why organic

June 17, 2020 – The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) and Organic Seed Alliance (OSA) released two national organic surveys on February 18, 2020—one for certified organic producers and the other for producers transitioning to organic certification. This collaborative effort is part of a USDA-funded project seeking to learn more about the challenges and research priorities of organic farmers and ranchers, and those transitioning land to certified organic production.

During these uncertain times, it is more important than ever that farmers and ranchers make their voices heard.

Survey results will help us ensure our organizational programs meet the needs of organic producers and that the increased funding for organic research secured in the 2018 Farm Bill addresses the unique needs of organic production. Results will be published in updates of OFRF’s National Organic Research Agenda (NORA) report and OSA’s State of Organic Seed (SOS) report to provide a roadmap for future research funding.

For certified organic farmers and ranchers, the survey link on our secure website is:

https://www.opinion.wsu.edu/organicproduction/

For farmers and ranchers who are transitioning to organic certification, the survey link on our secure website is:

https://www.opinion.wsu.edu/transitionproducers/

The survey is being administered by Washington State University and all responses will be kept confidential. Questions about the survey may be directed to Lauren Scott at lauren.n.scott@wsu.edu or 1-800-833-0867.

The surveys are voluntary, confidential, and will take approximately 30 minutes to complete. You can skip any questions you prefer not to answer. We welcome you to complete the survey in multiple sittings. The online survey saves your responses as you go along. You can stop at any point, and then resume the survey at any time by following the appropriate link above and entering your survey access code, which will be generated when you first start the survey. The online program will allow you to resume where you left off. Upon completion of the survey, you can enter to win a $100 gift card to REI. If you do not have access to a computer and cannot complete the survey online, please call OFRF at 831-426-6606.

Thank you for your time and support of this project!

The project is supported by the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) grant no. 2019-51300-30249 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) is a non-profit foundation that works to foster the improvement and widespread adoption of organic farming systems. OFRF cultivates organic research, education, and federal policies that bring more farmers and acreage into organic production.

Organic Seed Alliance (OSA) is a non-profit that works nationally to advance ethical seed solutions to meet food and farming needs in a changing world. Through research, education, and advocacy, OSA fosters organic seed systems that are democratic and just, support human and environmental health, and deliver genetically diverse and regionally adapted seed to farmers everywhere.

May 19, 2020 – This blog post was originally published on the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s (NSAC) website on November 8, 2019. The post has been updated and modified by Cristel Zoebisch, Climate Policy Associate for NSAC and OFRF, to reflect OFRF’s recommendations submitted to the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis. Exploring Agriculture’s Role in Addressing Climate Change

The House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis (Select Committee) held a hearing in Fall 2019 to discuss the role of agriculture in identifying and implementing solutions to the climate crisis. It was the first time the Select Committee focused on the potential for America’s farmers and ranchers to be a positive force in the nation’s efforts to combat climate change. Hearing witnesses included Dr. Jennifer Moore-Kucera, Climate Initiative Director at American Farmland Trust; Fred Yoder, farmer and Co-Chair of Solutions from the Land; Tina Owens, Senior Director of Agricultural Funding and Communications at Danone North America; and Viral Amin, Vice President of Commercial Development & Strategy at DTE Energy’s Power & Industrial Group.

Hearing Highlights

At the hearing, the Select Committee explored ways to help the agricultural sector increase carbon storage in farms, while also improving farm resiliency against severe weather events and increasing farm profitability. Key topics of discussion included the following. 

• Increasing adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices, with special emphasis on cover crops, conservation tillage, and diversified crop rotations
• Boosting research funding around climate adaptation and mitigation
• Enhancing technical and financial assistance to increase conservation activities
• Rewarding farmers for delivering ecosystem services

Both the witnesses and members of the Select Committee spoke at length about the different farm bill programs helping farmers adopt climate-smart agricultural practices. Many of those discussed included conservation programs that NSAC and its members, including OFRF, helped develop and/or have been instrumental in protecting over the last 30 years. Farm bill programs highlighted during the hearing included: the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program. The Rural Energy for America Program and the Rural Energy Savings Program were also mentioned as programs through which the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has already seen successes implementing on-farm sustainability and efficiency activities.

