OFRF in Texas: A Researcher and Extension Regional Meetup, in the Heat!

By Maia Garby, Research & Education Junior Fellow

This summer, OFRF staff members converged in San Marcos, Texas to attend the Southern Family Farmers & Food Systems (SFFFS) Conference.

Despite the 100+ degree weather, farmers, ranchers, researchers, technical service providers, and organic consumers from across the state and beyond congregated at Texas State University for several days of learning, networking, and discussion.

As part of OFRF’s ongoing efforts to facilitate relationship-building and collaboration between individuals working within the organic sector, OFRF’s Rebecca Champagne (Conservation Scientist) and Maia Garby (Research & Education Junior Fellow) co-facilitated a Researcher and Extension Regional Meetup (RERM) at the conference.

What are the Researcher and Extension Regional Meetups (RERMs), and why are they important?

Researcher and Extension Regional Meetups (RERMs) are dedicated spaces for researchers, extension personnel, and technical service providers to network at regional agricultural conferences. These unique sessions were developed in response to feedback from organic researchers that (1) meeting other organic researchers/professionals within a region can be difficult, and (2) organic research is frequently left out of broader ag conversations.

These meetups provide a structured space and time for organic professionals, as well as those interested in organic, to:

Connect and exchange contact information;
Learn from one another about ongoing research projects;
Hear from technical service providers about the challenges currently being faced by organic producers in the region;
Identify knowledge and policy gaps;
Brainstorm future collaborations;
…and so much more!

Farmers are also welcome and encouraged to attend, as these sessions provide an excellent opportunity to meet local service providers and potentially connect with university researchers looking for organic farmers to participate in on-farm research trials.

Rebecca Champagne (left) and Maia Garby (right) setting up for the Southern Family Farmers & Food Systems (SFFFS) Conference Research and Extension Regional Meetup in San Marcos, Texas, August, 2026.

How does a RERM work?

Every RERM begins with introductions and refreshments, followed by short federal policy updates. Policy updates may cover topics including: (1) how/when to apply for federal research grants through the USDA’s Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) and Organic Transitions Program (ORG), (2) Farm Bill and/or Agriculture Appropriations updates, and (3) participant advocacy opportunities, such as OFRF’s free, virtual Communicating with Legislators Course.

Afterwards, the floor is opened for structured networking, during which attendees may be sectioned into smaller groups. Participants are provided with a short list of prepared discussion questions to guide conversation, although they are encouraged to use these questions as launching points for deeper, more personalized discussions.

Sample discussion questions from the Texas RERM included:

What research projects are you or your colleagues currently working on (or recently completed)? What are some of the biggest takeaways from this work?

What are some of the most common production/non-production challenges that organic producers in your region deal with? Are there knowledge gaps pertaining to these challenges?

Where would you like to take your research next, and what resources would you need to make that happen? Is there a realistic collaboration within this room?

The Southern Family Farmers & Food Systems (SFFFS) RERM is the third of these unique sessions to take place in 2026. Other RERMs were conducted earlier this year, at the High Plains Organic Conference (Cheyenne, WY) and the Marbleseed Organic Farming Conference (La Crosse, WI), bringing together a combined 30+ organic researchers and professionals.

Small-group discussions at the Southern Family Farmers & Food Systems (SFFFS) Conference Research and Extension Regional Meetup in San Marcos, Texas, August, 2026.

A Snapshot of the SFFFS RERM: Who Attended, & What Was Discussed?

The Texas RERM attracted a variety of attendees, including researchers and extension staff from Texas A&M University, Tuskegee University, and Prairie View A&M University, business owners, and technical service providers from the USDA, but the majority were farmers.

As it turns out, most of these farmers were not certified-organic, although many had experience with sustainable and/or regenerative management practices. Their reasons for attending the session were to learn more about the organic sector (i.e., What separates a ‘certified organic’ farm from a non-certified farm that uses organic practices? What is the process for obtaining an organic certification, and what resources and/or funding are available for farmers beginning the transition to organic?).

In response to the farmer-driven attendance and interest in organic-sector resources, a portion of the discussion was spent presenting the resources available to organic/transitioning producers through the OFRF Homepage and the Organic Research Hub & Extension Directory.

Additionally, attendees were eager to learn more about how to conduct on-farm research. Two attendees had recently developed a commercial, organic soil amendment and were interested in finding farmers or university researchers to collaborate with for field-level product trials. Several others were farmers struggling to manage weeds on their farm without using synthetic products, and were curious in trialling alternative weed management strategies. These comments led to a discussion about OFRF’s Farmer’s Guide to Conducting On-Farm Research, as well as the Farmer-Led Trials (FLT) Program.

Conclusion

One of the most meaningful takeaways from the conference was that there is substantial interest among farmers, regardless of organic certification, in conducting on-farm research and trialling alternative agricultural practices (i.e. regenerative, organic).

Farmers are professional problem-solvers, whose observations and curiosity about their cropping systems form the foundation for farmer-led research. In Texas, it was evident that the demand for farmer-led research funding, support, and skill-building is there. Farmers want to know how to put their observation-based questions to the test, but need funding and technical assistance in order to do so.

Farming is a difficult profession, but it benefits when we foster collaboration among everyone in the agriculture sector. Organic production in particular has many complexities that require systems-based research and recommendations. Events like these Researcher and Extension Regional Meetups can help create a strong, active network of individuals and advance organic research and farming.

In addition to these RERMs, OFRF is now offering direct support to organic researchers and extension specialists with our Organic Research Amplification Services.

To stay up-to-date with the latest organic farming news, research updates, and opportunities for advocacy, sign-up to receive the OFRF newsletter at https://ofrf.org/get-involved/receive-news/!

By admin|2026-09-01T12:04:13-04:00September 1st, 2026|News|

Growing Perennials in the Pacific Northwest: Rodale Institute’s Summer Field Day

Written by Annika Sampson, OFRF’s Donor Stewardship & Engagement Manager

General Mills donated Cascadian Farms to Rodale in 2022 to become the site of their Pacific Northwest Center.

Nestled between the ice-blue Skagit River and the North Cascades foothills is Rodale Institute’s Pacific Northwest (PNW) Center. For decades, this 90-acre organic farm in Washington state was home to Cascadian Farm, General Mills’ organic grocery line. General Mills donated the farm site to Rodale in 2022, acknowledging the organization’s pivotal role in shaping the future of regenerative and organic agriculture. The site has a rich history–the original owner, Gene Khan, was an organic pioneer in the 1970s who changed the course of organic farming in Washington state.

Washington has a robust and growing organic food system. According to the Rodale Center, there are more than 900 certified organic farms in the state, representing 145,000 acres in certified organic production and $795 million in farmgate sales.

Decades of organic management, as well as current organic market conditions, have made the PNW Center a fertile ground for research, education, and outreach. In late July 2026, the Rodale team hosted a Field Day for local farmers, conservation district professionals, researchers, and regenerative stakeholders to learn more about their latest projects, including cover cropping, aronia, elderberry, and kiwi berry production, and hazelnut agroforestry. They hope these projects will inform and assist local farmers as they navigate increasing climate pressure (the Pacific Northwest faces wildfires, flooding, and drought) as well as manage pests and weeds.

Arianna Bozzolo, Western Region Research Director at Rodale Institute, has big dreams for Rodale’s impact on the region, driven by community. “I’m excited by the idea of being part of the community here. The center is relatively new, but people are really welcoming and looking forward to seeing us up and running, and understanding what we want to do.”

Field day participants walk the fields at Rodale's PNW Field Day.

Field day attendees tour Rodale’s perennial berry plantings.

One of the ongoing goals for the Center is to serve as a demonstration and research hub for farmers, showcasing organic and regenerative organic methods at work. Recently, the team PNW has established several new perennial plantings–aronia berries, elderberries, and hazelnuts–in addition to their established and beloved blueberry fields. Little research has been done on growing aronia in the region, but the initial results of the project look promising: “It has great potential.” Bozzolo reflects. “Our early observations are promising. Aronia is a hardy crop with relatively low water requirements, which makes it particularly interesting to evaluate for diversified perennial systems in this region.”

Rodale also strives to evaluate how organic and regenerative practices can support both environmental outcomes and farm viability. There’s a growing market for aronia berries and elderberries. Aronia is also attracting interest as a potential source of natural food colorants because of its high concentration of anthocyanins, and herbal and wellness companies increasingly seek domestic elderberries for their products. A representative from Mountain Rose Herbs, a supplier of organic herbs and botanicals, attended the Field Day to discuss the growing demand for domestically produced organic elderberries and the opportunity this emerging market could represent for regional growers. Bozzolo shares, “It’s a new market, and a really important one to have. [Mountain Rose Herbs] is a big company and they buy certified organic products and botanicals.”

The farm also has an established U-pick site, which Cascadian Farm ran for many years. “We have the blueberries, and they’re very, very well known. With crops such as raspberries, kiwi berries, and potentially aronia complementing the established blueberries, there may be opportunities to extend the U-pick season and diversify the farm’s direct-to-consumer offerings.”

These new and existing markets are a keystone of Rodale’s mission at the PNW Center. “Ideally, I’d like to see this be a farm that’s up and running as organic and regenerative, demonstrating to farmers that you can farm organic and regenerative and still have an income and support your crew and your employees,” Bozzolo says.

As the Field Day attendees strolled and nibbled their way through the u-pick blueberries, questions about soil health, weed management, and alley cropping floated through the air. As people shared about their own farms, projects, and ideas, it became clear–Rodale is well on its way to continuing the organic and regenerative legacy of this well-loved and well-tended land.

By Clare Boland|2026-08-26T10:11:37-04:00August 26th, 2026|Farmer Stories, News|

Navigating Parasite Management on an Organic Sheep Operation

Written by Mary Hathaway, OFRF’s Research & Education Program Manager, and Amy and Madeline Lucas, FLT Program participants

This on-farm trial at Chestnut Acres Farm will test the effectiveness of using an organic oral drench of black walnut powder, garlic powder, and molasses to reduce internal parasite-load in sheep. Results from this study will help organic farmers manage parasites while adhering to organic certification requirements.

