farmers. I didn’t care if people snickered, I knew it was the way I wanted to farm. But, truthfully, OFRF was a legitimate information supplier and you could have confidence in their information.”

Things have improved over time says Mac. “Now we are able to communicate a lot better. Three universities have certified organic acreage, so that really helps. As kids are graduating out of those programs, they’re getting jobs and legitimizing it. We’re starting to build a little steam.”

What role does research play on the farm today? “We’re in a little inside state debate, where some are saying that organic is starting to suck all the resources,” says Mac. “But so much of it is transferrable to commercial vegetable growing—whether you’re selling organic or not. Why not improve your soil health? Why not rotate crops? Still some of the basic organic documentation has to be done at each different place. We’re out here on our own and we don’t have the tech guides and tech services available to affirm how these complex systems can work. It’s not just whether a certain chemical works. It’s so important to verify how plants and insects respond.”

“We have a soil scientist from the University of Kentucky doing a research project on our farm now. She’s evaluating the microbial health in our eight-year crop rotation. We’re asking several questions. Are we slowly mining our soils or are we keeping pace? As production grows to meet demand and we go to more plant intensive farming, is the next generation going to be as fertile as it is now? Her data is showing that we’re keeping up, we’re building soil and sequestering carbon. It’s affirming what we’re seeing, but to know it, not just think it is a really big deal. We’re in about year five, but because of the way we rotate, she can see all eight years every year. She’s got five years of each set of data, so she’s pretty confident.”

Mac thinks the demand for organic will continue. “I have three daughters with young children and that generation is driving the market,” he says. “Our customer base is younger than it used to be. As more and more information comes out, it’s a matter of time. Once the true value of our nutrient dense organic foods becomes available, and that knowledge is more pervasive, our kale will be more valuable in the marketplace than pesticide laden kale. We’re just at the cusp I think.”

Wrapping up the conversation, Mac offers his top three reasons to go organic: 1) grass fed organic meat and dairy products are heart healthy. It’s been scientifically proven; 2) the balance of nutrients in the soil makes for a healthier plant biome, which in turn makes for a healthier human biome; 3) that same balance of nutrients will bring with it flavors and flavor profiles that you can’t get with simple chemical production of food.

By |2020-01-08T18:14:16+00:00October 31st, 2018|Farmer Stories, News|

USDA Organic Research Program Stalled Until New Farm Bill Passes

October 26, 2018 – With the expiration of the 2014 Farm Bill on September 30, 2018, Congress allowed a wide range of important food and farm programs to also expire. These programs lost their authority to operate, and in some cases their funding. Among the programs thrown into limbo by this delayed Farm Bill is the main competitive organic research grant program at USDA, the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI).

While, USDA was able to make organic research grants for 2018 (a more detailed overview of 2018 projects can be found here for OREI and here for ORG projects), OREI is now stranded without funding or authorization until a new Farm Bill is passed into law. While the ORG program is subject to annual Congressional appropriations, it is a much smaller program compared with OREI. Next year’s appropriations package has also not been passed by Congress.  This means, that until a new Farm Bill is signed into law, research for organic farming systems will slow to a trickle, and could stop completely.

This is a challenge for farmers who rely on OREI and ORG-funded research to address pest, disease, supply chain, and other barriers to organic production, and one that OFRF has been working hard to overcome. For almost three decades OFRF has been on the forefront of the organic movement, awarding $3.2M in research grants across the United States. Our research projects have resulted in scientific improvements in plant breeding, soil health, water use, and carbon sequestration. Many of our grant recipients have used initial OFRF awards to leverage significant additional funding from state and federal programs such as OREI. Funding innovative work at the early stages becomes and enhanced and very impactful when researchers are able to grow their programs and continue to work at a larger scale.

Donate to support OFRF’s organic programs. As a result of OFRF’s research, education, and outreach efforts thousands of farmers have taken advantage of cutting-edge research and trainings. This is more important than ever with the expiration of the Farm Bill.

