Organic Farming Research Foundation

Better hay. Better soil. 🌾

At O'Meara Family Farm in Northern Maine, Farmer John O'Meara is a committed to the health, happiness, and longevity of his animals and land. In his Farmer-Led Trial, he's looking for a forage crop that can do double duty—increase hay quality and build soil health. This summer he'll be comparing sunn h**p grown alone with sunn h**p interseeded with Japanese millet to see what works best for his farm.

Read the full blog here: https://ofrf.org/news/farmer-led-trials-program-spotlight-o-meara-family-farm/

Say hello to Mary Elizabeth Kidd (aka M.E.), who's helping out as our Communications Associate this summer! 🐕 🪉 🍑

For the last 15 years, Mary Elizabeth (aka M.E.) has built a career in food and farming communications—from promoting local restaurants and community food events, to 5+ years in digital marketing for multi-unit restaurants and consumer packaged goods brands, to serving as Georgia Organics' Communications Director. Along the way, she's also gotten her hands dirty on organic and urban farms and at Atlanta farmers markets, staying rooted in the everyday work of growing and sharing good food.

At the heart of it all: M.E. is passionate about connecting people to food and to each other, and she's all in on OFRF's mission to advance organic farming.

Outside of work, she's usually walking her Great Pyrenees, George, or playing harp in hospitals through a therapeutic music program. 🎶

Welcome, M.E.! We're glad you're here!

Pests keeping you up at night? If you're farming organically in the Northwest, join us Thursday, August 27 at 12 pm PT for a webinar built for you with practical, region-specific pest management strategies.

We’re diving into field-tested tactics for managing crop-specific insect pressure and disease, featuring a panel of expert organic farmers and researchers:
- Ellie Costello, Trust Land Farm, Missoula, Montana
- Sarahlee Lawrence, Rainshadow Organics, Sisters, Oregon
- Robert Orpet, Assistant Professor of Entomology, Oregon State University

If you’re looking for new management strategies or have specific questions for our panel, this session is for you.

Register to save your spot: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cnt3P5TRSji-8DvU0VwFLw #/registration

A hearty congratulations to Meg, a former OFRF board member and current Organic Stewardship Council member, on her Farmfest Woman Farmer of the Year award! Thank you for all you do for farmers. 💚

Tomorrow, tune in for part two of this special webinar series from OFRF, where we'll be presenting the latest organic farming research, results, and practical takeaways on soil health, diversified cropping systems, and other agronomic considerations.

Tune in for the webinar from 1:30-3:00 EST, from our events page:

OFRF.ORG/EVENTS

To access the recording from part one, where we covered organic research on pest management, nutrient management, and soil organic carbon, check out NRCS's conservation webinar dashboard:
https://conservationwebinars.net/webinars/organic-research-updates-part-1-pest-management-nutrient-management-and-soil-organic-carbon/?sr=wp~ondemand

Here’s something most people don’t know: private companies rarely fund organic agriculture research. Why? Because organic research tends to focus on things like locally adapted crop varieties, better cover cropping methods, and non-chemical pest control. These are hugely valuable to farmers, but they don’t generate the kind of product sales that attract private investment.

That’s where “capacity funding” comes in. This is steady, guaranteed federal funding that flows to land-grant universities every year to support agriculture research stations.

One great example: for over 80 years, public potato breeding at Cornell has kept the golden nematode contained to just eight counties in New York, work that isn’t being done by private companies. Without this public program, the pest could be a threat to vegetable and nursery farms across the region.

But the problem is that capacity funding has been on the chopping block in recent federal budgets. If it disappears, decades of research infrastructure, breeding programs, and farmer-focused knowledge could unravel in a single budget cycle, even though it took generations to build.

Read the full breakdown of why this funding matters, written by our Policy Manager Vinnie Trometter: https://ofrf.org/news/capacity-funding-and-agricultural-research

The August 6 markup of the Farm Bill failed in the Senate. What are we left with, and where do we go from here?

Read our latest policy corner to for more about why the markup failed and why this might be a blessing in disguise for organic research priorities.

👉 https://ofrf.org/news/the-senate-farm-bill-fails-in-committee/

Organic pest management is one of the most serious challenges that producers face in the south. That is why OFRF and partners have been pulling together the latest insights from researchers and organic producers in the region.

In June, OFRF, Southern SARE, and Florida Organic Growers hosted a field day on pest management for organic farming systems in Florida. We are grateful to the experts who presented their knowledge and work with us:

Juan Carlos Rodriguez, Florida Organic Growers
Lucas Anrecio, Florida SARE Program Assistant
Dr. Lance Osborne & Dr. Utara Samarakoon, Mid-Florida Research and Education Center
Dr. Sriyanka Lahiri, Gulf Coast Research and Education Center

Learn more about the latest on organic pest management in the south:

A new factsheet and webinar featuring researchers and organic producers:
https://ofrf.org/resource/organic-pest-and-weed-management-for-service-providers-in-the-south/

OFRF's searchable database, the Organic Research Hub:
https://hub.ofrf.org

Last call, TOPP Midwest farmers! Our free print resource giveaway wraps up soon. Don’t miss your chance to get OFRF’s organic farming guides mailed straight to you.

From cover crops to conservation tillage and navigating USDA cost-share programs, these guides are built to help you farm smarter.

Request yours before it’s gone: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0YzisuxHTNGB2MfqXXelOqTx36jlUV3W5sP7t2_-3GT5XYg/viewform

Join us for PART TWO of this webinar series to learn more about the latest organic agriculture research!

Over 140 experts tuned into part one! Part two will present peer-reviewed research, results and takeaways on soil health, diversified cropping systems and agronomic considerations.

Tuesday, 8/18, 1:30-3:00 EST
Registration is not required. This webinar is being offered in partnership with USDA NRCS. Tune in on 8/18 from our events page:
https://ofrf.org/events/

Want to see part one, where we covered the latest organic research on pest management, nutrient management, and soil organic carbon? Check out the recording on the NRCS webinar dashboard:
https://conservationwebinars.net/webinars/organic-research-updates-part-1-pest-management-nutrient-management-and-soil-organic-carbon/?sr=wp~ondemand