On-Farm Research

Strategies for Successful Researcher Farmer Collaboration

Have you ever wondered how to connect with a farmer or researcher to conduct on-farm research? This Researcher- Farmer Virtual Networking event highlights the successes and challenges of engaging in farmer-researcher partnerships and focuses on building positive outcomes for farmer and researcher collaboration in organic agriculture. OFRF are joined by four speakers that have participated in successful organic research projects funded by USDA NIFA. Two researchers: Julie Grossman and Eric Gallandt, and their farmer collaborators, Seth Kroeck and KaZoua Berry, share details on their experience and the process of engaging in on-farm research. The session begins with a brief introduction on USDA-NIFA organic programs and featured facilitated conversations on the topic of collaborative farmer-researcher projects that will support information sharing and identify possibilities for future research partnerships. This is the first in the Seeds of Success Networking Sessions from OFRF, from October 2023. To learn more about these and other events from OFRF visit: https://ofrf.org/events/ Funding for this series is provided by a cooperative agreement between OFRF and USDA- NIFA to highlight research investments made through both OREI and ORG grant programs.

By |2026-01-16T11:14:54-05:00January 15th, 2026|On-Farm Research, Resource|
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Building Successful Farmer-Researcher Collaboration

Farmers and ranchers are natural researchers, regularly using trial-and-error to address on-farm questions and challenges. Research shows that farmers greatly benefit when they lead on-farm research trials.

Programs like the OFRF’s Farmer-Led Trials and the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education’s Farmer-Rancher Grant put farmers in the driver’s seat, allowing them to conceive and carry out research on their farms.

For research involving farmers and University scientists, successful collaborations between farmers and researchers can greatly enhance results. However, these collaborations take time to build. Read our report on for lessons learned from organic farmers and researchers about how to form these effective collaborations.

Front cover of seeds of success resource
By |2025-12-19T12:51:02-05:00December 19th, 2025|On-Farm Research, Resource|
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An Organic Approach to Increasing Resilience

Few farmers need official reports to tell them that “increasing weather volatility” and climate change threaten their livelihoods and the resilience of their farming and ranching operations. With historic droughts, wildfires, flooding, and hurricanes in recent years, more farms are facing variable yields, crop losses, increased weed, pest, and disease pressures, and intensifying soil degradation, erosion, and compaction.

By utilizing organic and sustainable practices to build soil health, farmers and ranchers can improve their resilience and reduce risk as our climate changes. While practices can vary depending on your operation, establishing optimum soil organic matter (SOM) and biological
activity will help your operation through the difficult times to come.

By |2026-01-16T11:26:29-05:00December 18th, 2025|Climate Change, Cover Crops & Crop Rotation, Insects & Diseases, Livestock, On-Farm Research, Plant Breeding & Variety Selection, Resource, Soil Health|
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TOMI: Organic Management and Improvement of Tomatoes

Building on previous research (TOMI Phase I), the Tomato Organic Management and Improvement – TOMI Phase II project integrates soil microbiome research, induced systemic resistance, and farmer-participatory breeding to develop disease-resistant, flavorful tomatoes for organic systems. Microbial biofungicides and organic amendments support healthy soils while reducing pathogen risks. Advanced breeding lines show promise for regional adaptation and market-ready quality. Download the full report to learn more about tomato varieties and soil-based disease management strategies.

By |2026-01-16T11:40:03-05:00December 15th, 2025|On-Farm Research, Plant Breeding & Variety Selection, Resource|
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Carrot Improvement for Organic Agriculture: Leveraging On-Farm and Below-Ground Networks

The Carrot Improvement for Organic Agriculture (CIOA) project develops carrot varieties suited to organic systems, using farmer-participatory trials and soil microbiome research. These efforts improve disease resistance, nutrient uptake, flavor, and market traits. Advanced breeding lines include orange, purple, red, and yellow carrots with improved resilience and quality. Download the full report to learn more about these varieties and on-farm research insights.

By |2026-01-16T11:42:14-05:00December 15th, 2025|On-Farm Research, Plant Breeding & Variety Selection, Resource|
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Impacts of OFRF’s Grant Program on Organic Farming Research (2006–2014)

The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) has supported organic agriculture through targeted research funding since 1990. From 2006 to 2014, OFRF awarded 106 grants totaling $1.45 million to advance research in pest management, plant breeding, disease control, and weed management.

OFRF grants have strengthened the careers of early-stage scientists, enabled follow-on funding, and helped translate research into practical solutions for farmers. Many projects involved farmers as partners, ensuring results address real-world challenges and are quickly adopted.

Grants were funded in 25 states, with emphasis on regions experiencing rapid organic growth. OFRF’s grant program has expanded scientific knowledge, promoted sustainable practices, and supported collaboration between researchers and farmers, which continues to drive the growth of organic agriculture.

By |2026-01-16T12:01:17-05:00December 15th, 2025|On-Farm Research, Resource|
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Impacts of OFRF Berry Research

This report offers a detailed review and impact assessment of OFRF-funded research on organic
berry production, with a focus on strawberries. These research projects address the most pressing
issues in the industry and this evaluation clearly indicates that OFRF investments have resulted
in important advances in organic berry production knowledge and practices, especially in
California. Overall, OFRF grant funding has advanced scientific knowledge and improved the
practices, ecological sustainability, and economic prosperity of organic berry farming. This
report recommends continued research support for organic insect, disease, and weed
management research efforts in berry production.

