National Organic Producer Survey Opens Today
February 18, 2020 - The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) and Organic Seed Alliance (OSA) have released two national surveys—one for certified organic producers and the other for producers transitioning to organic certification.
OFRF Hosts Packed Workshops at EcoFarm
February 5, 2020 - OFRF coordinated two workshops at EcoFarm and had a booth in the trade show for the first time ever. It was a great opportunity to share research with this farmer community.
Researchers and Farmers Come Together at 2020 OARF
January 31, 2020 - Holding this year’s Organic Agriculture Research Forum in Little Rock provided an opportunity for researchers and farmers to focus on challenges associated with organic farming in the Southern region. The forum was presented jointly by OFRF and Tuskegee University in partnership with the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (SSAWG). Dr. Lauren Snyder, Education and Research Program manager for OFRF welcomed participants to the day-long event before handing it over to Professor Kokoasse Kpomblekou-A from Tuskegee University for an update on organic farming research in the Southeast. [...]
OFRF Leads Organic Soil Heath Workshop at TOFGA
L-R: Diana Jerkins, Scott Snodgrass, Justin Duncan, Tommy Garcia-Prats January 28, 2020 - OFRF was a sponsor of the Texas Organic Farmers & Gardeners ( TOFGA) annual conference held in Temple, Texas conference from January 16-18. OFRF and TOFGA and OFRF jointly held a panel workshop on soil health, as well as a farmer listening session. Diana Jerkins, OFRF Senior Scientist, led both sessions with 60 participants for the workshop and over 40 for the listening session. Dr. Jerkins is a co-author of OFRF's educational series on Soil [...]
OFRF Researcher Reports on Grant to Study Biosolarization
January 7, 2020 - Soil solarization is an organic method that has been shown to control weeds, pathogens, and nematodes in areas with hot summer temperatures. Biosolarization, a relatively new technique, combines the use of soil solarization and organic soil amendments to enhance the results of solarization. While biosolarization has proven effective in a number of studies, its efficacy varies across study regions, cropping systems, and pathogen communities. In 2018, OFRF provided a grant to Dr. Ashraf Tubeileh at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo to study the effect [...]
Soil Health Workshop at Organic Growers Summit
December 9, 2019 - Haley Baron, Education and Research Program Associate, OFRF, describes her workshop at the Organic Growers Summit in Monterey, CA on December 4, 2019.
Patagonia Doubles Donations to OFRF
December 4, 2019 - Now through December 31st, all donations made to OFRF will be matched dollar-for-dollar by Patgonia Works! This match will double your support! For the last three decades, OFRF has responded directly to the critical needs of organic farmers and ranchers through targeted scientific research, free educational resources, and advocacy on both the local and federal level. Don't miss this opportunity to double your impact. Thank you for helping us ensure organic farmers and ranchers have the information and resources they need to be successful! Click here to make your [...]
New Report Highlights Role of Agriculture in Climate Change Mitigation
November 14, 2019 – OFRF has been using research-based analysis to inform public policy for nearly three decades. Recently, we contributed to a new report from the National Sustainable Organic Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) titled Moving American Agriculture to “Net Zero”. One of the principal authors of that report, Dr. Mark Schonbeck, OFRF Research Associate, is the lead author of our wildly popular educational series on organic farming and soil health, which includes nine guidebooks and webinars covering topics ranging from cover cropping and nutrient management to weed and pest management. [...]
Note from an Organic Farmer
November 8, 2019 - Organic farmer and OFRF board member, April Thatcher, talks about why she chose to become an organic farmer and why it is important to support research, education, and advocacy that improves and advances organic farming.
New Varieties Show Promise
October 25, 2019 – In 2018, OFRF provided a grant to Edmund Frost of Common Wealth Seed Growers to assess resistance to both Bacterial Wilt and Cucurbit Downy Mildew among selected cucumber and muskmelon seedstocks. The project is aimed at helping organic farmers throughout the Eastern U.S., where those diseases pose a particular challenge.In his recently submitted final project report, Frost says the four trials he completed yielded useful and actionable results. The trials were done on certified organic land at Twin Oaks Farm in Virginia. Read all about the methods, [...]