Farmers Amy and Madeline Lucas pose with their lambs.

Source: Chestnut Acres Farm

Amy Lucas and her daughter Madeline with the lambs of Chestnut Acres Farms.

Nestled in the Tennessee Valley, in Kelso, Tennessee, Chestnut Acres Farm is a small, diversified family operation. Managed by the Lucas family, they specialize in three main areas: seasonal produce, pastured lamb, and free-range eggs. Central to their farm is a commitment to sustainable practices, including the cultivation of an organic orchard. They began the process of transitioning the land to organic in 2023; in early 2026 the farm completed organic certification inspection and now offers certified organic produce, eggs, and lamb to their community.

Organic Solutions to Parasite Challenges

One of the most persistent challenges facing small-scale organic sheep producers is managing internal parasites, particularly barber pole worm (Haemonchus contortus), without relying on conventional chemical dewormers. For the Lucas Family, this challenge became especially acute as they worked toward organic certification. Organic certifiers require that any product used on livestock be specifically labeled for use in that species, a restriction that eliminates many of the herbal and botanical products commonly discussed in the small-ruminant farming community.

Over the years, the Lucas Family have employed rotational grazing across 18 acres of pasture, moving the flock every three days in summer, and weekly in winter, as a key strategy to interrupt parasite life cycles. While this practice helps reduce pasture contamination, parasite pressure in young lambs remains a significant concern. Lambs begin consuming grass at just a few weeks of age, rapidly exposing them to infective larvae on the pasture. Finding an effective, certifier-approved intervention to reduce parasite loads during this vulnerable early period has been a persistent need on the farm.

After researching botanical options and consulting with their organic certifier, Madeline Lucas, with the help of her parents, identified an oral drench using a combination of black walnut powder, organic garlic powder, and organic molasses as a promising approach that could be approved for use on her certified operation.

On-Farm Trial Plan

With technical support from OFRF, Madeline and her parents designed a controlled on-farm trial to evaluate the effect of a black walnut/garlic/molasses drench on intestinal parasite load in lambs. The trial uses approximately 18 lambs born during the farm’s 2026 lambing season, organized into three groups (replications) based on birth date. Within each group of six lambs, three are randomly assigned to receive the herbal drench and three serve as untreated controls. Each lamb is individually tagged for identification, and birth weight, birth date, dam, and litter type (single or twin) are recorded.

Administration of the oral drench begins when each group reaches an average age of three weeks, a proactive starting point, before significant parasite burdens are expected, and is repeated on a four-week cycle for a total of three applications. Two weeks after each drench application, fecal egg counts (FECs) and FAMACHA scores are collected for every animal to measure treatment efficacy. To make regular fecal testing feasible and cost-effective, the farm has invested in equipment for in-house fecal analysis.

Oral Drench

Given at 2-4 weeks, 7-9 weeks, and 13-15 weeks. 13mL of solution per 10kg lamb weight.

Process:

Heat 900 mL of water to a boil.

Add 100 grams of garlic powder and 100 grams of black walnut, stir.

Add 300 mL of molasses, stir.

Yields 1300 mL of solution.

Trial Updates

The 2026 lambing season got underway in early March, and, as of summer 2026, the trial is now well into its final stretch. Data collection has proceeded across three groups of lambs, with the first two groups completing all three treatment and measurement cycles. Along the way, the team encountered several real-world complexities common to on-farm research: early fecal counts revealed the presence of multiple parasite egg types, including smaller eggs not typical of barber pole worm, prompting careful review of the data with OFRF staff. One lamb was lost due to complications following a routine veterinary procedure, and a late-season coccidia outbreak in the final group required treatment to protect animal health. Final data collection for the third group is expected to wrap up in August, with a full data review and analysis planned for early September.

A black lamb in the field in front of a white sheep.

Source: Chestnut Acres Farm

18 lambs were born during the 2026 lambing season.

“We are very thankful to the OFRF organization and staff for this opportunity. We learned a lot about fecal counting and the different organic parasite treatments we trialed. We have already identified some things we might do differently next year. It was overall a great experience!”

– Madeline Lucas, FLT Program Participant

Chestnut Acres_Farmer Madeline Lucas with Lamb_FLT_2026

Source: Chestnut Acres Farm

Farmer Madeline Lucas with a lamb that participated in the 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 Chestnut Acres Farm, visit their website or follow them on Facebook.

Learn more about OFRF’s Farmer-Led Trials Program

Meet the rest of the 2025 FLT Program Participants

By Clare Boland|2026-08-19T10:21:30-04:00August 19th, 2026|Farmer Stories, FLT Highlight, News, On-Farm Research|

Why Capacity Funding is Foundational for Organic Agricultural Research

By Vinnie Trometter, OFRF Policy Manager, and Gordon Merrick, former OFRF Policy Director

Both public and private investments in agricultural research are essential. But they play different roles, and the balance between them matters.

There’s a quiet assumption that has been increasingly showing up in a lot of policy conversations: if something is valuable, the private sector will figure it out. For organic agricultural research, that assumption quickly breaks down.

Private investment in agricultural research is, by necessity, focused on outcomes that support profitability, intellectual property development, and, ultimately, return on investment opportunities. Public agricultural research is fundamentally about the public good or for topics that private investment might view as difficult to capitalize. Both are vital for our agricultural system, but they are not interchangeable. Understanding and appreciating that difference is the reason publicly funded agricultural research remains essential for organic agriculture.

The characteristics of organic agriculture make it more suitable for public research investment than private. Organic agriculture is systems-based and prohibits the use of most synthetic fertilizers and agrochemicals, as required by the USDA National Organic Program (NOP). As a result, researchers in organic agriculture focus on topics like best management practices, cultivar development, localized pest management strategies, and other production priorities, often at regional levels. Unfortunately, private investment often does not look at these research themes as lucrative. For these reasons, organic research is primarily publicly funded.

OFRF staff tour University of Vermont’s Nordic Farm, which works in partnership with USDA ARS.

Our nation’s land-grant universities (LGU’s) are major sources of public agriculture research. Outside of competitive grants and cooperative agreements with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), they receive capacity grants distributed by the federal government with a one-to-one, non-federal, usually state, match. These grants are non-competitive and awarded on a formula basis to states to conduct agriculture research projects, with the formula being based on a state’s rural and farm populations across national averages.

For land-grant universities established in 1862, capacity funding for research comes through regular and multi-state Hatch Act funding, which supports state agriculture research stations and regional projects. The Evans-Allen Act provides federal funding for research programs at 1890 land-grant institutions, or Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s). 1994, or tribal land-grant institutions, receive funding through the Tribal College Endowment Program.

Hatch Act and Evans-Allens funding accounts for roughly 30% of all federal dollars received by land-grant universities to conduct agricultural research. Though, since these grants require one-to-one matching from non-federal sources, the total amount these grants disburse to land-grants universities is much larger.

Since capacity funding is meant to support broad agriculture research conducted at land-grant universities, capacity funding has a history of supporting organic agriculture research. However, it is hard to quantify the scope. Just having a project that contains organic research does not mean the whole project was dedicated to it. Regardless, capacity funding is an important source for public agriculture research, for all farmers—organic and non-organic—across the nation.

Public Agricultural Research Makes Outcomes That Markets Won’t

Public agricultural research frequently delivers outcomes that are indispensable to farmers, but are oftentimes unattractive to the private sector from a revenue-generating perspective. These include cultivar development, practice, input, or equipment evaluations, and localized pest management strategies.

Cultivar Development

When it comes to cultivar development, the details matter. The private sector generally focuses on the large commodities and maximizing production and compatibility with their inputs. Public-funded cultivar development operates with a different set of risk/value considerations. There are many examples of cultivars identified and developed through public breeding programs, especially for organic production.

One specific example of this is potato breeding in New York: plant breeders there focus heavily on resistance to golden nematode, a quarantine pest confined to just eight counties in the state. Because of coordinated public management and breeding efforts, the pest has remained geographically limited since it was first identified in 1941. All potatoes grown in New York must be golden nematode resistant. No private company breeds potatoes specifically for New York, meaning the only entity capable of maintaining this protection is the public potato breeding program at the LGU, Cornell University. Without it, growers could lose the ability to ship soil-bearing commodities well beyond potatoes, with ripple effects across vegetable and nursery sectors.

Cover crop research at the U.S. Agricultural Research Station in Salinas, California.

Practice, Input, and Equipment Evaluation

Evaluation of farm inputs, practices, and equipment can be incredibly valuable information for a farmer, and is another area where public research plays an outsized role. Fine-tuning seeding rates, fertilizer recommendations, or grazing strategies often leads to reduced input purchases. That’s good for farmers and ecosystems, but it doesn’t generate new product sales.

Similarly, decades of publicly funded research on cover cropping helped establish agronomic benefits long before robust private seed markets existed. Without that foundational work, many of today’s cover crop value chains would not exist at all.

Localized, Integrated Pest Management

Another highlight of the structural differences between publicly-and privately-funded research is integrated pest management (IPM). Best practices often involve management changes rather than purchases: crop rotation, timing adjustments, cover crops, and mechanical control. These approaches frequently reduce pesticide use; this is good for farmers, ecosystems, and long-term resilience, but not for product sales.

Private-sector research has focused on profitable technologies like genetically-engineered crops paired with proprietary chemicals. This has resulted in a predictable outcome of widespread herbicide resistance in weed populations. In contrast, public research remains one of the few avenues for exploring weed and pest management systems that reduce reliance on chemical inputs, precisely because these approaches don’t generate steady product revenue. You can’t patent a new way to plant cover crops, or hedgerows for pest management; therefore, businesses that aim to maximize shareholder value have no incentive to conduct this research.

What Happens if Capacity Funding is Cut

Congress and the White House have divergent perspectives on the importance of capacity funding for research under the Trump Administration. The President’s budgets for Fiscal Year 2026 and 2027 zeroed out all Hatch Act funding for agriculture research at 1862 land-grant universities. A federal budget that eliminates Hatch Act funding would not just trim around the edges of the U.S. agricultural research system: it would fundamentally destabilize it. Thankfully, Congress maintained Hatch Act funding for 2026 and proposed stable funding for 2027.