With Congress unlikely to return to Washington, DC before the November elections, our focus is to help pass a good, bipartisan Farm Bill before the end of 2018. In a sweeping show of bipartisanship, the Senate voted 86-11 to pass their well-rounded version of the Farm Bill. However, negotiations have stalled and we are running out of legislative days left 2018.

Now is the time to rally around adopting a new bill this year. We urge members of Congress to pass a Farm Bill based on the Senate version, which included historic support for several key organic programs. At this point, even a short-term Farm Bill extension may leave key organic programs without any funding.

By |2020-01-08T18:14:16+00:00October 26th, 2018|News|

OFRF at SupplySide West

October 26, 2018 – SupplySide West is coming up in Las Vegas November 6th through the 10th. OFRF’s Executive Director, Brise Tencer, will be speaking on “The State of Organic” on Friday, November 9th at 11:30 as part of Esca Bona at SupplySide West Education, a platform to engage and serve companies working to create a better food system.

Leading up to the event, Brise was interviewed by Heather Granato, Vice President of Content for SupplyWide West for their Healthy Insider Podcast. Among other things, they discuss:

  • Steps that companies can take to support domestic organic production, meeting consumers’ interest for “local” products with a traceable supply chain.
  • Why it’s important for a full supply chain partnership to support farmers to get through the three-year transition period to certified organic production.
  • The importance of effective communication and education for consumers about organic, and how that could further bolster sales of those products.

Listen to the podcast here.

By |2020-01-08T18:14:16+00:00October 26th, 2018|News|

New Study Associates Organic Diet with Reduced Risk of Cancer

October 25, 2018 – A new study reported in the New York Times on October 22nd examines the relationship between an organic food-based diet and cancer risk. Funded entirely by public and government funds at the Center of Research in Epidemiology and Statistics Sorbonne Paris Cite, researchers collected data for five years on the consumption frequency and dietary intake of 68,946 French adults, primarily women.

They concluded that a higher frequency of organic food consumption was associated with a reduced risk of cancer. The most frequent consumers of organic food had 25 percent fewer cancers overall than those who never ate organic. Participants that ate the most organic foods had a significant drop in the incidence of lymphomas and postmenopausal breast cancers.

Although more research is needed to confirm these findings, choosing organic is a good idea for many reasons and one we’re behind wholeheartedly!

Reach the full report.

By |2020-01-08T18:14:16+00:00October 25th, 2018|News|

On-farm Assessment of Melon and Cucumber Seedstocks for Downy Mildew and Bacterial Wilt

On-farm Assessment of Melon and Cucumber Seedstocks for Downy Mildew and Bacterial Wilt

Photo of bacterial wilt in a muskmelon plant

Edmund Frost, Common Wealth Seed Growers

Farmers throughout the Eastern U.S. cite Bacterial Wilt and Downy Mildew as key limiting disease issues for melon and cucumber production.

Impact: New resistant varieties that have the potential to make management easier, decrease losses, and extend the harvest period.

See full grant

By |2020-09-09T20:29:43+00:00October 18th, 2018|Grant Award|

Effect of Biosolarization and Cover Crops on Weeds and Soil-borne Pathogens

Effect of Biosolarization and Cover Crops on Weeds and Soil-borne Pathogens

Ashraf Tubeileh, California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California

As the negative health and environmental effects of chemical soil fumigation become more apparent, there is a critical need for safe, alternative methods of soil fumigation to control weeds.

Impact: Proven organic method to control annual and perennial weeds, particularly in no-till systems.

By |2020-01-08T18:14:16+00:00October 18th, 2018|Grant Award|

New Webinar Series on Soil Health in the Western U.S.

October 11, 2018 – Please join OFRF and eOrganic for a series of eight free webinar trainings on organic farming and soil health in the Western U.S. The webinars will target agricultural professionals including Extension personnel, other agency personnel, and agricultural consultants in an effort to increase expertise in organic practices that promote soil health.

As a complement to OFRF’s Organic Farming and Soil Health Guidebooks, this series will highlight soil health research and practices specific to the Western Region. The goal is to address the need for region-specific resources and knowledgeable Extension services related to organic soil health, biology, nutrient cycling, and more.

Dr. Mark Schonbeck of OFRF will be joined by experts in the Western Region to review the most recent soil health research and practices relevant to the Western Region. The webinars will provide an overview of the topic, best practices for the Western Region, in-depth analysis of the latest research, and an extensive question and answer session after each presentation.

View the webinars:

– Ecological Nutrient Management for Organic Production in the Western Region

– Ecological Weed Management for the Western Region

– Practical Conservation Tillage for Western Region Organic Cropping Systems

– Selecting and Managing Cover Crops for Organic Crop Rotations in the Western Region

– Breeding New Cultivars for Soil-enhancing Organic Cropping Systems in the Western Region

– Preparing for Drought: the Role of Soil Health in Water Management in Organic Production

– Meeting Weather Challenges in the Western U.S.: Organic Practices to Mitigate and Prepare for Climate Change

– Soil Biology for the Western Region: Organic Practices to Recruit and Nurture Beneficial Biota in the Soil

By |2020-01-08T18:14:16+00:00October 11th, 2018|News|

More than 1,100 Scientists Oppose USDA Agency Moves

October 1, 2018 – More than 1,100 scientists and economists from across the country sent a letter to congressional leaders today, opposing the Trump administration’s proposal to reorganize and relocate key research branches at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The proposed changes threaten scientific integrity at the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and could further marginalize their critical research from policymaking, according to the letter. If Secretary Perdue’s plans are realized, the ERS and NIFA will be relocated from their current offices in Washington, DC, and the ERS will be transferred to the aegis of the Office of the Chief Economist, which reports to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue.

The outcry from scientists comes on the heels of a letter last week from Secretary Perdue defending the plan to a bipartisan pair of Senate leaders who have also questioned it. Responding to Senators Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Perdue claimed—without providing evidence—that relocating researchers outside of Washington, DC, would attract highly qualified staff and foster closer collaboration between researchers and stakeholders. More likely is that the move would have the opposite effect. Many NIFA and ERS staff are drawn to the national capital region, where they can work alongside legislators and other federal agencies, and more seamlessly integrate agriculture research with the greater national science community.

“As a former national program leader at NIFA and a farmer, I have firsthand experience of how the USDA serves customers,” said Diana Jerkins, research director at the Organic Farming Research Foundation. “Stakeholders travel to DC to meet with NIFA, ERS and other government officials including members of Congress, all in a single trip. If NIFA and ERS are moved, it will make interaction with these agencies more challenging. Additionally, the ability of these research agencies to work on joint programs, collaborate with other researchers and government officials and serve the customers of USDA—it would be greatly diminished.”

The signers also worry that moving ERS from the Research, Education and Economics (REE) mission area will undermine the agency’s work to objectively collect and analyze data on issues ranging from agriculture and conservation to food and rural development.

“The mission of ERS is to generate research free from the ideological positions of a particular administration,” said Ricardo Salvador, senior scientist and director of the Food and Environment Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. “Placing ERS in the Secretary’s office means that ‘inconvenient’ data can be more readily suppressed or manipulated.”

Recent nonpartisan ERS analyses have undercut Trump administration messaging on issues including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, trade agreements, climate change, the Clean Water Act and crop insurance.

“ERS produces valuable analysis to inform policy decisions with real impacts on farmers, consumers, rural communities and the natural resources we all depend upon,” said Carol Adaire Jones, a former associate director of the agency’s Resource and Rural Economics Division and now a visiting scholar at the Environmental Law Institute. “Congress should act to preserve its mandate and protect its integrity.”

The scientists’ letter calls for congressional committees with jurisdiction over the USDA and its budget to delay the reorganization until agency employees, federal researchers, Congress and other stakeholders have been given the opportunity for input into the process. Other recommendations include keeping the ERS within the REE branch of the USDA, and ensuring that the agency continues to have access to data and statistical resources.

The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous, independent science to work to solve our planet’s most pressing problems. Joining with people across the country, we combine technical analysis and effective advocacy to create innovative, practical solutions for a healthy, safe and sustainable future. For more information, go to www.ucsusa.org.

The Organic Farming Research Foundation delivers valuable tools and resources that help farmers improve agricultural practices, ecological sustainability, and economic prosperity. Through research, education, and advocacy we are creating resilient and sustainable agriculture systems that support vibrant communities and a healthy planet.

By |2020-01-08T18:14:16+00:00October 1st, 2018|Press Release|

Passage of New Farm Bill Unlikely to Meet Deadline

September 25, 2018 – Congress has less than a week to pass a new Farm Bill before the current law expires on September 30th. With the Ag Committee negotiators far apart on major issues, the chances of a Farm Bill getting done on time are slim.

The last time this happened, in 2012, Congress passed short term extensions to keep Farm Bill programs running. This time, an extension of current law isn’t being considered yet. Both Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts and ranking member Debbie Stabenow have suggested an extension may not be necessary until the end of 2018 because much of the existing policies would not revert to decades-old law until the start of 2019.

With a new Congress scheduled to meet on January 3rd if a Farm Bill isn’t passed by then, both the House and Senate would need to reintroduce the legislation and take another vote. This would, in essence, start the Farm Bill process all over again.

Major conservation initiatives, for instance, would be in a tough spot as would dozens of other programs. Here are the organic programs that would be affected.

Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI)
OREI is a USDA competitive grants program dedicated to organic agriculture research. This program is in jeopardy. Until another Farm Bill is passed the USDA will be unable to administer any grant programs through OREI, unless a short-term extension is passed that explicitly includes additional funding for this program.

While both the House and the Senate bills increase funding for OREI, only the Senate bill increases funding up to establish permanent baseline funding for the program. This means funding for OREI would increase annually to $50 million and ensure permanent investments in the future of organic agriculture.

OREI has a proven track record of addressing the unique research challenges that organic farmers and processors face. Investing in organic research is central to the goal of increasing domestic production of organic crops to better meet expanding demand.

Organic Certification Cost Share
Organic certification verifies that a farm or handling facility complies with USDA organic regulations and allows the certified operation to use the USDA organic seal. In order to be certified organic, farmers must go through a rigorous annual organic certification process, which can be expensive. Organic certification cost share assistance can help small and mid-sized organic farm businesses afford annual certification costs, which range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars.

The National Organic Certification Cost Share Program (NOCCSP) provides organic farmers with of up to $750 reimbursement to cover a portion of their annual certification fees. The House bill eliminates all Farm Bill funding for National Organic Certification Cost Share Program, while the Senate bill renews existing funding of $11.5 million annually for the program.

Until a new farm bill is passed, there will be no additional funds available for NOCCSP, and it is unclear if USDA will continue to administer the program.

Organic Production and Market Data Initiative (ODI)
ODI is a USDA initiative between the Economic Research Service, National Agriculture Statics Service, and the Agricultural Marketing Service. The initiative collects market and production data that supports risk management as well as providing vital information on market and production trends. Both the House and Senate bill provide $5 million in mandatory funding for this program. If a farm bill is not passed, this program may be able to limp along at a much lower funding levels through agricultural appropriations. However, without a Farm Bill funding renewal, much of the organic data collection and reporting that supports the growth and development of the organic sector will be lost.

Organic import Fraud
Both the House and Senate versions of the Farm Bill include increased organic import enforcement authority, along with $5 million in one-time mandatory funding to improve import tracking systems. These changes are necessary to increase the oversight responsibilities and resources for the National Organic Program (NOP). Without a Farm Bill, the USDA will not have the expanded resources and increased authority to protect the integrity of the organic sector.

OFRF urges congress to pass a full Farm Bill as quickly as possible, taking into full account the leadership Senate has shown on organic research and cost share funding. If a Farm Bill is not passed before January 2019, organic programs must be included in an extension or many critical programs that farmers and communities rely on will grind to halt.

By |2020-01-08T18:14:16+00:00September 25th, 2018|News|

Expo East – Braving the Storm

September 19, 2018 – By Tim Schultz, Vice President of Research & Development for Lundberg Family Farms and OFRF Board Member

This year’s Natural Products Expo East in Baltimore began with a flurry of excitement as Hurricane Florence headed for the Southeast Coast of the United States. Early in the week, the Governor of Maryland declared a state of emergency in anticipation of potentially devastating wind, rain, and storm surge. By the time the show opened, it was pretty clear the storm and its horrendous damage, would be focused much further south, and the show continued on, though many registrants decided not to brave the elements.

Wednesday started with a big statement from the Organic Trade Association, which placed a full page ad in the Wall Street Journal, listing all of the prohibited chemicals in the National Organic Program. This was in response to many false and misleading articles and editorials about the state of organic in the US. It was a bold move by OTA, and generated quite the buzz at the show.

Wednesday afternoon, the Harvest Festival, got into full swing on the terrace of the Baltimore Convention Center, with many companies exhibiting their latest and greatest organic products, and a few organizations, like OFRF, sharing its work to advance organic farming. I was joined by Stephanie Henry at the OFRF booth, and shared the work being done by OFRF, as well as the excellent literature we publish. There was a lot of enthusiasm for OFRF’s Soil Health Webinar Series expressed by folks who stopped by the booth, and great appreciation for the Soil Health Guidebooks OFRF has published.

Wednesday night was topped off with the OTA Awards Dinner, recognizing some distinguished organic leaders, including Margaret Scoles, Javier Zamora, and Stephanie and Blake Alexandre. The stories they shared reminded me of why I love this industry, how committed its participants are to making a better world, and the shared passion so many folks have in expanding the reach of organic.

The formal show kicked off Thursday morning, and the halls were buzzing with excitement. Lots of great educational tracks were available to participants. CCOF had a luncheon for its Foundation that supports beginning organic farmers, and we were treated to another heartfelt story from one of its scholarship recipients, Shannon Good, who shared how the grant is helping her dream of having an organic dairy come true. It is really inspirational to see the remarkable young people coming up who will take on the continued expansion of organic in the years ahead. Thursday evening was a fun time to contribute to another good cause, the Organic PAC, with an awesome R&B band, Affirmative Groove, providing an outstanding sound track for the participants to enjoy. Lots of good dancing by all, including Miles McEvoy showing us his best moves! The event set a record for attendance, and had an excellent representation of twenty-somethings!!

Friday morning, I had the privilege of staffing OFRF’s table outside of the morning’s keynote presentations, along with six other not-for-profit organizations. Lots of talented and passionate people are contributing to the organic movement, from research to certification to supporting new farmers, and I was proud to be able to represent OFRF in that line-up.

By Friday, it was clear that the theme of “hot products” at the show was hemp, and all things related to it. Senator McConnell (R-KY) seems to have become quite the advocate for hemp farming, and if the number of products featuring some hemp derivative was any indication, there should be quite a demand for organic hemp in the years to come. Always good to see more crops coming online for American farmers, to help diversify their options and make farming more viable.

The show wrapped-up on Saturday, and while attendance was down, enthusiasm was high, as was optimism for the future of organic. The next Expo East show will be in Baltimore September 12-14, 2019, and then the following year, in Philadelphia, as the Baltimore Convention Center will be closed for a much needed renovation. I’m looking forward to seeing my organic friends and colleagues again in March at the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, and joining OFRF with its annual fund raising luncheon to kick off the show.”

Ed. Note: Congratulations to Tim for winning OTA’s 2018 Member of the Year award! All of us at OFRF are honored to have the opportunity to work with such a fantastic champion of organic agriculture.

 

 

By |2020-01-08T18:14:16+00:00September 19th, 2018|News|
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