General News
Vilicus Farms
Impacts of Climate Disruption on a Diversified Organic Dryland Farm - While scientists, policy makers, and carbon marketeers debate the best agricultural practices for absorbing excess atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) into the soil, farmers need tools and strategies now to help them meet the day-to-day challenges posed by climate change.
State of Organic Seed: A Conversation with Organic Seed Alliance
The Organic Farming Research Foundation 2022 National Organic Research Agenda (NORA) is a report informed by surveys and focus groups conducted in 2020 with over 1,100 certified organic farmers and ranchers across North America. What Farmers Said In the NORA report, ~70% of organic crops are planted with certified organic seeds. On-farm production of organic seed declined from 63% in 2015 to 46% in 2020, indicating a need for farmer training and technical support in organic seed production. A Conversation with Organic Seed Alliance (OSA) OFRF recently chatted with Kiki [...]
OFRF Awards Two More 2021/22 Organic Research Grants Focused on Pulse Crops, Companion Planting
Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), in partnership with the Foundation for Food and Agriculture (FFAR), is pleased to announce two more 2021-22 Organic Research grants, awarded to Travis Parker and Christiana Huss. Parker's research will increase the productivity and market value of pulse crops for arid conditions. Huss will examine companion plantings for organic management of a new invasive Brassica pest. These awards are the third and fourth projects of six in OFRF's current 2021-22 organic research grant cycle. Travis Parker, with lead institution University of California, Davis, will focus [...]
Sharing the Legacy of Eoin King
When Eoin was 19, he said to his father that working in the tech industry where he’d been interning every high school summer, “wasn’t for him.” Instead, he wanted to focus on his true love while at Chico State University, enrolling in environmental science classes and growing organic vegetables in the backyard of his college rental. Tragically, Eoin Jun King died in a car accident in February 2022 at the age of 31, leaving behind his mother and father, Miyuki and Niall, and younger brother, Fionn. While the team at [...]
Climate Impacts on a Small Scale Farm
The Organic Farming Research Foundation 2022 National Organic Research Agenda (NORA) is a report informed by surveys and focus groups conducted in 2020 with over 1,100 certified organic farmers and ranchers across North America. What Farmers Said In the NORA report, nearly 80% of transitioning growers cited "greater resilience to climate change through organic practices" as a motivating factor to certify organic. "Adapting to climate change" ranked in the top 10 production challenges faced by organic farmers. A Personal Perspective by Caroline Baptist, former OFRF Communications Manager and Owner/Farmer of [...]
Soil Health in the South
The Organic Farming Research Foundation 2022 National Organic Research Agenda (NORA) is a report informed by surveys and focus groups conducted in 2020 with over 1,100 certified organic farmers and ranchers across North America. What Farmers Said In the NORA report, U.S. Southern farmers tended to use cover crops more often compared to other regions (60%). This may reflect the greater need for cover crops in the rotation to replenish soil organic matter (SOM) and nitrogen (N) in Southern region soils, which tend to lose SOM rapidly and have lower inherent [...]
OFRF Provides Testimony to full House Ag Committee on the Role of Climate Research Supporting Ag Resiliency
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (JULY 6, 2022) - Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) Research & Education Program Manager Thelma Vélez, PhD, recently testified before the full House Agriculture Committee hearing on "The Role of Climate Research in Supporting Agricultural Resiliency." As one of five panelists invited to share their expertise, Vélez summarized research findings that demonstrate the potential for organic systems to mitigate climate change and build resilience. Her testimony and extensive Q&A reflected Dr. Vélez's 15+ years of interdisciplinary research experience and thorough recommendations for more investment in organic research, [...]
OFRF and FFAR Announce On-Farm Organic Research Grant Addressing Climate Resilience for Coffee Producers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (June 29, 2022) – The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) and the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) are pleased to announce its second award for the 2021/22 OFRF organic research grant cycle. Alejandra Guzman Luna, affiliated with Universidad Veracruzana and in collaboration with the Agroecology and Livelihoods Collaborative at the University of Vermont, was awarded $19,970 to evaluate organic farming practices for staple crops in Chiapas, Mexico. Mexico’s highland region of Sierra Madre del Sur, known for its coffee production, has been severely impacted by [...]
Mendocino Wine Company
Mendocino Wine Company is located 125 miles north of San Francisco in Ukiah, where extremely hot temperatures and minimal rain make conservation techniques like cover cropping and efficient water management imperative.
OFRF’s Thelma Vélez to Speak to House Agriculture Committee on Agricultural Resiliency, Climate Research
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (June 14, 2022) — Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) Research & Education Program Manager Thelma Vélez, PhD, will testify before the full House Agriculture Committee hearing on “The Role of Climate Research in Supporting Agricultural Resiliency.” Vélez was invited to share her expertise and will be summarizing research findings that demonstrate the potential for organic systems to mitigate climate change and build resilience. She will also recommend more investment in organic research, education, and extension to support American farmers and ranchers in implementing the best practices for climate mitigation and [...]
