Why Organic News

July 1, 2019—OFRF is pleased to announce the Fall 2019 Request for Letters of Intent is now open for 2020 grant funding. The program is open to all applicants residing and conducting research in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The deadline to submit Letters of Intent (LOI) is Friday, August 16, 2019. Successful applicants will be notified in fall 2019 and invited to submit a full proposal.

OFRF is committed to supporting innovative research that meets the current challenges of organic farming, and fosters the adoption and improvement of organic farming systems. Since 2006, OFRF has invested over $3M in research projects based on scientific merit, combined with the potential to address key grower challenges. Techniques and findings from OFRF-funded research have been widely implemented by organic farmers and ranchers, with information disseminated online, in publications, and at farming conferences and field days.

“In today’s climate, organic farmers and ranchers must overcome more production risks than ever to remain competitive and sustain a livelihood,” said Lauren Snyder, OFRF’s Research Program Manager. “This year, we are excited to present an interdisciplinary set of special research topics in our request for LOI to reflect the diverse challenges organic producers face. Our goal is to encourage innovative research that identifies solutions to the environmental, economic, and social barriers to organic production systems.”

Based on the OFRF report, 2016 National Organic Research Agenda (NORA), this year’s priority areas for research projects include soil health and weed management, organic pest management, climate change, and social science research on the barriers to organic transition. Submissions must meet one or more of the priority areas outlined in the request for LOI. We encourage applicants to download the report for more details.

The instructions and form are now available at ofrf.org. Project LOI are reviewed and approved by the OFRF Board of Directors, most of whom are certified organic producers. Applicants invited to submit full proposals will be notified in the fall. Grant funding will be announced in spring 2020.

We look forward to another year of outstanding project submissions!

Letter of Intent and instructions

OFRF is pleased to accept Letters of Intent for research projects on organic farming and food systems. Please complete the application and submit no later than Friday, August 16, 2019.

• View the request for Letters of Intent
• Submit a Letter of Intent 

If you have additional questions, you may contact the OFRF Research Grants Division
by phone at 831.426.6606 or e-mail at grants@ofrf.org.

June 28, 2019 – United States Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue met with agriculture stakeholders at a Town Hall meeting in Watsonville, California on Friday, June 28th. He was joined by Representatives Jimmy Panetta (CA-20) and Doug LaMalfa (CA-01).

While technology innovations in agriculture were top of mind following Perdue’s attendance at the Forbes AgTech Summit in Salinas earlier in the week, the question and answer session focused on some of the more pressing issues facing growers—the need for increased investment in research, more support for small growers, the relocation of USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) offices, and the effect of current trade policies on farmers.

OFRF Executive Director Brise Tencer spoke about the potential of organic practices to sequester carbon, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and adapt to climate change. She asked Perdue about his committment to investing in research in this area. Perdue said all farmers should be adopting practices that sequester carbon and that both the private and public sector need to share the responsibility for investing in research. On the topic of trade, Perdue said everyone needs to play by the same rules. Regarding relocation of ERS and NIFA, Perdue said leadership would stay in DC.

Secretary Perdue wants to hear from you. Visit USDA.gov/tellsonny or call 1-877-508-8364, Monday through Friday, 7 am to 7 pm CT.

May 28, 2019 – Last week, OFRF and the organic community were in Washington, DC in full force advocating on behalf of the organic sector. Organic Week provides a great opportunity to bring the needs of organic farmers and ranchers to Congress and USDA, discuss issues, showcase outstanding work, and thank our organic champions.

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) named Congressman Dan Newhouse (R-WA) and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) the 2019 Organic Champions. Working in a strong bipartisan fashion, Newhouse and Pingree introduced and advanced the Organic Agriculture Research Act of 2018, which led to permanent baseline funding for OREI in the 2018 Farm Bill. This historic investment in organic agriculture research more than doubled the current funding for the Organic Research and Extension Initiative.

Even with significant wins for organic agriculture, there is still much work to be done to ensure USDA properly implements the law and enacts regulations that continue to support the $52B organic sector in the U.S.

The annual appropriations process is part of the ongoing work. Last week, OFRF spoke with members of the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee as they were preparing to take action on the Fiscal Year 2020 Agriculture Appropriations Bill. The bill seeks to increase funding to $18M for the National Organic Program, which is charged with developing and enforcing the USDA organic standards. This increased capacity will help ensure the continued integrity of the USDA organic seal.

The appropriations bill also seeks to address a regulatory issue that has been impacting organic dairy producers, allowing some operations to transition cows rapidly into organic production. The bill seeks to close the loophole by directing USDA to engage in rulemaking and issue a final regulation for how dairy cows transition to organic production within 180 days.

The appropriations bill will also increase the funding of the cutting-edge Organic Transitions Program (ORG) to $8M, including $45M for the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. Both of these programs provide research, education, and outreach on organic and sustainable practices that help farmers be more sustainable and resilient.

Finally, the appropriations bill also includes language that would block the administration from moving two key research agencies outside of Washington, DC. Moving the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and relocating and reorganizing the Economic Research Service (ERS), would undermine the overall integrity of agriculture research, impact the administration of key research programs that farmers around the country rely on, and further politicize agriculture research. Already, OFRF has noticed the impacts these relocation efforts have had on the research and administration of programs that support organic agriculture around the country.