By |2025-12-16T10:37:32-05:00December 10th, 2025|Advocacy, Insects & Diseases, On-Farm Research, Resource|
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2021 CALIFORNIA ORGANIC RESEARCH AGENDA

California is the nation’s top producer of organic agricultural commodities and specialty crops. Thus, it
is imperative to understand the unique needs of the organic growers in the nation’s most agriculturally
productive state. The 2021 CORA report provides up-to-date information on the stewardship practices
used by organic producers across the state and identifies the most pressing production and non-production
challenges faced by organic California growers. The findings presented in this report: 1) highlight the soil
health management practices that organic producers in California are currently implementing, 2) outlines the most pressing challenges and needs of certified organic producers in California, and 3) outlines priorities and recommendations to address those needs through public policy, research, and Extension programs.

2021 California Organic Research Agenda report
By |2025-12-16T10:57:08-05:00December 10th, 2025|Advocacy, Insects & Diseases, On-Farm Research, Resource|
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Farmer-Led Trials Program Spotlight: The Woven Trifecta

Testing the Impact of Anaerobic Ferments on Crop Health

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

Samantha Otto is the founder and farmer of The Woven Trifecta, a 10-acre farm in western Michigan. Currently in transition to organic, the farm focuses on diversified vegetables for a CSA, local farmers market, as well as farm-to-school sales throughout the school year. Samantha raises Jacob sheep for fiber as well as assorted poultry for meat and eggs. The livestock is rotationally grazed on just over 3 acres of pasture, with 2 acres of no-till beds in production.

Samantha has a decade of hands-on farming experience and is a graduate of Michigan State University’s Agricultural Technology program. Since she started the farm, her primary focus has been on cultivating no-till organic vegetables and cut flowers. But as a curious farmer, she is continuously exploring innovative approaches to sustainable agriculture. Last year, as a participant in the Midwest GRIT program, she began integrating grains into her system, and  she has also recently incorporated livestock into her rotations to create a closed-loop system to help improve soil fertility.

From Waste Product to Resources: Building Fertility and Reducing Reliance in Off-Farm Inputs

One of the main goals of The Woven Trifecta is to reduce reliance on off-farm inputs, and to transform the farm waste products into a resource. Samantha has experimented with different anaerobic fermentation, and was interested in scaling up and fine-tuning its use as a soil amendment. She is particularly interested in incorporating waste from her livestock and compost into anaerobic ferments to improve soil fertility and plant health.

With the help of OFRF’s Farmer-Led Trial (FLT) Program, Samantha hopes to understand how anaerobic ferments impact the health of her crops. When considering which vegetable to test, the team landed on artichokes – a promising crop that her CSA members love and that has yielded well in past seasons. As a long-season vegetable with a short harvest window, the Tavor Artichoke was an ideal crop to trial.

Farm Trial Plan

To answer Samantha’s question, ‘Does an anaerobic compost tea impact yield or plant nutrition in artichokes?,’ she will weigh all harvested artichokes from each plot. Marketable artichokes will be weighed and counted separately. In addition to weights, leaf tissue samples will be collected prior to flowering stalk emergence. 10 representative samples will be taken from each plot, with one leaf collected per plant.

There are two treatments in the trial: a control with no ferment spray, and the anaerobic ferment foliar drench. Samantha will plant in 8 plots to provide sufficient replication. The trial is in a 30′ x 90′ space, in 3′ wide no-till beds, with each row containing 10 plants spaced 36’ apart. Buffer plots will be added on each side, planted with sunflowers.

plot map for on-farm trial at Woven Trifecta Farm

The recipe for the anaerobic fermentation is 60/40 with vegetation scraps and rabbit manure. Samantha brews a fresh batch every two weeks, beginning in early June and applies the fermented drench application biweekly.  A 5-gallon bucket will be suitable for each batch.

Recipe for Anaerobic Fermentation Fertilizer

Using 5-gallon buckets, mix: 

  • 60% vegetation scraps from on-farm and/or compost club program 
  • 40% manure from our rabbits.  
  • 4 cups of soil. 

These will be well mixed, with scraps being chopped into small pieces, and will fill about 3/4 of the 5-gallon bucket.  This mix will then be submerged in water (from well), covered with a lid and stored in the pump shed. The bucket will be fitted with a fermentation lid with spout to release any built-up gases over the course of the fermentation process. 

Ferment will be checked at 7, 14, and 21 days; ready to use at  21 days. Solids are then strained, and the liquid is bottled for use.  

Application: 1 part recipe to 20 parts water every 14 days, and apply it as a soil drench via backpack sprayer.

Samantha is excited to see how the ferment impacts the health and yield of her plants. The process of testing her application of the anaerobic ferment is something she hopes can impact her farm system, and possibly provide sustainable answers for other small farms like The Woven Trifecta.

Sunset over a crop field at The Woven Trifecta

“Working with OFRF has been an amazing opportunity for our farm! Closing the loop in our production is a long-term goal of ours, and this project has provided the opportunity to take the time to explore a potential process for making that happen. It has been especially delightful to work with OFRF on creating the foundation of our project, making a once-intimidating idea very fun and feasible to trial! It has been a thrill to find on-farm solutions that support both our livestock and vegetable production. While we are a ways away from harvest, our on-farm ferment is visually showing benefits in our test plot. I look forward to collecting further data as the season progresses! This data will help us make decisions on how to incorporate ferments in our wider production in the future so that we can continue to grow beautiful, healthy, thriving vegetables for our community.”

– Samantha Otto, The Woven Trifecta

One of the livestock that Samantha integrates into her crop rotations

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 The Woven Trifecta, visit their website at https://thewoventrifecta.com/

By |2025-12-17T17:31:56-05:00September 2nd, 2025|Farmer Stories, Livestock, News, On-Farm Research, Soil Health|
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