Organic Broadcaster | November 2021 | Volume 29 | Issue 6

Naima Dhore discusses the challenges emerging organic farmers face

By Bayard Godsave

Naima Dhore’s organic farming operation started very small, growing microgreens and herbs in her Eden Prairie apartment. Now, twelve years later, as the Executive Director of the Somali American Farmers Association (SAFA), she works alongside community members in south Minneapolis to increase access to organic produce, much of it native to east Africa.

Dhore’s interest in organic food coincided with the birth of her first child, and in 2016 led her to lease farmland and participate in the Farmer Education Program at Big River Farms in Minnesota. She spent three years at Big River Farms, taking classes and working the land, “learning to put theory into practice,” she said. By 2019, she felt ready to work her own farm, but the process of gaining land tenure has proven to be a challenge.

When I talked to Naima Dhore recently, she’d taken time out of a busy schedule that includes her work with the SAFA, farming, and serving on the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) Emerging Farmers Working Group, all while holding down a full-time job. Looking back on her journey, she describes her two unsuccessful purchase attempts with a real sense of perspective; several times she told me, “I’m doing okay now, I’m in a different place, I’m going forward.” Still, she said, “it’s been a challenge finding a place where we can live, and where people can have access to the food we grow.”

Her most recent purchase attempt, earlier this summer, fell through when the appraisal on the property came back lower than expected. Dhore and her

Striketober solidarity

By Julie Keown-Bomar

This promises to be a very good year for the executives and shareholders at Deere & Company. The Iowabased farm and construction equipment manufacturer says it’s earned more in the first nine months of its 2021 fiscal year than during 2013, its best year. The corporation’s third-quarter results are nearly $4.7 billion.1 John May, the company’s CEO, made over $14.7 million in total compensation in 2020 with a salary of almost $1.2 million, over $3.7 million in bonuses, $2.6 million in stock options, $6.8 million in stock, and $310,125 from other compensation.2 Reports are that

husband had paid for, among other things, the inspection, money that the buyer does not get back in such situations. “But, you know, it’s a seller’s market,” she said, “so he walked away.”

Before that, another land deal collapsed after multiple delays along the way, delays she said grew out of the process established by the USDA for setting up a loan. I mentioned that, in previous interviews, she’d talked about being frustrated trying to work with the USDA.

“Frustrated�” she said, laughing a bit. “I was probably restraining myself when I said that.” Again, she told me she was in a different place now, but that her experience working with the USDA, especially on that initial attempt, had opened her eyes to a lot of problems embedded in the loan process. “They give you so

many hurdles to jump over, and there’s no support system.”

Though Dhore, at that point, had experience farming, and had learned a great deal about managing a farm from her time at Big River Farms, she did not come from a farming background.

“As a first-generation farmer, I was blind to a lot of things,” she said. Applying for the USDA loan was a slow and tedious process. “I’ve seen it twice that I was asked to verify and re-verify all kinds of things, and the seller may not always be patient.”

In working with Farm Service Administration (FSA) agents, she sometimes felt as though, despite the fact that both parties were native English speakers, there was a language barrier, with the agent fluent in the language of bureaucracy while she was sometimes not. “Some policies,” she also told me, “are just not designed for BIPOC farmers.”

When I asked her how she would like to see the process changed, she said, “There should be a way for the other person to be able to recognize that I’m coming from another place than they are.” She added that she wanted to see people come together to create a process that facilitates rather than hinders the transition of land to young farmers who are eager to build healthy food systems. Doing that means, at the very least, streamlining the system. “Farmers don’t want to deal with all these papers,” she said, “they want to grow.

Changes in the farmland market

A few months ago, I spoke with Chuck Anderas,

his salary increased 160% during the pandemic while manufacturing workers laid off during the pandemic saw their “incentive” pay cut.3

On Oct. 13, 10,000 unionized skilled manufacturing employees at Deere initiated their right to bargain by rejecting the contract put forth by management and going on strike. Does it surprise anyone that skilled workers are striking after the company agreed to bump their pay by slightly more than $1 per hour over the next six years� Deere management also proposed cutting pensions and creating a two-tiered workforce so new employees don’t have the same benefits.