While this is just the first step in the Fiscal Year 2020 appropriations process, it is a step in the right direction. OFRF would like to thank the 2019 Organic Champions, Congressman Dan Newhouse (R-WA) and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME), as well as Chairman Sandford Bishop (D-GA) and Ranking Member Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) of the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies.

May 15, 2019 – Congratulations to longtime research associate at UC California Santa Cruz, Dr. Joji Muramoto, who recently became the first Cooperative Extension Specialist in the UC system dedicated to organic agriculture. Leading a statewide program focused on organic production of strawberries and vegetables, Muramoto plans to focus on soil fertility and the organic management of soil-borne diseases.

Some of the most significant scientific advancements in strawberry research have been made by Muramoto and Dr. Carol Shennan at UC Santa Cruz, where they have pioneered alternatives to methyl bromide in commercial strawberry production. OFRF initiated this research with grants in 1997, 2003, and 2010, which have since been leveraged to secure more than $5M in additional funding from state and federal agencies.

There have been tremendous impacts for organic growers from this research. Focused on anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD), an alternative to soil fumigation for the control of soil pathogens and nematodes, ASD was primarily developed with the goals of controlling Verticillium dahlia, a pathogen that causes verticillium wilt and reduced yields in strawberry fields.

Today, the practices of ASD have been widely adopted among organic strawberry growers in California, and most commonly utilized in the areas of Ventura, Watsonville, and Santa Maria. Although 80% of farms that use ASD are organic, conventional farmers are also exploring the use of ASD and adoption is expected to increase.

As a long-time advocate for more extension serving the organic community, we couldn’t be more excited about this new position and the appointment of a respected soil scientist like Joji. Congratulations to everyone involved!

Read about the impacts of OFRF funded berry research.

Jeremy Barker-Plotkin, OFRF Board President and Farmer, Simple Gifts Farm, Amherst, Massachusetts

May 8, 2019 – Greetings! With just days to spare, we exited 2018 with a Farm Bill that makes long overdue investments in organic agriculture, including $395 million for organic research and education over the next ten years.

Thanks to the hard work of OFRF and a broad coalition of organic champions, we achieved historic permanent baseline funding for the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI).

For nearly 30 years, OFRF has played a critical role in funding innovative, scientifically impactful organic research. It makes me proud to be part of an organization that is so dedicated to cultivating the improvement of organic farming practices and ensuring the unique needs of organic farmers are being met.

OFRF puts farmers first—ALL of their resources are available to farmers for free. This is one of the many reasons why I proudly serve on the board.

Your donation today ensures OFRF can continue to help organic farmers access critical resources and make the most of the opportunities before them. 

Please join me in supporting OFRF’s work in 2019!

Donate now Your Support is Making an Impact!

SUPPORTING FOUNDATIONS & ORGANIZATIONS

California Department of Food and Agriculture | United States Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency | Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation Western Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education  | Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research | Forrest C. & Frances H. Lattner Foundation | Marisla Foundation | Globetrotter Foundation | Agua Fund | Farm Aid | Lawrence Foundation | Nell Newman Foundation

May 5, 2019 – Proceedings from the 2019 Organic Agriculture Research Forum are now available. This day-long event held on February 16th in Portland Oregon, featured innovative presentations from researchers across all disciplines related to organic farming and food systems.

Download the proceedings

Presentations from the 2019 Organic Agriculture Research Forum were recorded by eOrganic and are also available.

View the presentations

Special thanks to Ceres Trust for their scholarship support.

April 29, 2019 – Development, testing, and release of resistant varieties is essential to controlling downy mildew and bacterial wilt, diseases that pose a significant and costly production challenge for organic farmers. OFRF is pleased to announce a second-year research grant to Edmund Frost of Common Wealth Seed Growers to continue his assessment of downy mildew resistant cucumber seedstocks. Frost will focus on evaluating and advancing cucumber seedstock lines that performed well in his 2018 trials.

Frost has been producing certified organic vegetable seeds at Twin Oaks Seed Farm in Louisa, Virginia since 2008, and pursuing variety trials and breeding work since 2011. He leads Common Wealth Seed Growers, a cooperative effort of several Virginia seed growers to grow and sell seed varieties that perform well in the region. They aim to build the awareness and capacity necessary for improving organic seed systems in the Southeast.

Trials will take place at the University of Massachusetts, North Carolina A&T University, University of Mount Olive, and four farms across the Southeastern U.S. Trials will evaluate yields in high-downy mildew conditions, rate the impact of downy mildew on foliage, and provide feedback on fruit quality and marketability.

“Organic farmers need varieties with high nutrient-use efficiency, disease resistance, insect resistance, weed competition, and good quality,” said Brise Tencer, OFRF’s Executive Director. “In our national survey, many farmers stated the need for increased on-farm breeding and variety improvement for organic seeds. We are excited to continue funding this important work.”

Overall, OFRF grant funding has advanced scientific knowledge and improved the practices, ecological sustainability, and economic prosperity of organic farming. These successes support their goal of researchers and farmers working collaboratively to support the improvement and widespread adoption of organic agriculture. Project results are shared freely at ofrf.org. OFRF also provides free access to all of its educational materials and resources.

Thank you to our Research Program Partners: