Aysha Peterson in field

November 3, 2020 – Organic farming systems are knowledge-intensive and require farmers to understand a wide range of agroecological practices to build soil health, the foundation of a successful farming system. Yet, the current structure of U.S. agriculture makes it difficult for racial minority farmers to access educational resources and technical assistance programs. These challenges are exacerbated for Latinx farmers who may not speak English as a first language. In the U.S., the number of Latinx farmers continues to increase, even as the total number of farmers decreases. Therefore, providing resources for this farming community is critical to creating a more equitable food system and for ushering in a new generation of diverse farmers.

In 2019, OFRF awarded a research grant to Aysha Peterson at the University of California, Santa Cruz to understand this issue in California’s Salinas Valley. In this region, rural Latinx communities contend with water resources contaminated with excess nitrogen. The lack of access to clean water supplies impedes this farming community’s ability to build healthy soils as too much nitrogen contributes to poor nutrient management practices on their fruit and vegetable farms.

Peterson collaborated with The Agriculture and Land-based Training Association(ALBA)—a local farmer training facility that supports socially disadvantaged, limited resource, and beginning organic farmers—to interview Latinx farmers about their knowledge and use of nutrient management practices, the barriers they face, and their strategies for overcoming these challenges. The goal of the project was to produce a case study highlighting the barriers to implementing plant-based nutrient management practices that could be used to improve regional farmer assistance services across the country.

Data from focus groups (small group discussions) and field observations revealed farmers have extensive knowledge of organic soil health practices such as cover cropping, but there are a number of challenges that hamper the widespread adoption of this practice. For instance, farmers in the Salinas Valley indicated a need for more information on which cover crops or combination of cover crops they should grow. They also shared concerns about the best time to plant cover crops to maximize their benefits, without taking the field out of production for too long. In addition, farmers explained that soil tests can be difficult to interpret and integrating the outcomes of these tests into a plant-based nutrient management plan is not straightforward.

The farmer participants also identified a number of structural challenges to implementing organic soil health practices. For many farmers in this region, financial capital is limited, making it difficult or impossible to take a field out of production for a few months to plant cover crops, which are not marketable. In addition, many of the farmers who participated in this study rent land for relatively short periods of times, which limits their ability to invest in long-term soil health strategies such as cover cropping. Language barriers also impede the implementation of best organic soil health practices; organic product labels, soil test results, and website and workshop content on organic agriculture are typically delivered in English. As a result, Spanish-speaking farmers are excluded from spaces where they could learn more about organic nutrient management practices.

The outcomes of this study can affect change at multiple scales. Regionally, the results can guide education and outreach programs supported by local organizations. The economic, educational, and infrastructural challenges identified through this project justify national programs and policies to increase access to financial assistance, bilingual sources of information, culturally appropriate modes of knowledge sharing, and access to land. Addressing these structural barriers is critical to creating a more equitable agricultural system.

The full report can be found here.

This article was written by Lauren Snyder, PhD, Education & Research Program Manager, OFRF

October 26, 2020 – This year we’ve seen devastating wildfires across the West, hurricanes in the South, and a derecho in the Midwest destroy farmland and severely impact farmers. And we know these weather-related events are not random.

Organic agriculture provides a climate solution. Through regenerative organic practices that build soil health, farmers can more easily weather the storms to come. Practices such as cover cropping and minimal tillage work with nature to build healthy soil and help mitigate climate change by capturing and storing more carbon in the soil and reducing the release of greenhouse gases. This is why it is critical to support organic farmers and others using sustainable practices with the most up-to-date research, science-based educational materials, and federal policies that incentivize the adoption of organic agriculture and support the success of existing organic farmers.

Are you with us? Together we can create the change we want to see. But we can’t do it alone. 

We have a big year planned. OFRF is working with policy-makers and the USDA to educate and advocate for more climate-friendly agriculture with specific policy and research recommendations. We will add to our suite of free educational materials that emphasize underserved areas such as the Southeast region. With partner organizations, we are conducting virtual focus groups across the country to hear directly from organic and transitioning farmers about their challenges, and so much more. We’re in a pivotal moment and we are looking to you, our community, to be part of the solution and support the next phase of our work.

For some in our community, these are very tough times. If you are able to contribute, we encourage you to donate what you can now. Please consider setting up a sustaining or legacy donation that supports our work long-term, and share what we do with your friends and family. Every donation helps.

It’s time to stand up for our farmers and farmworkers, our food system, and our environment. Please be part of the solution.

Consider donating today to ensure 2021 is the year we do more to curb climate change and bring significantly more acres into organic production.

All the best,

The OFRF team

October 14, 2020 – Each day our small and mighty team works tirelessly to fund innovative organic research, provide the most up-to-date, science-based, farmer-led resources to farmers, advocate for organic farming as a climate solution in Washington, DC, and educate consumers about best organic farming practices.