Without capacity funding, the baseline support that allows land-grant universities and agricultural research stations to maintain personnel, infrastructure, and long-term research programs cannot be sustained. These funds enable states to respond to regionally specific challenges, maintain breeding programs that span decades, and support beginning or applied research that is essential to farmers but unlikely to win private investment or competitive awards.

Eliminating capacity funding would create cascading effects across the entire research ecosystem. States would lose the flexibility to allocate research dollars based on local needs. Long-running cultivar development and pest management programs would be disrupted or shut down entirely. Faculty positions tied to applied research would disappear, narrowing the pipeline of expertise available to farmers and extension systems. Competitive grant programs, rather than filling the gap, would become harder to access as institutions lose the staffing and administrative capacity needed to apply for and manage them.

Perhaps most concerning, cutting capacity funding would accelerate an already troubling shift in the research landscape: away from farmer-driven, place-based, public-interest research and toward a system increasingly shaped by private incentives and short funding cycles. These conditions are not favorable for organic agriculture research. Once lost, this infrastructure is not easily rebuilt. Breeding programs, long-term trials, and regional research networks take decades to establish and only a single budget cycle to dismantle.

Capacity funding is not redundant or outdated. It is the connective tissue that allows public agricultural research to function as a coherent system. Removing it would weaken not only state and regional research, but the national research enterprise that depends on it.

Where This Leaves Us

In recent decades, U.S. public investment in agricultural research has declined as a share of total research & development (R&D), while private investment has grown. Internationally, we are seeing similar shifts. Between 2019 and 2021, China invested roughly twice as much public funding in agricultural R&D as the United States. According to Virginia Tech’s 2025 Global Agricultural Productivity (GAP), U.S. agricultural productivity growth slowed while countries like China, Brazil, and India continued to see gains.

The reasons for this slowdown are complex, but reductions in public research investment and shifts away from research that improves input efficiency and farm-level resilience are likely part of the story. Public agricultural research is not about replacing private innovation. It’s about ensuring that farmers have access to knowledge, tools, and systems that serve long-term productivity, resilience, and public benefit. Especially when those outcomes don’t align neatly with quarterly earnings.

If we want a food system that can adapt to climate stress, regional challenges, and evolving markets, sustained public investment in agricultural research isn’t optional. It’s foundational.

By Clare Boland|2026-08-11T10:47:54-04:00August 11th, 2026|News, Policy Corner|

The Senate Farm Bill Fails in Committee: What Happened and What Now?

By Vinnie Trometter, OFRF Policy Manager

When members of the Senate Agriculture Committee awoke on August 6, they already knew that the markup of their version of the Farm Bill was going to fail. However, after the vote, members left with a sense of optimism, even if the prospects of the Farm Bill passing this year had been given a potentially mortal wound.

What on earth happened? And what are the paths forward for organic research programs like the Organic Agriculture Research Extension Initiative (OREI) and the Organic Transitions Program (ORG), the only two programs dedicated to organic agriculture research at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)? We hope that this autopsy will give you an understanding about the lengths organic farmers, organic researchers, and OFRF went to promote organic research in the lead up to the markup, why the markup ultimately failed, and why the path forward could be beneficial for organic research.

SNAP Cost-Share Delay was the Main Hurdle

Democrats are demanding a two year extension of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cost-share as a condition to supporting a bipartisan Farm Bill. Prior to the Big Beautiful Bill, SNAP benefits were 100% paid for by the federal government. In an attempt to lower state SNAP error-rates (the percentage of SNAP benefits issued incorrectly by states), last year’s party-line Big Beautiful Bill pushed states to pay a cost-share if their error rates were above 6%. This cost-share would start on October 1, 2027. Most concerning for state coffers though, states would have to pay a threshold of either 5%, 10%, or 15% of total SNAP benefits if their error rates were not below the 6% threshold.

Since states have budgets that are not nearly as extensive as federal ones, many governors are debating whether they can withstand the fiscal shock.

In 2024, Pennsylvania had an error rate just under the 11% national average. Its governor questioned whether its budget could handle administering the program at all. This led Governor Josh Shapiro (D-PA) to declare a state of emergency so the commonwealth could prepare funds for a spike in food insecurity. Another example is Florida, which was one of four states that had an error rate of 15% and above in 2024. Despite its error rate decreasing the following year, the incoming Florida governor will be forced to pay nearly a billion dollars, doubling the state’s deficit.

Though the Republicans could have passed the Farm Bill out of Committee with a simple majority, the absence of Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made it necessary for the Farm Bill to be bipartisan. As a result, Committee Chair Senator John Boozman (R-AR) asked the White House to back a Farm Bill compromise around SNAP.

The compromise offered would have delayed the cost-share provision for states with a payment error rate of 6% or higher until fiscal year 2029. But it also raises the percentage that states need to pay if their error rates are 10% or higher in 2031 from 15% to 20%.

However this compromise was rejected by Democrats who argued that since six states with exceptionally high error rates received a two-year extension, all states should also be given an extension. Thus, the markup failed. Even though Chairman Boozman has stated that he intends to hold another vote after the August recess, it is unlikely that it will succeed unless more compromises are made.

Where Does This Leave Organic Research?

Efforts to increase investment in OREI and ORG through the Farm Bill derive from the flagship organic research bill, the Organic Science and Research Investment (OSRI) Act. This bill was supported by the vast majority of the Democrats on the Agriculture Committee. However, it had failed to gain Senate bipartisan support, mostly due to the fact that investing in organic research inherently costs money, which Chairman Boozman resists due to his intention in making the Farm Bill budget neutral.

The draft that the Senate was poised to markup did not include any additional investments in OREI or ORG. It also did not include first time authorization of ORG like the House Farm Bill. In the lead up to the markup, organic farmers, researchers, and universities had reached out to Senators on the Committee asking them to invest in the two programs. Amendments to the Farm Bill, which would have done so, were ready to be introduced, but held back when it became apparent that the markup was going to fail.

If more compromises are necessary to entice Democrats, that means the organic community has another chance to improve both programs. Even so, it is not a guarantee that investments in either of them will happen. However, the best chance to advance the bill was undoubtedly last week, since official business will be difficult before the midterm elections.

Ultimately, there is a very real possibility that the Farm Bill does not get done this Congress and will have to wait until at least 2027 to be complete. However, since more Democrats have been supportive of the OSRI Act than Republicans, perhaps any change in Congress after the midterms could improve the prospects of greater investment in organic research.

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By Clare Boland|2026-08-10T14:58:56-04:00August 10th, 2026|News, Policy Corner|

Two Oʻahu Farmers Share Wins & Challenges Accessing CSP Support

(Versión en español a continuación / Spanish version below)

Written by Mary Elizabeth Kidd, OFRF Communications Associate

OFRF is currently working to increase farmer and community awareness of the federal funding opportunities available to organic and transitioning farms.

As part of our work with the West region of the USDA’s Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP), we’re spotlighting two Hawaiʻi farms—Maigee Chang of Farm of the Fearless Monkey and Timothy Clark of Sunshine Farm Foundation—that received funding and support through the Natural Resource Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).

Their story offers a transparent look at what it’s really like to work with NRCS: the benefits, the obstacles, and the lessons they’ve learned. We hope other farmers can use their experience to navigate the process of applying for and implementing CSP contracts more easily.

Meet Maigee Chang of Farm of the Fearless Monkey

Farmer Maigee Chang smiling at her farm.

Source: Terri Dux, NRCS

Location: Kailua, Hawaiʻi (island of Oʻahu, Honolulu County)

Established: 2017

Acres: 2.25

Production: Okra, eggplant, pumpkin, ginger, turmeric, roselle/hibiscus, and perennials: ulu, dragonfruit, papaya, citrus, cacao, lilikoi, and jackfruit

Certification: Uses organic practices

Staffing: 2 volunteers (in exchange for living quarters)

Markets: CSA, a local organic grocery store, restaurants, and Facebook Marketplace; ulu is sold to a chip company

Social media: Instagram

Read more: Growing Organic at the Farm of the Fearless Monkey from the USDA’s Farmers.gov blog.

Meet Timothy Clark of Sunshine Farm Foundation

Farmer Timothy Clark and his family on a motorized cart transporting sugar cane.

Source: Sunshine Farm Foundation

Location: Mokulēʻia, Hawaiʻi (island of Oʻahu, Honolulu County)

Established: 2020

Acres: 15

Production: Mangoes, bananas, ulu, citrus, avocados, plus grazing animals including sheep, pigs, goats

Certification: Uses organic practices, not yet certified

Markets: Bananas are marketed through a neighboring farmer’s CSA

Social media: Facebook

About the Farmers

Maigee Chang (Farm of the Fearless Monkey) has lived in Hawaiʻi for over 30 years and came into her farming career after working at the intersection of local politics and agriculture, where she met farmers and attended farming workshops.

As her passion for farming grew, she found the land that would become Farm of the Fearless Monkey and set about getting the training and support she needed.

Maigee began her journey through the University of Hawaiʻi’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources program: GoFarm Hawaiʻi, where she connected with farmers, mentors, and Extension agents, and continued to strategically plug into support systems.

Source: Sunshine Farm Foundation

The entrance to Sunshine Farm Foundation.

Timothy Clark (Sunshine Farm Foundation) was born and raised in Florida and moved to Oʻahu in 2012, where he started farmwork via permaculture and permablitz projects, working in community and volunteering to plant food and forestry yardscapes in Hawaiʻi.

In 2020, he and his partners acquired the 15-acre land site, which they continue to develop to provide education and, eventually, food for those experiencing hunger. Their first farm, established in 2018, focused on education and permaculture practices.

Their current property is structured as a tenants-in-common ownership model with 27 farming plots and the goal of one day becoming an organic farming zone. Working with CSP has represented a supportive bridge in the journey towards wider production and becoming USDA-certified organic.