Dr. Moore-Kucera explained to the Committee that there are already low-cost and proven methods through which farmers can sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions on crop and ranchlands—many of which are supported by federal programs. In her testimony, she stated that the use of cover crops on 25 percent of cropland and conservation tillage on 100 percent of tillable acres in the U.S. could reduce agricultural emissions by a quarter.

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle were interested in metrics and quantifying the impact of various climate-smart agricultural practices (e.g., cover crops, conservation tillage). Witnesses agreed that more research is needed around the metrics and reminded the Select Committee that there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution to the climate crisis. Democrats had questions about carbon markets and carbon taxes, and both Republicans and Democrats acknowledged the need for increased broadband across rural communities to engage more effectively with precision agriculture techniques and enable the collection of data that could then inform metrics around various agricultural practices. Regarding carbon markets and carbon taxes, Yoder explained that a tax credit would be helpful to get buy-in from landowners, which is important given that more than 50 percent of farmland is rented.

Many of the witnesses encouraged the Select Committee to make agriculture a key partner in fighting climate change, and they suggested that a comprehensive climate bill and/or a climate-focused farm bill would be the best vehicle for such changes to be implemented. Witnesses were also adamant that legislators ensure a prime seat at the table for farmers and ranchers when climate discussions and policy debates take place.

OFRF on Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation

Research demonstrates that organic systems can help reduce agriculture’s contribution to climate change. Organic farmers and ranchers use regenerative organic practices that build soil health, store carbon, release fewer greenhouse gases, and build resilience to the effects of climate change. In our comments, OFRF urged the Select Committee to fully recognize the capacity of organic farming and ranching systems to build agricultural resilience to extreme weather events and make a significant contribution to carbon sequestration and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions arising from agricultural production.

Expand funding for research and prioritize climate change mitigation and organic agriculture research

OFRF called for expanded funding for the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program and for permanent funding authorization for the 19 sites in the nationwide Long Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) Network. Additionally, OFRF urged the prioritization of climate change mitigation and climate-resilience research for both SARE and LTAR. 

OFRF also called for organic agriculture to be a priority for research since organic systems show considerable potential in enhancing resilience to drought and other extreme weather events. USDA’s spending on organic research should be at least commensurate with the market share for organic foods, meaning that USDA should triple its current investment in organic research from 2% to at least 6%. LTAR research and any Requests for Applications for SARE and other competitive research grant programs should prioritize further development and refinement of organic systems’ potential in mitigating climate change.

Advanced organic systems that integrate best crop genetics with best soil health and nutrient management practices can make a significant contribution toward slowing climate change. OFRF urged the Select Committee to establish organic systems that integrate crop genetics with soil health and nutrient management as a research priority for USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) competitive grant programs.

Establish a national goal to make U.S. agriculture climate-neutral or climate-positive and provide a path forward to achieve this goal

In order to make agriculture climate-neutral or climate-positive, OFRF urged the Select Committee to establish climate as a resource concern for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and to modify conservation programs and standards accordingly. Furthermore, OFRF called for funding for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) to be fully restored, for strengthening conservation compliance and sodsaver provisions in USDA programs, and for support for livestock producers to adopt management-intensive rotational grazing (MIG) and other advanced grazing management systems.

OFRF recommended policy and programmatic provisions across all USDA agencies that support livestock producers to make the transition from confinement to MIG livestock systems, and urged the Select Committee to emphasize in its final report the critical importance of the National Organic Program’s (NOP) support for organic livestock producers to implement best advanced grazing management systems. NOP’s additional guidance for organic livestock and pasture management is critical to realize the full potential of grass-based organic livestock systems to sequester carbon, enhance climate resilience, and improve food security.