OFRF and FFAR Announce Research Grant on Organic Farming Approaches to Coffee Leaf Rust Disease
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (June 9, 2022) – The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) and the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) are pleased to announce its first award for the 2021/22 OFRF organic research grant cycle. Colehour Bondera of Kanalani Ohana Farm was awarded $19,900 to research organic farming systems options for controlling Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR) on five organic farms in Kona, Hawaii. This farmer-led research project takes a whole-systems approach to evaluate plant health-based options for managing coffee leaf rust (CLR), a potentially devastating disease for all [...]
Weed Management for Nutsedge
The Organic Farming Research Foundation 2022 National Organic Research Agenda (NORA) is a report informed by surveys and focus groups conducted in 2020 with over 1,100 certified organic farmers and ranchers across North America. What Farmers Said In the NORA report, two-thirds of survey respondents (67%) cited weed management as a substantial production challenge. Specific feedback from organic farmers also underscores the need for additional research on controlling weeds such as nutsedge. Knowing Your Weeds Farmers and researchers alike acknowledge that weeds pose the greatest barrier to building healthy soils [...]
Organic Farmer Shares Her Story
Help OFRF Support Organic Farmers For many organic producers, organic is a way of life and they can’t imagine farming any other way. Mary Phipps is one of those farmers. She joined the OFRF board in 2021, but has been using OFRF resources for nearly 15 years. "I first heard about OFRF from another organic farmer in our area in 2008 and started using OFRF information on our farm to help us solve the many challenges we were facing. I immediately signed up for the newsletter and have been following [...]
USDA Announces Up to $300 Million Investment for Transition to Organic Initiative
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Organic Transition Initiative Announced, Organic Production as Climate Strategy (June 1, 2022) – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a Food System Transformation framework that includes up to $300 million in a new Organic Transition Initiative to provide comprehensive support for farmers to transition to organic production. The new initiative acknowledges that organic production has climate and environmental benefits, allows producers to demand a premium in the marketplace, “and thus take home a greater share of the food dollar,” according to an official USDA statement. [...]
Organic Farming Research Foundation Releases Latest California Organic Research Agenda
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Needs Assessment Examines Organic Farmer Challenges in Nation’s Most Agriculturally Productive State (May 31, 2022) - Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) has published the new California Organic Research Agenda (CORA), a comprehensive report that examines current needs and challenges of organic farmers and ranchers across California and provides policy and research recommendations to address producer-identified issues. The CORA report is a companion to OFRF’s 2022 National Organic Research Agenda. The national organic survey data boasts responses from over 1,100 producers and 16 listening sessions held across the [...]
Weed Management for Canada Thistle
The Organic Farming Research Foundation 2022 National Organic Research Agenda (NORA) is a report informed by surveys and focus groups conducted in 2020 with over 1,100 certified organic farmers and ranchers across North America. What Farmers Said In the NORA report, two-thirds of survey respondents (67%) cited weed management as a substantial production challenge. Specific feedback from organic farmers also underscores the need for additional research on controlling weeds such as Canadian thistle. Knowing Your Weeds Farmers and researchers alike acknowledge that weeds pose the greatest barrier to building healthy [...]
Applications Now Open for Two USDA Programs Geared Toward Organic and Transitioning Producers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (May 17, 2022) – Certified organic and transitioning to organic agricultural producers and handlers can now apply for the Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program (OTECP) and the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP). These United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs help producers and handlers cover organic certification cost and other related expenses. Applications are open now and due October 31, 2022. The two USDA programs cover costs incurred from October 1, 2021, to September 30, 2022. Organic and transitioning agricultural producers should contact their local Farm Service Agency [...]
OFRF Awards 2021/22 Grant to Research Climate Resilience for Coffee Producers Using Organic Practices
Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), in partnership with the Foundation for Food and Agriculture (FFAR), is pleased to award a 2021-22 Organic Research grant to Alejandra Guzman-Luna, affiliated with Universidad Veracruzana and in collaboration with the Agroecology and Livelihoods Collaborative at the University of Vermont. Guzman-Luna has nearly 15 years of experience working with farmers and Indigenous communities in Mexico. OFRF’s grant program funds research on organic production systems and the dissemination of these research results to organic farmers and agricultural research communities. The 2021/22 grant cycle prioritized early career [...]
OFRF Awards 2021/22 Grant to Research Organic Farming System Options Addressing Coffee Leaf Rust
Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), in partnership with the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), is pleased to award Kanalani Ohana Farm a 2021-22 Organic Research grant. OFRF’s grant program funds research on organic production systems and disseminates these research results to organic farmers and agricultural research communities. The 2021/22 grant cycle prioritized farmers, early career researchers and Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) applicants, and awarded research projects focused on climate mitigation and building on-farm resilience. Kanalani Ohana Farm will research organic farming system options for control of Coffee [...]
Now is the Moment to Help OFRF Support Organic Farmers
Every five years a U.S. Farm Bill is voted into law by Congress, directing hundreds of billions of dollars to flow into the food and agriculture systems. The 2023 Farm Bill is right around the corner and now is the moment to act. Help support farmers and advance organic agriculture in the 2023 Farm Bill. Thanks to a generous donor, contributions made today will be matched dollar for dollar up to $5,000! OFRF heard loud and clear from organic and transitioning farmers and ranchers about their needs in the 2022 [...]