We recently spoke to Maigee and Tim about their experience as organic farmers navigating NCRS support systems. Below, we’re sharing the conversation and their valuable insight.

Why Organic?

Maigee (Farm of the Fearless Monkey): I don’t like spraying, and I don’t want any of that near my workers or me. Also, chemicals are very expensive.

I trained with OMRI-approved products; I’m comfortable using those, and they’re a lot simpler. I mainly use soap, neem, and BT (Bacillus thuringiensis, organic pest control); if something’s awry, I pull the plant and toss it. We do a lot of crop rotations and companion planting, and I’ve seen the effect of that. With mulching and healthy soil, my plants are stronger.

Tim (Sunshine Farm Foundation): Growing up, my father was a medical doctor who later moved into alternative medicine, focusing on supporting patients who had cancers with organic diets and homeopathic treatments. We always ate organic foods. When I started farming, I didn’t think that there was another way.

And working with the permaculture crew and kind of learning that methodology, and getting into agroforestry, you know, it was never a question of whether or not to use organic treatments for pests or fertilization.

We try to use permaculture and agroforestry designs that make pest management easier, such as attracting beneficial insects and utilizing native plants. This is where NRCS has been helpful.

Context & Challenges

Perennial peanut cover crop growing on a hillside.

Source: Farm of the Fearless Monkey

Perennial peanut cover cropping at Farm of the Fearless Monkey.

Maigee (Farm of the Fearless Monkey): The constant pest is the coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB), so we’re trying to address that using various techniques. We do netting around the crown of the tree, we keep our mulch piles covered and rotate them at least every two months, and send the chickens in to scratch through.

We’re in a spot that hasn’t been hit too hard by the recent flooding; the water flows off of our area. Those storms came when we were doing cover crop, which helped the cover crop, and we didn’t lose anything. The vetiver (cover crop) is great and stopped everything from a massive flow.

Tim (Sunshine Farm Foundation): We had about 100 coconut trees wiped out by the coconut rhinoceros beetle. So we’re doing a pilot program to see if we can control the beetle with about 60 dwarf coconuts in high tunnels with netting (supported by EQIP).

We had about three or four storms this spring (2026), which caused a lot of damage to our property. That said, we’re in a drought area on the island, and water supply and power are a concern.

Our main focus is planting drought-tolerant crops. Water can go out for several days when they’re fixing lines, so we’ve signed up for a backup storage and water-pump program through NRCS.

Working with NRCS

Application Process

Source: Farm of the Fearless Monkey

EQIP-funded hoop house with mulching at Farm of the Fearless Monkey.

Maigee (Farm of the Fearless Monkey): From working with the agriculture committee and then as secretary of the Waimānalo chapter of the Hawaii Farmers Union, I was familiar with NRCS representatives. I got a hoop house through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and then we started working on a conservation plan.

Getting through the CSP application process was straightforward. I knew what I wanted to do, it was covered by the program, and my CSP agent walked me through everything. It’s been a smooth process; she sends me documents and deadline reminders, so it feels manageable.

Tim (Sunshine Farm Foundation): I found CSP through research and initially found it difficult to navigate until I connected with the first in a series of very helpful representatives who helped me begin a windbreak program and subsequent plans. You have to persevere. Our first contract phase was three years ago; now we’re in the second year of our second contract.

Implementation

A row of banana trees and shrubs with fencing.

Source: Sunshine Farm Foundation

A row of banana trees and shrubs serves as a windbreak to protect crops at Sunshine Farm Foundation.

Maigee (Farm of the Fearless Monkey): We’re doing mulching and cover cropping and crop rotation, paid in bulk at the end of every year. For mulching, it was a five-year contract; payment started at $2,000 a year, then jumped to $4,000. Cover cropping started as a three-year contract, which has been renewed. The reimbursements mainly help cover labor costs for practices I’d do anyway.

Tim (Sunshine Farm Foundation): Our CSP contract includes $6,000 per year for five years ($4,000 cropland and $2,000 homestead), and practices include perennial cover crop (Bermuda grass) and establishing a native forestry zone.

We’re getting compost reimbursements (paying only for the delivery charges), and we have a contract to mulch over our orchard. It’s been great. And I was able to get a tree trimmer as well.

Outcomes & Challenges

Source: Farm of the Fearless Monkey

Mulching and labor was covered by CSP contract at Farm of the Fearless Monkey.

Maigee (Farm of the Fearless Monkey): My soil is amazing right now. The plants are really happy. Mulching has reduced water use, and soil testing showed a pH shift from acidic to alkaline, which changed my fertilizer approach.

One big challenge is soil testing, not just getting the tests, but shipping them to the mainland (Oregon) in refrigerated/cooler boxes within 24 hours, and the airport where we ship them from is almost an hour away. If we could do that locally, it would save a lot of hassle.

Tim (Sunshine Farm Foundation): We get support from everyone at NRCS, they’re great! They’ve really helped us navigate programs.

I am in a predicament, however, because when they came out to inspect, even though I had the animals and I had the orchard, we were categorized as orchard-only, meaning I can’t transition to my original plan of getting the animal management care, such as internal grazing fencing.

So we missed something there and can’t go back or risk losing the program and having to reapply. So we’ll complete the contract as is and then apply for this longer-term plan.

Advice to Farmers

Maigee (Farm of the Fearless Monkey): If farmers are considering applying for CSP, you should totally do it. One, because it’s good practice. And two, it’s a good program. For a farm of my size, it wasn’t that complicated.

Tim (Sunshine Farm Foundation): When you’re preparing the paperwork, be sure to think long term. Consider the next five years and what may need to be a part of your application.

I also recommend applying with as comprehensive a plan as possible, including multiple conservation practices, to potentially give your application a higher ranking and likelihood of success.

And don’t forget outreach to other farmers, we have to share what programs we’re benefiting from.

Next Steps & Resources

Interested in transitioning your farm for organic certification in the West/Southwest or beyond? Explore these key resources and connect with mentors, certifiers, and Technical Support Providers (TSP) near you.

Download a printable summary of the key takeaways for farmers to consider when applying to NRCS CSP in English (click here) and Spanish (click here).

Locating Support Providers and Mentors:

Organic Farming Research Foundation resources:

USDA resources:

Connect with OFRF:

Download Takeaways Factsheet

Dos agricultores de Oʻahu comparten sus logros y desafíos al acceder al apoyo del CSP del NRCS

Por Mary Elizabeth Kidd, asociada de comunicaciones

Como parte de nuestro trabajo con la región Oeste del Programa de Alianzas para la Transición a lo Orgánico (Transition to Organic Partnership Program, TOPP) del USDA, destacamos dos granjas de Hawaiʻi —Maigee Chang, de Farm of the Fearless Monkey, y Timothy Clark, de Sunshine Farm Foundation— que recibieron financiamiento y apoyo a través del Programa de Administración de la Conservación (Conservation Stewardship Program, CSP) del Servicio de Conservación de Recursos Naturales (NRCS).

Su historia ofrece una mirada transparente de lo que realmente implica trabajar con el NRCS: los beneficios, los obstáculos y las lecciones aprendidas. Esperamos que otros agricultores puedan aprovechar su experiencia para transitar más fácilmente el proceso de solicitar e implementar los contratos del CSP.

Conozca a Maigee Chang, de Farm of the Fearless Monkey

Source: Terri Dux, NRCS

Ubicación: Kailua, Hawaiʻi (isla de Oʻahu, condado de Honolulu)

Fundada: 2017

Superficie: 2.25 acres

Producción: Okra, berenjena, calabaza, jengibre, cúrcuma, roselle/hibisco, y perennes: ulu (fruta del pan), pitahaya, papaya, cítricos, cacao, lilikoi (maracuyá) y yaca

Certificación: Usa prácticas orgánicas

Personal: 2 voluntarios (a cambio de alojamiento)

Mercados: Agricultura apoyada por la comunidad (CSA), una tienda local de comestibles orgánicos, restaurantes y Facebook Marketplace; el ulu se vende a una empresa de snacks (chips)

Redes sociales: Instagram

Lea más: Growing Organic at the Farm of the Fearless Monkey del blog Farmers.gov del USDA.

Conozca a Timothy Clark, de Sunshine Farm Foundation

Source: Sunshine Farm Foundation

Ubicación: Mokulēʻia, Hawaiʻi (isla de Oʻahu, condado de Honolulu)

Fundada: 2020

Superficie: 15 acres

Producción: Mangos, plátanos, ulu (fruta del pan), cítricos, aguacates, además de animales de pastoreo como ovejas, cerdos y cabras

Certificación: Usa prácticas orgánicas, aún no certificada

Mercados: Los plátanos se comercializan a través de la CSA (agricultura apoyada por la comunidad) de un agricultor vecino

Redes sociales: Facebook

Sobre los agricultores

Maigee Chang (Farm of the Fearless Monkey) ha vivido en Hawaiʻi por más de 30 años y llegó a su carrera agrícola tras trabajar en la intersección entre la política local y la agricultura, donde conoció a agricultores y asistió a talleres de agricultura.

A medida que crecía su pasión por la agricultura, encontró el terreno que se convertiría en Farm of the Fearless Monkey y se dedicó a conseguir la capacitación y el apoyo que necesitaba.

Maigee comenzó su camino a través del programa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources de la University of Hawaiʻi: GoFarm Hawaiʻi, donde se conectó con agricultores, mentores y agentes de Extensión, y siguió integrándose estratégicamente a los sistemas de apoyo.

Timothy Clark (Sunshine Farm Foundation) nació y creció en Florida y se mudó a Oʻahu en 2012, donde comenzó el trabajo agrícola mediante proyectos de permacultura y permablitz, trabajando en comunidad y como voluntario para plantar alimentos y paisajes forestales en Hawaiʻi.

Source: Sunshine Farm Foundation

Entrada a Sunshine Farm Foundation.

En 2020, él y sus socios adquirieron el terreno de 15 acres, que siguen desarrollando para brindar educación y, con el tiempo, alimentos para las personas que padecen hambre. Su primera granja, fundada en 2018, se centró en la educación y las prácticas de permacultura.