You may have heard reports that the company pays skilled workers $30 per hour, or nearly $60,000 per year. One has to take the company’s propaganda with a grain of salt because their salary figures include “incentive pay,” which is very problematic according to workers at the plants. For example, the average real pay for an assembler is about $22 per hour, while welders make an average of $28 per hour. A fulltime employee earning $22 per hour would make an annual salary of $45,760. The median necessary living wage across the entire U.S. is $67,690 before taxes for a family of four. So, most Deere workers would need to receive “incentive pay” to even make a living wage.

Farmers have their own standoff with Deere & Company about the right to repair. Just ask Montana Farmers Union President Walter Schweitzer about his horrible experience trying to get his tractor fi xed. Walter said, “These equipment manufacturers are holding me hostage to them, forcing me to use their dealerships to repair my equipment - on their schedule, on their time, and at their rates. That’s wrong.” 4 Farmers have led the charge to have right-to-repair

laws passed in 12 states.

With a tight labor market, worker exhaustion, and record corporate profits during a pandemic, unionized workers are using some of their collective muscle to exert pressure on employers to pay and treat workers better. So many workers are striking this season that it has been dubbed Striketober.

It is not just low pay. Labor is also fed up with corporate mistreatment. Union workers at Frito-Lay went on strike this summer, citing forced overtime, working conditions over 100 degrees, and “suicide shifts” with less than eight hours between shifts, as concerns. Frito-Lay also exceeded its profit goals during the pandemic.

Before you dunk that Oreo cookie in a milk bath of sad despair, note that Mondelez International, parent conglomerate of Nabisco, drove its employees crazy when it proposed changes that include turning eight-hour shifts into 12-hour shifts without overtime.

Naima Dhore continues on

Naima Dhore is a Minnesota farmer and the Executive Director of the Somali American Farmers Association.

Editor Hannah Westfall Advertising Coordinator Tom Manley Digital Content Producer Stephanie Coffman

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MOSES educates, inspires, and empowers farmers to thrive in a sustainable, organic system of agriculture.

By Lori Stern, MOSES Executive Director

It is hard to believe that March 14, 2020, — “pi day” — was the last brunch I cooked for a crowd. The counter was crowded with special pies for the occasion. The pandemic had arrived but we expected six weeks of shutdown, and a return to business as usual. I know for many Midwest organic farmers leaving La Crosse at the end of February 2020, that marked the end of normal.

They say that farming is a profession of hope. In the time of COVID-19, planning the return to an in-person farming conference is as well. This year’s theme is “Cultivating Community.” During these past two years many of us lost friends and loved ones to the pandemic. Some of us shared virtual, distanced, or downsized events including births, graduations, weddings, birthdays, and holidays. Despite the fact that so many of us live in small, rural places with plenty of open spaces and solitude, we recognized a craving for community.

I joined MOSES during remote work. Almost a year passed before I met everyone on staff in person. We became proficient in video conferencing and more reliant on emails. Last year our conference was virtual with four amazing partner organizations. The content was high quality. But conversations over a meal or a drink, and the recognition of a friend or farmhand across the exhibit hall, could not be replicated online.

This summer when we began planning the 33rd Organic Farming Conference, the pandemic seemed to be held at bay. Our field days were well attended. We could feel the pent-up need to be with others sharing knowledge and perspectives; finding common ground on, well, common ground. We needed to gather and “cultivate community.” I am excited to announce that in this issue you will find a four-page registration guide to help you make plans to join us IN PERSON�

Since we all gathered last, the La Crosse Center has undergone a remodel. The new space is light-fi lled and high tech, and the exhibit hall can hold more businesses and resources. We will have the room to spread out and distance if needed. We’re offering a great slate

MOSES Team:

Lori Stern, Executive Director | lori@mosesorganic.org

Chuck Anderas, Program Specialist | chuck@mosesorganic.org

Sarah Broadfoot, Project Manager | sarahb@mosesorganic.org

of Organic University courses. Our two keynotes will be addressing cross-cutting issues that are critical for the organic movement: equity and building a solidarity economy for agriculture. Look to the registration guide for more details, and take note of the early bird registration.

