Beginning in 2023, the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) has worked in partnership to bring a series of interactive, virtual farmer-to-farmer networking sessions to growers across the country. Partners on these “Seeds of Success” sessions include Organic Farmers Association (OFA), the National Organic Coalition (NOC), the Transition to Organic Partnership Program, Oregon Tilth, Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, and dozens of organic farmers, extension agents and researchers.
These “Seeds of Success” events are designed to empower organic producers and transitioning farmers with engaging peer-to-peer conversation. Each session will act as an interactive, informal space for farmers to share their challenges and successes and will give farmers an opportunity to have open conversations on topics most relevant to them.
Below you’ll find recordings for past events. The most recent events are added at the bottom of this list.
Strategies for Identifying and Navigating Organic Markets
Hosted by OFRF on November 10, 2023.
In this virtual networking session, we address the number one non-production challenge identified by organic producers: finding and developing markets for organic products.
This session featured three women farmers who have creatively grown their markets for organic products: Amy Van Scoik of Frog Song Organics in Florida, Pam Mack of L Marie LTD in Ohio, and Anna Jones-Crabtree of Vilicus Farms in Montana.
Watch Recording:
Demystifying the National Organic Standards Board: What It Is, How It Works, and How It Impacts Your Farm
Hosted by NOC on January 30, 2024
Organic producers and processors must follow strict standards to become organically certified. Who decides what is and is not allowed on organic farms and in organic processing facilities? Not your certifier! Rather, it’s the USDA National Organic Program, in consultation with the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB).
On Tuesday, January 30, 2024, the NOC hosted a virtual meeting for organic and transitioning farmers, where a panel of farmers and advocates demystified the NOSB. Panelists explained the role of the NOSB in shaping organic standards and allowed materials, the process the Board uses to make decisions, and explained how written and oral comments can make a difference in Board decisions.
Panelists included Steve Ela, Former NOSB Chair, NOC NOSB Specialist, and Organic Producer at Ela Family Farms in Colorado; Harriet Behar, Former NOSB Chair, NOC Advisor, OFA Farmer Services Consultant, and Organic Producer at Sweet Springs Farm in Wisconsin; and Amy Bruch, Current NOSB Vice Chair and Organic Producer at Cyclone Farms in Nebraska.
Learn more about this session and your role in providing input to the Board and lifting up farmer voices in the NOSB process on NOC’s website.
Crop Insurance for Organic Farmers: What’s Working, What’s Not, and How We Can Make it Work for Us
Hosted on OFA on April 16, 2024.
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 the 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.
Watch Recording:
NRCS Organic Practice 823: Strategies and Best Practices
Hosted by OFA on July 24, 2024.
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.
This session was presented by OFA’s Farmer Services Consultant Harriet Behar, Marbleseed’s Climate and Conservation Director/Organic Conservation Specialist Thomas Manley, and Lehman Farms Ltd.’s Aaron Lehman.
Watch Recording:
Adding the “O”: Farmer Perspectives and Experiences Transitioning to Organic
Hosted by OFRF on November 10, 2024.
This webinar features two farmers that share their experiences and thoughts for demystifying some of the challenges they faced while developing, conducting and evaluating research projects on their farms through OFRF’s Farmer-Led Trials project.
Watch Recording:
Lessons from OFRF’s Organic Seed Usage Farmer Listening Session
Hosted by OFRF on March 5, 2025.
In the sixth Seeds of Success networking session, over 40 participants gathered (virtually) to share their thoughts and firsthand experiences using and producing organic seed. The session was not recorded to allow participants to share more freely. Read OFRF’s summary of key takeaways from seed growers, organic producers, researchers, and technical service providers.
A Delicata squash seed crop cures in bins at White Oak Farm and Education Center, Oregon.
Crop-Livestock Integration
Hosted by OFRF on June 26, 2025.
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 we will features three farmers that have built resilience and a dynamic organic system:
Ben Coerper, Wild Harmony Farm
Tomia MacQueen, Wildflower Farm
Raymond Hain, recently retired from Grain Place Foundation
Watch Recording:
Farmer Perspectives on Transitioning to Organic in the Northwest
Hosted by OFRF December, 2025.
Farmers transitioning to organic production face unique challenges that require technical assistance on a wide range of production and non-production issues. During the transition period farmers must consider financially viable strategies for the three-year transition period, how to restore soil health while learning to manage weeds without herbicides, acquiring new equipment and infrastructure needed for organic production, and navigating NOP-related paperwork during the last year of transition and first year of certification. This webinar features three farmers that have worked through these issues, who share their experiences and thoughts for demystifying some of the challenges they faced in the process. In this session we feature three farmers in the Northwest that have built resilience and a dynamic organic system: Lynn Schaal, Life Springs Farm – Idaho Tracey Dion, Yellowstone River Farms – Montana Aaron Flansburg, Flansburg Farm – Washington
Watch Recording:
Accessing USDA Farmer Resources on the Ground: NRCS and FSA
Hosted by the Organic Farmers Association on January 27, 2026.
Recent changes to USDA offices have real impacts for organic farmers. Join the Organic Farmers Association, OFRF, and the National Organic Coalition (NOC) for this Seeds of Success session: Accessing USDA Farmer Resources on the Ground: NRCS and FSA – Seeds of Success. This session can help farmers understand how they can navigate these changes with insights straight from USDA staff. Participants take the opportunity to engage directly with representatives from the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA). During the hour, we delve into the specific changes in the structure, staffing, and location of NRCS and FSA offices. Farmers can learn the most effective ways to access essential resources. The session also provides guidance and updates on available loans, programs, and technical assistance to support farm and business goals.
Watch Recording:
Organic 101 for Extension Agents: Understanding Certification, Standards, and Producer Journeys
Hosted by OFRF January, 2025.
This webinar is for extension agents, technical service providers, or anyone who wants to understand organic certification and help growers make the transition to organic farming. In the first half of this informative session, you will learn the basic principles of organic certification, and become familiar with organic standards. During the second half, you will have the opportunity to interact with farmer panelists as they share their experiences in becoming certified organic producers. Panelists include April Thatcher of April Joy Farm in Washington, Beth Hoinacki of Goodfoot Farm in Oregon, and Diane Green of Greentree Naturals in Idaho. This webinar is brought to you by the Organic Farming Research Foundation, Oregon Tilth, and Western SARE.
Watch Recording:
Stay tuned for our next farmer-to-farmer networking session. You can view all upcoming OFRF-related events at ofrf.org/events/ and by subscribing to our newsletter here.
The Seeds of Success project is 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).