Su propiedad actual está estructurada como un modelo de propiedad en común (tenants-in-common) con 27 parcelas de cultivo y la meta de convertirse algún día en una zona de agricultura orgánica. Trabajar con el CSP ha representado un puente de apoyo en el camino hacia una mayor producción y hacia obtener la certificación orgánica del USDA.

Hablamos recientemente con Maigee y Tim sobre su experiencia como agricultores orgánicos al desenvolverse en los sistemas de apoyo del NRCS. A continuación, compartimos la conversación y sus valiosas reflexiones.

¿Por qué orgánico?

Maigee (Farm of the Fearless Monkey): No me gusta fumigar y no quiero nada de eso cerca de mis trabajadores ni de mí. Además, los productos químicos son muy caros.

Me capacité con productos aprobados por OMRI; me siento cómoda usándolos y son mucho más simples. Uso principalmente jabón, neem y BT (Bacillus thuringiensis, control orgánico de plagas); si algo anda mal, arranco la planta y la desecho. Hacemos muchas rotaciones de cultivos y siembra asociada, y he visto el efecto de eso. Con el acolchado (mulch) y un suelo sano, mis plantas son más fuertes.

Tim (Sunshine Farm Foundation): Cuando yo crecía, mi padre era médico y luego se pasó a la medicina alternativa, enfocándose en apoyar con dietas orgánicas y tratamientos homeopáticos a pacientes con cáncer. Siempre comíamos alimentos orgánicos. Cuando empecé a cultivar, no pensé que hubiera otra manera.

Y trabajando con el equipo de permacultura y aprendiendo esa metodología, y adentrándome en la agrosilvicultura, nunca fue cuestión de si usar o no tratamientos orgánicos para las plagas o la fertilización.

Procuramos usar diseños de permacultura y agrosilvicultura que facilitan el manejo de plagas, como atraer insectos benéficos y utilizar plantas nativas. Aquí es donde el NRCS ha sido de ayuda.

Contexto y desafíos

Source: Farm of the Fearless Monkey

Cultivo de cobertura de maní perenne en Farm of the Fearless Monkey.

Maigee (Farm of the Fearless Monkey): La plaga constante es el escarabajo rinoceronte del cocotero (coconut rhinoceros beetle, CRB), así que intentamos enfrentarlo con varias técnicas. Colocamos malla alrededor de la corona del árbol, mantenemos cubiertas nuestras pilas de acolchado (mulch) y las rotamos al menos cada dos meses, y metemos a las gallinas para que escarben.

Estamos en un lugar que no ha sido muy afectado por las inundaciones recientes; el agua se escurre de nuestra zona. Esas tormentas llegaron cuando estábamos sembrando cultivo de cobertura, lo que benefició al cultivo de cobertura, y no perdimos nada. El vetiver (cultivo de cobertura) es excelente y frenó todo de un flujo enorme.

Tim (Sunshine Farm Foundation): El escarabajo rinoceronte del cocotero acabó con unos 100 cocoteros. Así que estamos realizando un programa piloto para ver si podemos controlar el escarabajo con unos 60 cocoteros enanos en túneles altos con malla (financiado por el EQIP).

Tuvimos unas tres o cuatro tormentas esta primavera (2026), que causaron muchos daños a nuestra propiedad. Dicho esto, estamos en una zona de sequía de la isla, y el suministro de agua y de electricidad es una preocupación.

Nuestro enfoque principal es plantar cultivos tolerantes a la sequía. El agua puede cortarse por varios días cuando reparan las tuberías, así que nos inscribimos en un programa de almacenamiento de reserva y bombeo de agua a través del NRCS.

Trabajar con el NRCS

Proceso de solicitud

Source: Farm of the Fearless Monkey

EQIP-invernadero financiado por el EQIP con acolchado. Foto cortesía de Farm of the Fearless Monkey.

Maigee (Farm of the Fearless Monkey): Por trabajar con el comité de agricultura y luego como secretaria del capítulo de Waimānalo del Hawaii Farmers Union, ya conocía a los representantes del NRCS. Obtuve un invernadero a través del EQIP, y luego empezamos a trabajar en un plan de conservación.

Superar el proceso de solicitud del CSP fue sencillo. Sabía lo que quería hacer, estaba cubierto por el programa y mi agente del CSP me guio en todo. Ha sido un proceso fluido; ella me envía documentos y recordatorios de fechas límite, así que se siente manejable.

Tim (Sunshine Farm Foundation): Encontré el CSP investigando y al principio me resultó difícil de manejar, hasta que me contacté con el primero de una serie de representantes muy serviciales que me ayudaron a iniciar un programa de cortavientos (windbreak) y planes posteriores. Hay que perseverar. Nuestra primera fase de contrato fue hace tres años; ahora estamos en el segundo año de nuestro segundo contrato.

Implementación

Source: Sunshine Farm Foundation

Una hilera de plátanos y arbustos sirve de cortavientos para proteger los cultivos. Foto cortesía de Sunshine Farm Foundation.

Maigee (Farm of the Fearless Monkey): Estamos haciendo acolchado, cultivo de cobertura y rotación de cultivos, que se pagan en conjunto al final de cada año. El acolchado fue un contrato de cinco años; el pago comenzó en $2,000 al año y luego subió a $4,000. El cultivo de cobertura empezó como un contrato de tres años, que se ha renovado. Los reembolsos ayudan principalmente a cubrir los costos de mano de obra de prácticas que yo haría de todos modos.

Tim (Sunshine Farm Foundation): Nuestro contrato del CSP incluye $6,000 al año durante cinco años ($4,000 para tierras de cultivo y $2,000 para la propiedad familiar), y las prácticas incluyen un cultivo de cobertura perenne (pasto Bermuda) y el establecimiento de una zona forestal nativa.

Estamos recibiendo reembolsos de compost (pagando solo los cargos de entrega), y tenemos un contrato para aplicar acolchado sobre nuestro huerto. Ha sido estupendo. Y también pude conseguir una podadora de árboles.

Resultados y desafíos

Source: Farm of the Fearless Monkey

Acolchado y mano de obra cubiertos por el contrato del CSP. Foto cortesía de Farm of the Fearless Monkey.

Maigee (Farm of the Fearless Monkey): Mi suelo está increíble en este momento. Las plantas están muy contentas. El acolchado ha reducido el uso de agua, y los análisis de suelo mostraron un cambio de pH de ácido a alcalino, lo que cambió mi enfoque de fertilización.

Un gran desafío son los análisis de suelo: no solo hacer las pruebas, sino enviarlas al continente (Oregon) en cajas refrigeradas o con hielera dentro de las 24 horas, y el aeropuerto desde donde las enviamos está a casi una hora. Si pudiéramos hacerlo localmente, nos ahorraría muchas complicaciones.

Tim (Sunshine Farm Foundation): Recibimos apoyo de todo el personal del NRCS, ¡son excelentes! De verdad nos han ayudado a desenvolvernos en los programas.

Sin embargo, estoy en un aprieto, porque cuando vinieron a inspeccionar, aunque yo tenía los animales y el huerto, nos clasificaron solo como huerto, lo que significa que no puedo pasar a mi plan original de obtener el cuidado del manejo de animales, como el cercado interno para pastoreo.

Así que se nos escapó algo ahí y no podemos retroceder, o correríamos el riesgo de perder el programa y tener que volver a solicitar. Por eso completaremos el contrato tal como está y luego solicitaremos este plan de más largo plazo.

Consejos para los agricultores

Maigee (Farm of the Fearless Monkey): Si un agricultor está considerando solicitar el CSP, definitivamente debería hacerlo. Primero, porque es una buena práctica. Y segundo, porque es un buen programa. Para una granja de mi tamaño, no fue tan complicado.

Tim (Sunshine Farm Foundation): Cuando esté preparando la documentación, asegúrese de pensar a largo plazo. Considere los próximos cinco años y lo que podría necesitar incluir en su solicitud.

También recomiendo presentar la solicitud con un plan lo más completo posible, que incluya varias prácticas de conservación, para dar potencialmente a su solicitud una mejor clasificación y mayor probabilidad de éxito.

Y no olvide difundir la información entre otros agricultores; tenemos que compartir de qué programas nos estamos beneficiando.

Próximos pasos y recursos

¿Le interesa hacer la transición de su granja para la certificación orgánica en la región Oeste/Suroeste o más allá?

Explore estos recursos clave y conéctese con mentores, certificadores y Proveedores de Apoyo Técnico (Technical Support Providers, TSP) cerca de usted.

Descargue un resumen imprimible con los puntos clave que los agricultores deben tener en cuenta al solicitar el programa CSP del NRCS.

Cómo localizar proveedores de apoyo y mentores:

Recursos de la Organic Farming Research Foundation:

Recursos del USDA:

Conéctese con la OFRF:

Descargar Hoja Informativa

By admin|2026-09-02T16:39:53-04:00July 29th, 2026|Farmer Stories, Insects & Diseases, News, On-Farm Research, TOPP West|

Interseeding Sunn Hemp for Soil Health and Hay Production

Written by Mary Hathaway, OFRF’s Research & Education Program Manager, and John O’Meara, FLT Program participant

This on-farm trial at O’Meara Family Farm will compare sunn hemp grown alone with sunn hemp interseeded with Japanese millet for hay production. Results from this study will help organic farmers determine whether interseeding can improve forage yield and quality while supporting soil health.

Source: O'Meara Family Farm

Cows grazing at O’Meara Family Farm.

O’Meara Family Farm is a certified organic livestock operation located in Northern Maine, near the Canadian border. Founded in 1999, the farm grows grain and raises grass-fed beef, pork, lamb, and geese. The farm comprises 160 acres, 110 of which are wooded. In addition, owner and farmer John O’Meara farms another 100 acres of organic land that he does not own. The farm spans two properties located about half a mile apart. The property where John lives has generally higher-quality soil, while the second has been steadily improved since he purchased it and continues to benefit from ongoing land rehabilitation efforts. The operation has been certified organic since 2005 and has participated in the Real Organic Project since 2021.