Over our 30 year history, we have been inspired and motivated by the ongoing support of our community and the many ways they contribute to our work. Long-term support such as sustaining gifts, bequests, and donating stocks, not only supports us today—it enables us to plan and allocate resources for the work ahead of us. For that, we are truly grateful.

We are extremely proud to do this work, but we can’t do it without your support. We don’t charge membership dues or collect association fees. We fundraise for every dollar, and we make sure those dollars go directly to on-farm research, educational programs, and advocacy on behalf of organic farmers and ranchers. When you give to OFRF, we provide organic farmers the information and resources they need to be successful. For free. 

So, let’s explore the many ways you can contribute to OFRF. While most people give through our online donation page, there are other options that provide even greater stability to our work. No matter how you give, we are so honored to be part of your giving story. Your gift ensures that organic farmers are supported with unbiased research, up-to-date free educational materials, and federal advocacy that fights for their needs.

Sustaining Donation – By setting up a sustaining gift, we can better plan for future work since we have a clear idea of our financial stability. Whether it be weekly, monthly, or quarterly, our online donation page allows you to ensure you can give on a regular basis.

Bequests – There’s no better way to show your support of organic farmers and the fight to curb climate change than naming OFRF in your will. Bequests offer a huge tax benefit as they are fully deductible from your estate. You can add the bequest when updating your will or when writing a new will. If you have chosen to leave a bequest to OFRF, please let us know so we can plan ahead. We look forward to honoring your commitment to our work. 

Donor Advised Funds (DAFS) – Donor Advised Funds are like your own individual philanthropic fund that handles the administration of charitable contributions, all while receiving an immediate tax deduction. OFRF can receive DAF funds through electronic transfer or check. 

Stocks – Giving stocks allows you to give more than you might normally in cash. It’s easy to do using our simple form or if you have a Donor Advised Fund. Stock donations also allow you to avoid capital gains tax. 

Retirement funds – If you are 70 years or older, you can transfer Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) directly from your IRA account to OFRF. QCDs are excluded from the taxable income from your retirement account. The process varies depending on the retirement fund you hold, so we suggest researching or discussing with your tax professional. 

Vehicles – Do you have an old car or vehicle that you are itching to get rid of? You can donate it to OFRF using Car Easy. They handle all of the paperwork, pick-up your vehicle and provide OFRF with the donated value.

Now that you’ve learned about all the ways you can give, what are you waiting for?! We are in a pivotal moment, where together we can advance best organic practices that build soil health and curb climate change. Organic agricultural practices are a climate change solution, so we hope you can donate today to help us bring more acres into organic!

If you have any questions or want to discuss these options, please send Haley Baron, our Partnership and Development Manager an email at give@ofrf.org. Thank you!

October 8, 2020 – The rising temperatures and changing rain patterns associated with climate change have created an urgent need to increase resiliency in our crop production systems. OFRF provided a research grant to Dr. Erin Silva in the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Wisconsin – Madison (UW-Madison) to examine the ability of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) to enhance soil moisture retention and increase access to nutrients.

An important aim of organic production is to improve overall soil health. AMF form symbiotic relationships with the roots of host plants through which plants receive nutrients. AMF also indirectly promote plant health through their contribution to soil building. Thriving AMF communities increase the water-holding capacity of soils through the deposition of proteins. This project sought to determine whether the genetic variances between popular cultivars of carrot would promote the growth of different AMF communities over the growing season and alter the quantity of AMF-associated proteins in soils.

The researchers evaluated the role of carrot cultivar on AMF-related proteins, an important factor influencing soil health improvements related to AMF communities. The project was done in collaboration with six organic farmer members of the Fairshare Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Coalition in Wisconsin during the 2017 and 2018 field seasons.

Silva’s recently submitted final report shows that while there were no obvious trends toward increases in AMF-associated soil proteins that correlated to any cultivar of carrot, most sites had moderate changes in protein quantities from spring to fall (with no clear pattern). One site had consistently increased fall quantities of AMF-associated proteins compared to spring quantities for all cultivars for both years (2017 and 2018). The research team also observed more intensive weed management at this site. Storm-related flooding impacted some farms during the project, causing considerable losses at multiple sites.

According to the research team, the project provided important preliminary data in two areas that warrant further research. First, particularly among open-pollinated cultivars, it would be beneficial to screen diverse genotypes for enhanced AMF colonization, to be used either directly by farmers or included in breeding programs. Second, preliminary data shows some interesting interactions in the role of AMF in increasing soil proteins, with their role in enhanced soil aggregation in highly disturbed environments. The team suggests it be valuable to further investigate the role of cultivar selection and AMF inoculation on soil aggregation in heavily tilled/cultivated phases of the organic crop rotation, and in intensive vegetable production.

Outreach included reports to the farmer cooperators, as well as presentations at organic vegetable field days. As a follow up to this work, the researchers aim to use sequencing technology to identify the AMF community constituents present in samples obtained during this project. This data may be used to correlate species or genus abundance with soil protein quantities to identify whether specific communities contribute to greater protein deposits in agricultural soils.

Read the final report here.