Prioritize robust USDA funding for public cultivar development

Genetic diversity plays a key role in the capacity of U.S. agriculture and food systems to withstand the impacts of climate change and maintain the nation’s food security. There is an urgent need to develop regionally adapted cultivars that perform well in organically managed soils that receive fewer inputs and provide for crop nutrition through biological processes.

In the past 15 years, many farmer-participatory plant breeding networks have developed and released new public cultivars of vegetable, grain, and dry bean crops that are especially suited to organic and low-input farming systems. However, available funding for these and other public plant breeding efforts amounts to only a small fraction of the current need and interest. OFRF urged the Select Committee to place a high priority on robust USDA funding for the development of public cultivars, with an emphasis on regionally adapted cultivars suited to organic production systems that optimize soil health for crop nutrition and crop protection.

Opt for organic and sustainable farming and ranching over “high tech” approaches

OFRF recommended that the Select Committee prioritize practices such as organic and sustainable farming and ranching, reforestation, agroforestry, and silvopasture under MIG management instead of “high tech” attempts to remove carbon by storing it deep underground. The most practical and cost-effective way to remove excess carbon from the atmosphere is through living plants and soils. The proposed “Carbon Capture and Storage” high tech approach may be more costly per ton of carbon stored, and may not stabilize the carbon as effectively as plant root-deposited carbon that has been microbially processed into stable soil organic carbon.

Ensure farmers and communities of color and economically disadvantaged producers and communities receive the support they need to overcome climate change impacts

OFRF recognizes that racial equity and mutual respect amongst racial and ethnic groups is an essential component to any climate mitigation and resilience strategy. All federal policies and programs must ensure that farmers and communities of color and economically disadvantaged producers and communities receive the support they need and deserve to overcome the disproportionately severe impacts of climate change they experience. 

Furthermore, OFRF recognizes the invaluable contributions of indigenous and other ethnic minorities to sustainable and organic agriculture and food systems and urges the Select Committee to fully acknowledge and utilize these contributions toward the goal of society-wide climate adaptation—with the contributions being respectfully utilized in a manner that benefits all, particularly those who contributed the knowledge and wisdom in the first place.

Final Thoughts

To cope with climate change that is expected to be both rapid and unpredictable, and for farmers to remain economically viable in the face of these challenges, agricultural systems must be resilient and able to adapt.

We believe that federal policies that include the recommendations outlined above will be those best positioned to support our farmers and ranchers in proactively addressing the climate crisis, as well as their own resilience and profitability. These recommendations can be applied to existing farm bill programs that directly address farm production and land stewardship issues; however, policy work beyond the farm bill is also needed.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the need for more resilient food and farming systems. While the final report from the Select Committee has been delayed indefinitely due to the pandemic, OFRF urges the Select Committee to resume its important work regarding climate change and recognize the potential of organic agriculture in mitigating climate change in its final report. OFRF calls upon federal policymakers to prioritize support for federal policies and programs that enable farmers and ranchers to adopt sustainable and organic agricultural production systems to address the challenges posed by a rapidly changing and disruptive global climate and increasing extreme weather events. 

May 15, 2020 – Due to a lack of commercially available organic strawberry transplants, organic producers have traditionally had to use conventional strawberry transplants. While organic strawberry producers have expressed dissatisfaction with this method, it has been difficult to transition away from conventional transplants in part because there is little data on their performance relative to conventional transplants. To address this critical question, Dr. Lisa Bunin, Director of Organic Advocacy, and Stefanie Bourcier, CEO of Farm Fuel Inc., led a research trial on five organic strawberry farms on the Central Coast of California to test the success of public varieties of organic versus conventional transplants.

Specifically, the goals of this OFRF-funded project were to compare disease susceptibility (leaf wilting) and crop productivity of organic and conventional transplants. Overall, the results clearly demonstrate that organic strawberry transplants performed comparably to conventional transplants with respect to plant growth, disease occurrence, and yield. Based on these findings, farmers participating in the study expressed complete satisfaction with the performance of organic strawberry transplants and plan to continue growing them. In turn, the nursery participating in the trial began producing over one million organic strawberry transplants for the 2019/2020 season in response to positive farmer feedback and increased market demand.

