Resource

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 |2026-06-12T09:42:00-04:00December 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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Crop-Livestock Integration Panel with Organic Farmers

Are you an organic farmer that is interested in using your livestock in your crop rotation? Are you wondering how others have overcome some of the complexities of integrating your farm system? Would you like to hear directly from farmers who have experience in this topic? If so, then this webinar is for you.

This Seeds of Success farmer-to-farmer networking session was an engaging opportunity where farmers came together to ask questions and share their lived experience in integrating crops and livestock in their production systems.

This session features three farmers that have built resilience and a dynamic organic system:

OFRF has partnered with the Organic Farmers Association (OFA) and National Organic Coalition (NOC) to lead a series of virtual farmer-to-farmer networking sessions. These facilitated events will be engaging opportunities for farmers to share their challenges and successes, and will be accompanied with relevant resources you can use.

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.

Seeds of Success Webinar Crop and Livestock Integration
By |2025-12-15T14:48:08-05:00December 15th, 2025|Cover Crops & Crop Rotation, Crop Livestock Integration, Livestock, Resource, Soil Health|
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Infrastructure and Crop-Livestock Integration

In OFRF’s 2022 National Organic Research Agenda (NORA), organic farmers and ranchers across North America shared a common concern about the lack of technical assistance and educational resources available for Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems (ICLS). Integrating crops and livestock results in numerous benefits, however the process can also lead to increased complexity, especially for farmers who must adhere to National Organic Program rules and regulations.

This series of resources focused on Crop-Livestock Integration is informed by interviews with four highly-experienced organic producers that shared their challenges, successes, and advice for others interested in integrating livestock and crops on their organic farms.

Infrastructure for integrating animal and crop systems includes animal housing, watering systems, and fencing. Learn how farmers develop infrastructure that match the type and age of animal, are highly movable, and are adapted to soil and climate conditions.

Infrastructure for Crop Livestock Integration report cover
By |2026-01-28T14:24:47-05:00December 15th, 2025|Cover Crops & Crop Rotation, Crop Livestock Integration, Livestock, Resource, Water Management & Irrigation|
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Adding the “O”: Farmer Perspectives and Experiences Transitioning to Organic

Are you beginning the process of transitioning your farm to certified organic? Are you wondering how others have overcome the hurdles of certification? Would you like to hear directly from farmers who have successfully made their transition to organic?

This webinar features two farmers that share their experiences and thoughts for demystifying some of the challenges they faced in the process.

Our Farmer Panelists:

  • Mike Bronkema of Shady Side Farm in Michigan began his journey in 1992 with a conventional layer operation. With the help of his wife, Mike has now transitioned 150 acres into a diversified farm of 20 different varieties of edible dry beans as well as heritage small grains, such as einkorn and spelt, and open-pollinated corn. https://shadysidefarm.com/
  • Dakota Moore of Moore Family Farm in Michigan began the transition in 2019. Dakota was raised on the historic Moore Family Farm in Warsaw, North Carolina, which has been around since 1833. He and his father work together on the farm where they specialize in the production of Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Cauliflower, Collard Greens, Cabbage, Butterhead and Romaine Lettuce.
By |2026-03-02T11:55:38-05:00November 18th, 2024|Certification & Compliance, Resource|
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Farmer-Led Trials Forum 2024

OFRF believes in supporting organic farmers and ranchers in their constant search for innovation and farm profitability. The Farmer-Led Trials (FLT) program puts farmers in the driver’s seat and recognizes their wisdom, experimentation, and problem-solving skills. Built in the spirit of curiosity and collaboration, this program supports farmers and ranchers in conducting impactful research that can address their unique challenges. The FLT provides farmers with technical assistance and a small amount of funding to investigate and learn about solutions to their most pressing production challenges.

In this forum, you will hear from four of the organic farmers in the 2024 FLT cohort:

  • Maggie Dungan (Salad Days Farm, KY),
  • Jorge Reyes (Reyes Vineyard, CA),
  • Nathan Lada (Green Things Farm Collective, MI), and
  • Rhianna Simes (Verdant Phoenix Farm, OR).

OFRF staff will also provide an overview of steps to conduct on-farm research trials, share opportunities to participate in the program, and explain how it can impact your farm operation.

By |2026-03-02T12:32:16-05:00October 31st, 2024|Certification & Compliance, Insects & Diseases, On-Farm Research, Resource, Soil Health, Weeds|
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Strategies for Identifying and Navigating Organic Markets

The Seeds of Success series brings farmers together for peer-to-peer networking and discussion. In this session, three women organic farmers share their experiences growing markets for organic products, followed by Q&A and breakout sessions to exchange ideas.

Topics covered include identifying market opportunities, developing strategies for organic products, and overcoming common challenges. This webinar provides actionable insights from real-world farm experiences.

Farmer presenters include:

Watch the full recorded session to hear directly from farmers and gain strategies you can apply to your own operation.

By |2026-03-02T11:52:03-05:00October 20th, 2024|Marketing, Resource|
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NRCS Organic Practice 823: Strategies and Best Practices

During this session of the Seeds of Success series OFA explores NRCS Organic Practice 823.

The National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has many programs to help farmers convert to organic farming operations. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a conservation program that helps farmers, ranchers and forest landowners integrate conservation into working lands. Under EQIP, Organic Transition Initiative 823 (OTI) is specifically meant to help those transitioning to organic operations, by cost-sharing and providing technical support on practices organic and transitioning farmers want to implement on their farms.

This program is relatively new, and a little different than other NRCS practices. Hear directly from ag professionals and farmers about their experiences with 823 and their ideas regarding how to best utilize this valuable conservation planning tool.

By |2026-03-02T11:54:58-05:00July 29th, 2024|Certification & Compliance, Federal Assistance, Resource|
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Crop Insurance for Organic Farmers: What’s Working, What’s Not, and How We Can Make it Work for Us

In a changing climate, crop insurance can make or break a farmer’s ability to keep farming the next year. But this federally subsidized program, intended as a safety net for farmers, serves some producers, growing a few specific crops, better than others. The program, as currently designed, feeds into consolidation of land and resources in agriculture, with crop insurance being the only subsidized farm program with no upper limit on the funds that a farmer can receive from the federal government, a practice that reinforces existing power structures and leads to fewer, bigger, and less diverse farms.

Organic and transitioning farmers, specifically, find themselves misunderstood and underserved in the crop insurance system, as their practices, rotations, transition, and certification processes are not widely understood by the agents serving them, and can be in conflict with Risk Management Agency requirements.

Noah Wendt of A&W Farms in Iowa and Seth Kroeck of Crystal Spring Farm in Maine share their experiences with crop insurance.

Seeds of Success Webinar | The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), is partnering with the Organic Farmers Association (OFA), and National Organic Coalition (NOC) to host a series of virtual farmer-to-farmer networking sessions, Seeds of Success. These facilitated events will be interactive, informal spaces for farmers to share their challenges and successes, and will give farmers an opportunity to have open conversations on topics most relevant to them.

For more information about the Organic Farmers Association and its programs, resources, and events, please visit: https://organicfarmersassociation.org

This work was supported through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP). TOPP is a program of the USDA Organic Transition Initiative and is administered by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) National Organic Program (NOP). For more information about TOPP or transitioning to organic, please visit: http://www.organictransition.org

By |2026-03-02T11:54:16-05:00April 17th, 2024|Federal Assistance, Resource|
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