The heart of John’s approach is a commitment to the health, happiness, and longevity of his animals and the land management practices that make that possible. His farming vision centers on increasing productivity and building soil fertility, with a particular interest in finding crops that serve double duty: first as hay, then as grazing ground. In past summers, John focused primarily on grazing and making hay from local grasses, but now he is shifting to incorporate summer annuals into his hay production. Sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea), a warm-season legume known for its nitrogen-fixing capacity and rapid biomass accumulation, is a crop that is common in the south, but is not well tested in northern climates.

Finding a Dual-Purpose Forage Crop

One of John’s goals is to rehabilitate fields that have historically been underproductive. The second property, in particular, was farmed intensively for roughly a century, its fertility depleted over generations. While John has made meaningful progress, there is still work to do. He identified several areas that are weedy or low-yielding and began looking for crops that could build soil health while also generating real economic value through hay production.

Sunn hemp stood out as a strong candidate. A tropical legume that thrives in warm conditions, sunn hemp fixes atmospheric nitrogen, suppresses weeds, and produces substantial biomass in as little as 60 days. For a farm where land improvement and forage production are equally important, the crop’s dual-use potential was a clear draw. John had previously explored interseeding it with companion grasses through a SARE-funded grazing project at the University of Maine involving Japanese millet, which gave him a useful starting point.

The core question John wanted to answer was practical: does interseeding sunn hemp with Japanese millet produce higher quality or greater quantities of hay than growing sunn hemp alone? Japanese millet is a fast-growing warm-season grass with a solid track record in Maine. John hypothesized that the two crops might complement each other: the millet adding structure and bulk, and the sunn hemp contributing protein and nitrogen. Getting real data from his fields, under his management, was the motivation behind applying for OFRF’s Farmer Led Trials program.

On-Farm Trial Plan

Source: University of Maine

Sunn hemp in bloom.

With technical support from OFRF, John designed a replicated on-farm trial comparing two hay crop treatments: sunn hemp grown as a pure stand, and sunn hemp interseeded with Japanese millet. The trial follows a randomized complete block design with four replications of each treatment, for a total of eight plots. Each plot measures 80 feet long by 13 feet wide, sized to match John’s 13 foot seed drill and ensure at least one round bale can be harvested per plot. All plots are located within a single long field on the farm to minimize variability. Seeding rates are set at 50 pounds/acre for sunn hemp in pure stand, and 25 pounds/acre each for sunn hemp and Japanese millet in the mixture, with sunn hemp seed inoculated with an OMRI-listed cowpea-type inoculant prior to planting.

Data collection will include stand density counts after emergence, biomass sampling from two 2 foot by 2 foot quadrats per plot, round bale weight estimates at harvest, and forage quality analysis through DairyOne’s standard NIR forage package covering dry matter, protein, fiber fractions, and other key nutritional components. This combination of yield and quality data will give John and the OFRF team a well-rounded picture of how the two treatments compare.

Trial Updates

The 2025 trial season got off to a difficult start. An unusually cold and wet spring pushed planting well past the original mid-June target, and a series of tractor breakdowns made it impossible to get into the field. By early August, the window for planting a 60-day crop had closed and frost risk made it too late to proceed. After consulting with the OFRF team, John and the program agreed to extend the trial into the 2026 season. John is holding onto his seed and plans to run a germination test before next planting season. In the meantime, he prepared the tilled ground with a winter-kill oat cover crop to keep the land ready for spring. John remains enthusiastic about the trial and is planning to move forward in the coming season.

Source: O'Meara Family Farm

The cattle herd at O’Meara Family Farm.

“I wanted to be in the FLT program because decades of farming has taught me that another set of eyes on a topic—especially expert eyes—often leads to creative ideas and better on the ground outcomes.”

– John O’Meara, FLT Program Participant

Source: O'Meara Family Farm

A newly tilled bed, ready for seeding.

To learn more about sunn hemp as a forage and cover crop, visit the USDA Plant Guide for Sunn Hemp.

To learn more about O’Meara Family Farm, visit their Facebook.

Learn more about OFRF’s Farmer-Led Trials Program

Meet the rest of the 2025 FLT Program Participants

By Clare Boland|2026-07-29T10:22:49-04:00July 22nd, 2026|Farmer Stories, News|

How One Kona Farm Made Federal Funding Work for Organic Agriculture

(Versión en español a continuación / Spanish version below)

Written by Mary Elizabeth Kidd, OFRF Communications Associate

OFRF is currently working to increase farmer and community awareness of the federal funding opportunities available to organic and transitioning farms. As part of our work with the West region of the USDA’s Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP), we’re spotlighting the experience of one farm—Makili Farm in Kealakekua, Hawaiʻi—that received funding and support through the Natural Resource Conservation Service’s Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).

Meet Kathy Vass of Makili Farm

Source: Makili Farm, Credit: John Vass

Location: Kealakekua, Hawaiʻi (west coast of Hawaiʻi Island)

Established: 2013

Acres: 5.8

Production: Coffee, macadamia nuts, cacao, citrus, vanilla, vegetables, tropical fruit, and pineapples

Certification: USDA Certified Organic since 2017

Staffing: Two part-time team members, plus seasonal staff (macadamia harvest)

Markets: Wholesale (grocery stores and local distributors)

Context & Challenges

Source: Makili Farm

Coffee flowers in bloom.

OFRF team members recently spoke to Kathy Vass, owner and primary farmer at Makili Farm, sitting on almost 6 acres at an elevation of 1,500 feet on the west coast of Hawaiʻi Island.

She shared a realistic and dedicated vision of organic farming on Hawaiʻi Island, where approximately 85% of food is imported, operational costs are high, and pest and environmental pressures are tremendous. Seasonal cyclones and recent earthquakes bring even more obstacles.

Her commitment to provide organic, locally-produced food for her community is palpable and powerful: “We’re all struggling financially. I know very few farms that aren’t. We’re providing enough income to live on. But the ones I know who are succeeding are organic.”

Kathy has been working in the soil for over 55 years, from her previous career as a landscape contractor in Long Island, New York, to her 13 years of farming at Makili Farm.

Kathy notes that in the last 5-10 years, pests and invasive weeds have surged. The avocado lace bug and the coffee berry borer, in addition to nematodes, continue to wreak particular damage to her key crops; coffee leaf rust has also led to crop loss.

>> Read more: Kathy and five other farms participated in a 2021 OFRF research grant exploring Organic Farming Systems Options for Controlling Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR) in Kona Coffee.

The impact of these pests and diseases is the primary reason Kathy sought support from programs like the Natural Resource Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). The knowledge and financial support they provide have been a lifeline for her business.

Why Organic?

Source: Makili Farm

Vanilla bean orchid.

“I have always, for 55 years, done nothing but organic methods.”

Despite so many challenges, Kathy’s commitment to organic practices remains unshaken. She continues, “organic farming is, whether certified or not, so important for the health of our soil, our water, and our air. It’s just so important to me to have healthy food from healthy soil.”

The higher market value for organic products was also appealing; organic coffee cherries get $1 more per pound than conventional ones.

That said, each year Kathy questions her desire to remain certified. “It feels like a burden,” she shared, “Every year when it’s time for me to start doing the paperwork, I weigh whether I really want to keep doing the certification. I would always continue to be organic, regardless of whether I’m certified or not. I’m not sure that the price difference makes a big difference.”

Accessing Support through NRCS CSP

Plants growing in raised beds inside a hoop house.

Source: Makili Farm

EQIP-supported hoop house.

Kathy’s daughter-in-law, also a local farmer, suggested Kathy contact Laura Nelson, who leads the Kealakekua Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office.

Kathy first worked with Laura to secure Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) reimbursement for approximately half the cost of a 20-foot-by-72-foot hoophouse, enabling her to increase production.

Laura then encouraged and supported Kathy through the CSP application process. While Kathy was initially apprehensive of another paperwork-laden application process, her existing documentation for organic certification was already comprehensive and helped expedite the CSP application.

Kathy then worked with Laura to develop goals and objectives for a 5-year contract, which reimburses her $5,000 per year to support her conservation efforts.

CSP Goals & Learnings

Together, Kathy and Laura honed in on two goals for the 5-year CSP contract:

Enhance agroforestry with additional trees and shrubs (primarily fruit-bearing).
Continue ongoing organic pest control practices on the farm.

Various trees, including bananas, planted on a farm.

Source: Makili Farm

Agroforestry in motion.

In her first year, she successfully planted cacao, bananas, breadfruit, and cherimoya, expanding her market offerings.

She’s now in the fourth year of her five-year contract and continuing the focus on pest management. A few recent tasks supported by her CSP contract: planting 600 new coffee trees, mulching them, and planting a nitrogen-fixing ground cover, perennial peanut.

While much of her work remains the same—tenacious, focused, and curious—the financial and community support help her stay the course and represent her primary CSP wins. “Having those connections with other farmers has been good…really, really good.”

After her current contract winds down, Kathy is considering another CSP offering focused on native plants. She heavily cites the expertise and accessibility of her NRCS agent, Laura Nelson, as a success-driving factor in her experience with CSP.

Advice to Farmers

“Persevere,” Kathy shared without hesitation. She urges farmers to explore as many USDA and other avenues of financial support as possible, never shying away from doggedly advocating for what they need with USDA agents and representatives. She also recommends plugging into the local farming community, including other farmers, your local Extension, and farmers’ unions.

“Find out what’s available, ask questions, and hang in there.”

Ready to Apply? Here Are a Few Helpful Resources

If you’re a farmer considering applying for CSP or other NRCS programs, here are some helpful tools to get started:

Download a printable summary of the key takeaways for farmers to consider when applying to NRCS CSP in English (click here) and Spanish (click here).
Read how Catherine Nguyen of Mora Mora Farm, a newly certified farmer, uses CSP to bridge the gap between generating income and investing in conservation.
Download OFRF’s CSP flyer for more information on the federal funding program, including eligibility and application details, available in English and Spanish here.
Connect with your local NRCS office to start developing a conservation plan: nrcs.usda.gov/contact.
Know your eligibility. Farmers who are classified as beginning, limited-resource, socially disadvantaged, or veterans may qualify for higher reimbursement rates and advance payments.