A detailed report of the project is available here.

May 8, 2020 – April Thatcher, OFRF board member and farmer/owner of April Joy Farm, is passionate about research and, like us, believes that creating farmer-scientist partnerships is crucial to making practical management decisions. Together with the Clark Conservation District, she was awarded a three-year grant from the Washington State Soil Health Committee to study soil health on her farm. The team is working to understand how diversified farmers can both protect and improve soil health while reducing costly, unsustainable and potentially contaminated off-farm inputs.

They have developed a Soil Health Roadmap (SHR) that provides a framework and set of tools for systematically evaluating the health of your operation’s foundational asset: the living soil, and creating an integrated set of strategies for enhanced stewardship.

In a recent interview with April, she explained how the SHR has enabled her to make immediate, impactful changes and better manage nitrogen loss. “I found out the biggest nutrient losses weren’t coming from produce sales, but rather leeching from heavy winter rains. I’m armed with more knowledge now and feel as if I have real research partners who care about the success of my farm. My goal for the next two years of the grant is to help other diversified farmers create soil health roadmaps that are specific to their farms. Meanwhile, my interns get the benefit of everything I’ve learned so they don’t make the same mistakes I have.”

Visit April’s website to learn more about the project, including the five reasons for developing a soil health roadmap and a case study on the project.

May 6, 2020 – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has just opened the Economic Injury Disaster Loan EIDL program to farms and ranches that were previously unable to apply. SBA released the following information on May 4, 2020.

——–

In response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, small business owners in all U.S. states, Washington D.C., and territories were able to apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan advance of up to $10,000. This advance is designed to provide economic relief to businesses that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue. This loan advance will not have to be repaid.

SBA has resumed processing EIDL applications that were submitted before the portal stopped accepting new applications on April 15 and will be processing these applications on a first-come, first-served basis. SBA will begin accepting new Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and EIDL Advance applications on a limited basis only to provide relief to U.S. agricultural businesses.

The new eligibility is made possible as a result of the latest round of funds appropriated by Congress in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Agricultural businesses include those businesses engaged in the production of food and fiber, ranching, and raising of livestock, aquaculture, and all other farming and agricultural related industries (as defined by section 18(b) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 647(b)).
• SBA is encouraging all eligible agricultural businesses with 500 or fewer employees wishing to apply to begin preparing their business financial information needed for their application.

At this time, only agricultural business applications will be accepted due to limitations in funding availability and the unprecedented submission of applications already received. Applicants who have already submitted their applications will continue to be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. For agricultural businesses that submitted an EIDL application through the streamlined application portal prior to the legislative change, SBA will process these applications without the need for re-applying.

Eligible agricultural businesses may apply for the Loan Advance here.

To apply for a disaster loan unrelated to COVID-19, click here.

April 29, 2020 – When I was eight years old my grandmother introduced me to the seeming magic of being able to push a corn seed into the ground, and three months later getting to eat a whole ear of corn. She showed me that while it was awe-inspiring, it was not magic. How a plant grows is something we can understand and nurture. My grandmother believed fervently in the power of science and learning to improve our lives.

I think you believe in the power of science and learning too and that is why I am asking you to support the work of the Organic Farming Research Foundation today.

I became an organic grower in my teens due to a personal experience of pesticide blowing back into my face when the wind shifted. I coughed and felt awful for several hours. The next day I went into the school library to research the pesticide and found a copy of Rachel Carson’s “A Silent Spring”. I learned how much damage conventional farming was doing to our environment and decided to change how I gardened. I became a voracious consumer of information on how to grow with nature, a process of learning that continues to this day. 

Love of learning is why I was intrigued when I got a call to discuss joining the Board of OFRF. My intrigue turned to excitement because I realized OFRF was promoting research on the type of farming I believe in, the type of farming that will make this world a better place. When I started farming full time, I quickly learned that I needed good science-based information that I could trust, and OFRF was the place I could get that information. I also quickly learned research that builds a resilient future doesn’t happen overnight and requires our collective investment. Will you join me in helping OFRF continue this important work? 