This year we’re using the dinners, usually offered via purchase, to encourage the support of local chefs and restaurants. On Thursday night we’ll hold a tasting event building on last year’s virtual Seed to Table workshop, which highlighted Indigenous food ways and chefs. The in-person version this year will feature Midwest chefs who have married their cultural food traditions with local, Midwest produce and artisan products. There will be speakers and cooking demonstrations along with craft beers and cocktails from local breweries and distilleries. On Friday night, we will help you find the food you crave in La Crosse. Our presence in this city for almost three decades has resulted in several eating establishments that now source local ingredients. We will also offer a boxed dinner option for those wanting to ‘eat in’ or meet with friends or colleagues in a quieter environment.

These past two years have reinforced one of my favorite sayings — “Always question that which you know for sure.” We collectively are going through historic events, yet we each experience them according to our own situations or truth. For some of us it is through the lens of fragile health or concern for family members, for others it is through a business opportunity realized or lost. For many it is through the pain of communities feeling a deeper impact. Some of us are excited to be coming together, while friends may still have concerns.

We remain hopeful that the trends in COVID cases will continue downward, and move us from a pandemic to endemic mindset by February. In the spirit of cultivating community, we will follow the science and do our part to keep the trends moving in that direction. Check our website as more details about conference content and COVID protocols become available. Three months is a long way off in COVID time, but just around the corner for those of us planning to see you in La Crosse.

Board of Directors:

Katie Bishop | PrairiErth Farm, IL

Dela Ends | Scotch Hill Farm, WI

Liz Graznak | Happy Hollow Farm, MO

Sophia Cleveland, Administrative Coor. | sophia@mosesorganic.org

Jenica Caudill, Dir. of Development & Marketing | jenica@mosesorganic.org

Stephanie Coffman, Presentation Coor. | stephanie@mosesorganic.org

Tom Manley, Partnership Director | thomas@mosesorganic.org

Jennifer Nelson, Land Access Navigator | jennifer@mosesorganic.org

Hannah Westfall, Comm. & Marketing Specialist | hannah@mosesorganic.org

Sarah Woutat, Farmer Advancement Coor. | sarahw@mosesorganic.org

On-Farm Organic Specialist Team | specialist@mosesorganic.org

Regi Haslett-Marroquin | Northfield, MN

Clare Hintz | Elsewhere Farm, WI

Charlie Johnson | Johnson Farms, SD

David Perkins | Vermont Valley Farm, WI

Sara Tedeschi | Dog Hollow Farm, WI

Darin Von Ruden | Von Ruden Family Farm, WI

Building a labor management training program for farmers, by farmers

By Sarah Janes Ugoretz

Over the last several years, hired labor has come to play an increasingly important role on diversi ed vegetable farms. And while farmers continue to nd themselves in the role of employer, it is not surprising that most have come to this profession without expertise in human resources management. In response to this growing area of need, my colleagues and I have been working with a group of farmers to create a labor management training program that provides diversi ed vegetable producers with the skills and training they need to become more con dent and capable employers. In the following discussion, I draw from my work with FairShare CSA Coalition as well as my ongoing research as a PhD candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“My employees are 100 percent essential to the sustainability of my farm.” This sentiment, shared during a conversation with Beth Kazmar and Steve Pincus, owners of Tipi Produce in Evansville, Wisconsin, likely resonates with many producers. Hired labor can make it easier for farmers to expand their operations, enjoy scale efficiencies, and serve more markets. Meanwhile, employees can also bring great value to the farm, not just through their labor, but also through the specialized knowledge they develop through training and hands-on experience. As the organic vegetable industry expands, employees’ roles continue to evolve in complex ways, especially as farms encounter new and changing regulations around food safety and certification audits.

Faced with a shortage of workers that has intensified in recent years, diversified vegetable farmers across the Midwest are struggling to attract employees to their farms. Some are spending entire seasons unable to hire a full crew and are considering taking drastic measures as a consequence, like downsizing their operations or even eliminating their CSA programs. For those farmers who have workers on their farms, many have identified employee retention as a major issue. High rates of turnover mean that farmers have to spend more time hiring and training new employees, processes that require money, time, and energy.

With a more stabilized farm crew, these costs go down, workflow efficiencies can go up, and farmers may be better positioned to reinvest in their operations. Robyn Calvey, owner of Park Ridge Organics, put it this way: “The longer we do this, we should all be able to make more, work less, and just keep refining systems.” She credits her long-term crew as a major factor in making this shift possible. They have been able to take on more and more responsibility while giving her the space to step back, reassess, and refine.

As farmers think about what they can do to attract and retain their employees from year to year, one thing has become increasingly clear - farmers want and need support around labor management.