Additional Resources & Reading

Download Takeaways Factsheet

Cómo una granja de Kona logró que los fondos federales funcionaran para la agricultura orgánica

Por Mary Elizabeth Kidd, asociada de comunicaciones

La OFRF trabaja actualmente para aumentar la conciencia de los agricultores y las comunidades sobre las oportunidades de financiamiento federal disponibles para las granjas orgánicas y en transición hacia lo orgánico. Como parte de nuestro trabajo con la región Oeste del Programa de Alianzas para la Transición a lo Orgánico (Transition to Organic Partnership Program, TOPP) del USDA, destacamos la experiencia de una granja —Makili Farm, en Kealakekua, Hawaiʻi— que recibió financiamiento y apoyo a través del Programa de Administración de la Conservación (Conservation Stewardship Program, CSP) del Servicio de Conservación de Recursos Naturales (NRCS).

Conozca a Kathy Vass, de Makili Farm

Source: Makili Farm, Credit: John Vass

Los agricultores Kathy y Rob Vass.

Ubicación: Kealakekua, Hawaiʻi (costa oeste de Hawaiʻi Island)

Fundada: 2013

Superficie: 5.8 acres

Producción: Café, nueces de macadamia, cacao, cítricos, vainilla, hortalizas, fruta tropical y piñas

Certificación: Certificada como orgánica por el USDA desde 2017

Personal: Dos integrantes de tiempo parcial, más personal de temporada (cosecha de macadamia)

Mercados: Venta al por mayor (tiendas de comestibles y distribuidores locales)

Contexto y desafíos

Source: Makili Farm

Flores de café.

Integrantes del equipo de la OFRF hablaron recientemente con Kathy Vass, dueña y agricultora principal de Makili Farm, ubicada en casi 6 acres a una altitud de 1,500 pies en la costa oeste de Hawaiʻi Island.

Ella compartió una visión realista y comprometida de la agricultura orgánica en la isla de Hawaiʻi, donde aproximadamente el 85 % de los alimentos son importados, los costos operativos son altos y las presiones de plagas y ambientales son enormes. Los ciclones estacionales y los terremotos recientes suman aún más obstáculos.

Su compromiso de brindar alimentos orgánicos y de producción local a su comunidad es palpable y poderoso: “Todos tenemos dificultades económicas. Conozco muy pocas granjas que no las tengan. Generamos ingresos suficientes para vivir. Pero las que conozco que están teniendo éxito son orgánicas.”

Kathy lleva más de 55 años trabajando la tierra, desde su carrera anterior como contratista de paisajismo en Long Island, New York, hasta sus 13 años de agricultura en Makili Farm.

Kathy señala que en los últimos 5 a 10 años han aumentado las plagas y las malezas invasoras. El chinche de encaje del aguacate (avocado lace bug) y la broca del café (coffee berry borer), además de los nematodos, siguen causando un daño particular a sus cultivos clave; la roya del café (coffee leaf rust) también ha provocado pérdidas de cosecha.

>> Lea más: Kathy y otras cinco granjas participaron en 2021 en una subvención de investigación de la OFRF que exploró Opciones de sistemas de agricultura orgánica para controlar la roya del café (Coffee Leaf Rust, CLR) en Kona Coffe.

El impacto de estas plagas y enfermedades es la razón principal por la que Kathy buscó apoyo en programas como el Programa de Administración de la Conservación (Conservation Stewardship Program, CSP) del Servicio de Conservación de Recursos Naturales (NRCS). El conocimiento y el apoyo económico que brindan han sido un salvavidas para su negocio.

¿Por qué orgánico?

Source: Makili Farm

Orquídea de vainilla.

“Siempre, durante 55 años, no he usado más que métodos orgánicos.”

A pesar de tantos desafíos, el compromiso de Kathy con las prácticas orgánicas permanece firme. Ella continúa: “La agricultura orgánica, esté certificada o no, es muy importante para la salud de nuestro suelo, nuestra agua y nuestro aire. Para mí es fundamental tener alimentos sanos que provengan de un suelo sano.”

El mayor valor de mercado de los productos orgánicos también resultaba atractivo; las cerezas de café orgánico se pagan $1 más por libra que las convencionales.

Dicho esto, cada año Kathy se cuestiona su deseo de mantener la certificación. “Se siente como una carga”, compartió. “Cada año, cuando llega el momento de empezar con la documentación, me planteo si de verdad quiero seguir con la certificación. Siempre seguiría siendo orgánica, esté certificada o no. No estoy segura de que la diferencia de precio marque una gran diferencia.”

Cómo acceder al apoyo a través del CSP del NRCS

Source: Makili Farm

Invernadero tipo túnel financiado por el EQIP.

La nuera de Kathy, también agricultora local, le sugirió que contactara a Laura Nelson, quien dirige la oficina del Servicio de Conservación de Recursos Naturales (NRCS) de Kealakekua.

Kathy trabajó primero con Laura para obtener el reembolso del Programa de Incentivos para la Calidad Ambiental (Environmental Quality Incentives Program, EQIP) por aproximadamente la mitad del costo de un invernadero de 20 por 72 pies, lo que le permitió aumentar la producción.

Luego, Laura animó y acompañó a Kathy durante el proceso de solicitud del CSP. Aunque al principio a Kathy le inquietaba otro proceso de solicitud lleno de trámites, la documentación que ya tenía para la certificación orgánica era muy completa y ayudó a agilizar la solicitud del CSP.

Después, Kathy trabajó con Laura para desarrollar las metas y los objetivos de un contrato de 5 años, que le reembolsa $5,000 al año para apoyar sus esfuerzos de conservación.

Metas y aprendizajes del CSP

Juntas, Kathy y Laura se enfocaron en dos metas para el contrato del CSP de 5 años:

Fortalecer la agrosilvicultura con árboles y arbustos adicionales (principalmente frutales).
Continuar las prácticas de control orgánico de plagas ya existentes en la granja.

Source: Makili Farm

Agrosilvicultura en acción,

En su primer año, plantó con éxito cacao, plátanos, fruta del pan (ulu) y chirimoya, ampliando su oferta de mercado.

Ahora está en el cuarto año de su contrato de cinco años y sigue enfocada en el manejo de plagas. Algunas tareas recientes apoyadas por su contrato del CSP: plantar 600 cafetos nuevos, aplicarles acolchado (mulch) y sembrar una cobertura vegetal fijadora de nitrógeno, el maní perenne.

Aunque gran parte de su trabajo sigue igual —tenaz, enfocado y curioso—, el apoyo económico y comunitario le ayuda a mantener el rumbo y representa sus principales logros con el CSP. “Tener esas conexiones con otros agricultores ha sido bueno… muy, muy bueno.”

Cuando termine su contrato actual, Kathy está considerando otra oferta del CSP centrada en plantas nativas. Ella destaca en gran medida la experiencia y la disponibilidad de su agente del NRCS, Laura Nelson, como un factor clave del éxito de su experiencia con el CSP.

Consejos para los agricultores

“Perseveren”, compartió Kathy sin dudarlo. Ella insta a los agricultores a explorar tantas vías de apoyo económico del USDA y de otras fuentes como sea posible, sin dudar en defender con tenacidad lo que necesitan ante los agentes y representantes del USDA. También recomienda integrarse a la comunidad agrícola local, incluidos otros agricultores, el servicio de Extensión local y los sindicatos de agricultores.

“Averigüen qué hay disponible, hagan preguntas y no se rindan.”

¿Listo para solicitar? Aquí tiene algunos recursos útiles

Descargue un resumen imprimible con los puntos clave que los agricultores deben tener en cuenta al solicitar el programa CSP del NRCS.

Si es un agricultor que está considerando solicitar el CSP u otros programas del NRCS, aquí tiene algunas herramientas útiles para comenzar:

Lea cómo Catherine Nguyen, de Mora Mora Farm, una agricultora recién certificada, usa el CSP para cerrar la brecha entre generar ingresos e invertir en conservación.

Descargue el folleto del CSP de la OFRF para obtener más información sobre el programa de financiamiento federal, incluidos los detalles de elegibilidad y de solicitud, disponible en inglés y español aquí.
Comuníquese con su oficina local del NRCS para comenzar a desarrollar un plan de conservación: nrcs.usda.gov/contact.
Conozca su elegibilidad. Los agricultores clasificados como principiantes, de recursos limitados, socialmente desfavorecidos o veteranos pueden calificar para tasas de reembolso más altas y pagos por adelantado.

Recursos y lecturas adicionales

- Trabajar con el NRCS: la historia y las recomendaciones de April Joy Farm
- Historias de agricultores de la OFRF

Descargar Hoja Informativa

By Clare Boland|2026-09-02T16:40:59-04:00July 17th, 2026|Farmer Stories, Insects & Diseases, News, On-Farm Research, TOPP West|

Think Like a Certifier, Lean on a Mentor: Support and Resources for the Organic Certification Journey

Written by Mary Elizabeth Kidd, OFRF Communications Associate

As the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) team continues its work facilitating the USDA’s Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) to strengthen organic farming communities and encourage farmers to transition their farming systems for organic certification, we’re hosting Seeds of Success virtual networking sessions across the country.

The goal of these sessions is to give regional farmers a platform to share knowledge and ask questions on the organic certification process.

OFRF recently hosted an Organic 101 Seeds of Success for the Northwest region. The first half of the webinar was geared toward extension agents and technical service providers (TSPs), and the second half featured a farmer-led panel discussion. The call began with OFRF team members sharing what those without organic expertise need to know: the basics of organic, the National Organic Program (NOP) standards, and compliance basics.

The three farmer-panelists for this call were April Thatcher of April Joy Farm in Washington, Diane Green of Greentree Naturals in Idaho (a Northwest TOPP mentor), and Beth Hoinacki of Goodfoot Farm in Oregon, whose current role as an organic farmer and past role as an organic certifier brought well-rounded expertise on navigating the certification process.

These farmers hold over 80 years of collective experience and expertise in organic farming and certification, and the message they shared was unanimous: you simply cannot do it alone.