After three years on the Board of OFRF, I am more excited than ever about what we are doing, which is why I agreed to become President of the Board of Directors. The record number of research grant proposals we funded this year highlights the exploding interest in growing organically to regenerate our environment and society. The policy and education work by our staff ensures science-based information not only reaches farmers and ranchers but also tackles their priority issues. Our Soil Health Guides are being used by USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to promote soil conservation practices, and our new Climate Toolkit shows how best organic farming practices help mitigate climate change and build climate resilience. These are just a few examples of how OFRF is working to make the world a better place, a healthier place. 

Our current struggle with COVID-19 highlights the need to have good information when we make decisions. Now, more than ever, we need OFRF working to help farmers grow food that is healthy for people and our environment. But we can’t do it without your support. I strongly encourage you to join me today by making a donation to keep this vital organization up and running.

Warmly,

Bryan Hager, Crager Hager Farm
President of the OFRF Board of Directors

April 23, 2020 – We’ve been working on a virtual campaign to inspire, educate, and inform people on how best organic practices help mitigate climate change and build resilience—leading to healthy people, ecosystems, and economies. Our goal is to encourage more consumers to purchase organic food and increase demand so that together we can expand organic acres to:

• Capture and store more carbon in the soil for longer.
• Release fewer greenhouse gases.
• Help farmers and ranchers increase resilience to rising temperatures and intensified droughts and rain events that make it more challenging to grow crops and raise livestock.

The campaign, A Path to Resilience, launched with the hashtag #OrganicforClimate. It features a series of posts across social media presenting farmer stories, educational content, and compelling data points.

Today, we introduce a new digital toolkit on our website that provides another opportunity to learn, share, and help build the movement!

Lots of people want to help make a difference and we think that providing this information in a shareable toolkit provides an easy and fun way to get involved. As a science-based, research organization, we’re in the weeds most of the time, so this has been a particularly exciting project for us.

We hope you will engage in the campaign and help us share it far and wide. The initial calls-to-action are to share the toolkit and buy organic. In the coming months, we will be offering opportunities to join us as an advocate for programs and policies that encourage the growth of the organic industry on a federal level.

We’re incredibly grateful to all the organic farmers and ranchers
that provide healthy food for us.

Stay safe and healthy!

Please support our work.

April 23, 2020 – Dear friends, I sincerely hope this message finds you and your family healthy and safe in the midst of this pandemic. As I juggle working from home, homeschooling my two kids, and ensuring our family has healthy food to eat, I am reflecting on the challenges each of us are facing now and am reminded of how central food and farming is to all of our well-being. Despite how dependent we all are on farmers, they are struggling in unique ways that we are still trying to understand. They’re dealing with unprecedented market and supply chain impediments, labor concerns, new challenges in accessing key support programs from USDA—all while providing essential services and striving to maintain a steady and healthy food supply in their own communities and across the nation.

We know that not everyone can give during these uncertain times, but we hope you will continue to support our work. OFRF remains committed to advocating for organic farmers, working to ensure they have the tools they need to be successful, and helping support a resilient and regenerative agricultural system, including:

1. Communicating to policymakers in Congress and USDA about immediate aid needed to support farmers, particularly those that rely on local and regional markets.
2. Finding, funding, and fostering research that supports resilient and regenerative farming practices (we are in the process of awarding 13 new grants, the most in our 30 year history!).
3. Providing free educational resources to farmers and ranchers across North America and beyond.
4. Advocating for strong national policies and programs to ensure organic farmers have the support, resources, and technical assistance they need to be successful.
5. Promoting climate-friendly agricultural practices, including robust science on best soil health practices that help store more carbon for longer, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and build resilience to future changes to our climate.

Imagine if we as a community could support diverse, stable, and environmentally sustainable food systems.

I believe we can. Working together, we can create food systems that nourish our communities and our planet during these uncertain times.

Warm regards,

Brise Tencer
Executive Director, OFRF

Please support our work.