When it comes to the rigorous process of organic certification, it’s essential to: 1) lean on other organic farmers, mentors, and TSPs, and 2) you must know your WHY for organic farming and become an expert on your farm’s organic systems and the certification process.

Read on as we share key takeaways from the panel discussion. To listen or watch the session, click here (the farmer panel begins around minute 39:15).

Meet the Farmers

Source: Odeani Baker, Courtesy of Oregon Tilth

Beth Hoinacki of Goodfoot Farm

Where: Philomath, Oregon (Benton County)

Established: late 1990s

Certification: Demeter Certified Biodynamic® since 2012, previously Oregon Tilth Certified Organic

Acres: 5

Markets: Farmers’ markets, CSA, restaurants

Social Media: Facebook, Instagram

Read more: Goodfoot Farm: Conservation Champion from Oregon Tilth

Source: April Joy Farm

April Jones Thatcher of April Joy Farm

Location: near Ridgefield, Washington (Clark County)

Established: 2006

Certification: Washington State Department of Agriculture Certified Organic since 2007

Acres: 24

Markets: Farmers’ markets, CSA, restaurants

Source: Greentree Naturals

Diane Green of Greentree Naturals Farm

Location: Sandpoint, Idaho (Bonner County)

Established: 1990

Certification: USDA Certified Organic for over 30 years

Acres: 1

Markets: Weekly on-site farm stand

Social Media: Facebook

Why Organic?

April Jones Thatcher (April Joy Farm): It made a lot of sense to think about the farm as a living and biological system. Then, if I put my business hat on, it really was market differentiation for us, since there were very few certified organic farms in my county.

And personally, there was a lot of joy to farm in a way that didn’t require me to handle toxic pesticides, to really get my hands in the living soil.

Diane Green (Greentree Naturals Farm): Organic is the only way I’ve ever grown. I started growing an organic garden in 1970. So, for me, it’s making the commitment to support organic certification; it was just a natural thing as far as motivation, to hold true to the integrity of what organic certification stands for.

We have new customers and longtime customers who have been with us for 25 years and are frequently saying, “Thank you for being certified organic.” That keeps us growing, and we’ll keep going with that.

Beth Hoinacki (Goodfoot Farm): We’ve been on our farm for 30 years. We were first certified organic in 2009 and then certified biodynamic in 2012. I’ve worked on organic farms for most of my life and actually worked in certification before I started my own farm, so that was super helpful in the certification process and has also just helped with our general farming approach.

Think Like a Certifier: Record-Keeping = Business Planning

Beth (Goodfoot Farm): [As a former organic and biodynamic certifier], I knew a lot about certification before I got into it so nothing surprised me.

One of the most challenging aspects of engaging in certification is that the National Organic Program (NOP) standard is essentially one-size-fits-all. So you need to understand how the standard works and what parts are more challenging for your size farm. Small or large, organic farms are subject to the same kind of regulatory and recordkeeping requirements.

Diane (Greentree Naturals Farm): The paperwork is extensive and when I’m mentoring farmers who are transitioning to become organic, I’m helping them understand the expected documentation and how partnering that with your business plan can help you manage your business in a much more holistic way—looking at the big picture and fine-tuning it to meet all the documentation that’s required.

It makes a big difference if you’ve got a mentor or a partner helping walk you through that process.

April (April Joy Farm): Understanding the language, documentation, and the steps of what an organic system plan entails can be daunting unless you have an adviser, a mentor, or somebody who’s been through it who can really help translate some of that jargon.

As a small business owner, there’s a lot of information being asked of you, so you want to make sure you understand how it’s going to be used. You want to be honest and represent your operation realistically and you want to make sure you get a sense of how this information gets tracked.

>> Read more: Explore the first in our Seeds of Success series in From Conventional to Certified, where Lynn Schaal of Life Springs Farm in Twin Falls, Idaho, shared a record-keeping hack that kept his inspections less stressful. (Spoiler: Lynn digitally scans ALL applications, receipts, and documentation using an app like Genius Scan.)

Find Support: People & Resources

Beth (Goodfoot Farm): Other farmers are your number one source. Especially local grower networks. I can’t emphasize it enough. And I would also say our university extension agents, because they’re involved with local growers and networks, so they have really relevant information.

And thirdly, I would say some of the other technical service providers (NRCS, for example), but I think you need to be careful. I had the experience early on of TSPs that were promoting hot new sustainable practices that didn’t really work for me. When you enter into these relationships, have the information that’s really relevant to your operation.

April (April Joy Farm): I would add that certifying agencies have been helpful too, in my experience–shout out to the Washington State Department of Ag–they have been a great resource and have a lot of expertise. They obviously can’t provide you with recommendations, but certifiers can help you understand the documents and recordkeeping that’s required.

It really is about that network.

Diane (Greentree Naturals Farm): I’m forever grateful to have established relationships and partnerships with the University of Idaho extension in the very beginning, around 1997, when we worked together to develop the first sustainable, small-acreage farming organization in the Inland Northwest. That was the farmers working side-by-side with extension to come up with what that would look like. It was always the farmers working with extension to look at what we need and what’s there.

Personally, I think empowering the next generation of sustainable and certified organic growers is the best thing we have to offer, and I’ll keep doing it for as long as I’m able.

We farmers want to learn from farmers, and we need to do what we can to promote partnerships with extension to be allies that serve our communities very well.

Next Steps & Resources

Interested in transitioning your farm for organic certification in the Northwest or beyond?

Explore these key resources and connect with mentors, certifiers, and Technical Support Providers (TSP) near you.

Locating Support Providers and Mentors:

Organic Farming Research Foundation resources:

USDA resources:

Connect with OFRF:

By admin|2026-07-06T14:51:17-04:00July 6th, 2026|Certification & Compliance, Farmer Stories, News|

Microgreen Mediums: Testing Jute Verses Soil

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

This on-farm trial at Sanders Funny farm will compare the effectiveness of jute fiber mats verses soil as the growing medium for a variety of microgreens. Results from this study will help organic farmers produce healthier microgreens and reduce crop losses.

Farmer Tiffany Sanders stands in front of shelves of seeded microgreens.

Farmer Tiffany Sanders in her microgreen production greenhouse.

Mike and Tiffany Sanders, co-founders of Sanders Funny Farm in Indianapolis, Indiana, didn’t come to farming through a traditional path. With 11 kids, 2 grandkids, and “a revolving door of critters,” the name Funny Farm practically chose itself. At the heart of their operation is a thriving greenhouse microgreens enterprise, where Tiffany grows a diverse lineup of nutrient-dense crops–broccoli, radish, chia, arugula, wheatgrass, and more–sold through their online farm market and delivered directly to customers across Indiana.

Tiffany is committed to growing her operation to make local food easy, consistent, and affordable. Recently her farm and greenhouse became certified through California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). Looking ahead, Tiffany envisions expanding her microgreens line to include more specialty and difficult-to-grow varieties, making her farm a more resilient and diverse supplier. To do that, she knows she needs reliable, data-backed answers about which growing systems actually work, and which ones work best.

Growing Better Microgreens

Since launching her microgreens operation, Tiffany has relied primarily on jute fiber mats, a hydroponic-style growing medium standard in the industry, to grow her crops. Jute mats are convenient, clean, and widely-used, performing well for many varieties. But as Tiffany expanded her lineup and worked to grow more challenging crops, cracks began to show. Varieties like arugula and cilantro struggled with mold and moisture issues on jute. Each failed tray represented not just lost revenue, but a missed opportunity to serve her customers.

At the same time, Tiffany began wondering whether soil-grown microgreens might offer advantages she hadn’t fully explored, like better germination consistency, sturdier stems, more vibrant color, and improved shelf life. These qualities matter enormously in a market where perishability directly affects whether a product can be sold. A tray of microgreens that wilts quickly or arrives limp at market is as good as no tray at all.

The challenge was that Tiffany didn’t have rigorous, side-by-side data to compare the two mediums. Her observations were real, but anecdotal. She needed a structured trial that could tell her, with confidence, whether soil was worth integrating into her production system and, if so, determine which varieties and under what conditions. That question became the foundation of her application to OFRF’s Farmer-Led Trials program.

On-Farm Trial Plan

Harvesting microgreens grown on a jute mat.

With technical support from OFRF, Tiffany designed a controlled experiment to compare organic soil mix against jute fiber mats as growing mediums for microgreen production. The trial uses a randomized complete block design, with six replications per treatment, running one variety at a time to eliminate confounding variables like differing light requirements and shelf position. Each experimental unit consists of two 10 by 20 inch trays (one soil, one jute), alternated across the six shelves of a dedicated greenhouse rack. Broccoli is a consistent staple of her product line and will serve as the first variety tested, with radish and black chia to follow in sequential trials.

Key measurements include yield by weight at harvest, a cost analysis tracking seed, growing medium, and labor expenses per tray. She will also take observational data on disease incidence and post-harvest perishability, including color and limpness. Watering volume, light cycle, seed variety, and seed quantity are standardized across treatments to ensure a fair and meaningful comparison.

Trial Updates

The broccoli trial is currently underway. Trays were seeded on May 24, 2026, and harvested on June 6, 2026. Early observations during the germination phase noted that jute trays germinated more quickly and evenly, while soil trays started patchier but caught up noticeably by days 8–12, growing taller, greener, and with sturdier stems. By harvest, the yield data told a striking story: soil trays produced approximately 8–11 oz per tray, compared to roughly 3–5 oz per tray on jute–a more than double difference across six replications. Qualitative observations also favored the soil-grown crop for color vibrancy and fullness. Data collection for the radish and chia trials is planned to follow.

Broccoli consistently does well at Sanders Funny Farm, so it was the first variety to be tested.

“As a grower you hear a lot of opinions about what works best, but I wanted real data from my own farm. This trial has already challenged some of my assumptions and shown me that soil may have some real advantages for certain crops. Having those answers will help me make better decisions, reduce losses, and provide a better product for the families and communities we serve.”

– Tiffany Sanders, FLT Program Participant