From hiring and firing to conflict resolution and

INSIDE ORGANICS

Viewpoints from members of the organic community

evaluation, farmers are responsible for managing their workforce in effective and thoughtful ways. Having these skills can make a huge difference — not just for the farmer, but for employees and the broader workplace culture. As Katie Bishop, co-owner of PrairiErth Farm, said, “Many times, when you need HR skills, you need them now. You need to be able to call upon them in the moment.”

For their part, employees have repeatedly emphasized to me the importance of farms having strong labor management practices in place. They want to see well-established systems and policies, regular and clear communication, and a healthy and respectful workplace culture. Strong labor management skills can help farmers meet these needs, and ultimately, they can support farmers’ efforts to create the conditions that will help them attract and retain employees over the long term. For a more in-depth discussion on this topic, “Attracting and Retaining Employees on Organic Vegetable Farms,” a report I compiled based on my conversations with farm employees, is available on the FairShare website under the “For Farmers” tab.

Beginning in 2020, FairShare CSA Coalition, University of Wisconsin - Madison Extension in Dane County, and the School for Workers have been working with nine diversified vegetable producers, a group we call the Farmer Core Team, to develop a peer-topeer labor management training program. Funding was provided by a USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant and an NCR-SARE Graduate Student Grant. We started our work with a pre-existing program called Becoming the Employer of Choice (BTEC), which was developed by the University of Wisconsin-Division of Extension with the goal of supporting dairy farmers across the state. This program consists of seven modules, each covering a different management-related topic.

During our first meetings in February 2021, technical assistance providers, Claire Strader with FairShare CSA Coalition and Dane County Extension, Alexia Kulwiec, Director of the School for Workers, and I, delivered the original training program to the farmer core team. This introduction allowed the farmers to experience the training delivery and identify how the content could be adjusted for diversified vegetable producers. Their active engagement with the material was crucial, since these farmers will be co-trainers when the program is ready for a wider group of growers.

With the farmers’ critical feedback in hand, we

have been adjusting each module and incorporating on-farm examples based on farmers’ experiences. Meanwhile, during the 2021 growing season, farmers on the core team implemented and vetted a wide assortment of labor management practices and tools on their farms. From organizing and hosting an employee orientation to building an interview protocol and holding regular employee check-ins, farmers are sharing, with us and with each other, what has worked well, what could use some additional adjustment, and where more support is needed.

On top of their own learning and experimentation, we are using this information to make the modules stronger. Ultimately, each module will include a curated list of resources, ranging from examples and templates, many of which will have been refined through this on-farm vetting process, to supplemental information that will support additional learning by topic. For example, resources accompanying Module 3: Hiring the Right People may include examples of position descriptions provided by the core group of farmers (with the intention to expand and diversify sources over time), a link to the Farm Labor Dashboard’s Job Description Generator, and Farm Commons’ podcast on “Avoiding Discrimination in Hiring and Firing on the Farm.”

Over the course of December and January, we will meet again as an entire group. During these meetings, each farmer, in conjunction with a technical assistance provider, will co-deliver a training module to the rest of the group. Through this process, we will have a chance to practice our delivery and discuss additional feedback for any final adjustments. Then, in early 2022, we will officially launch the program.

While this program is focused on helping farmers strengthen their labor management skills and increase the comfort they feel in their roles as employers, another big-picture goal is to establish a community of practice so that farmers can continue to support one another over the long term. We have seen this community begin to develop already, with farmers in the core group reaching out to one another to ask for input, share their experiences, and celebrate accomplishments. As one farmer commented, “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the resource-sharing and honest conversation in this group. It’s so unlike any other farm labor discussion. I wish I had it 10 years ago�”

Becoming an excellent employer is an ongoing process — one that will be supported by this training and further cultivated through an expanding, farmerdriven community of practice. While this training cannot solve every workforce-related challenge farmers face, it will offer them a foundation of practical skills and knowledge they can use to meet their own needs while also building a workplace environment that employees want and value.

For those farmers looking to invest in long-term

Inside Organics

By Rachel Henderson

As the apple season winds down and the temperatures drop, this is a good time to get your trees ready for winter. It might seem like the work is done, but a little attention to fruit trees in the late fall can help them survive the winter and be healthy next season. Protect the

tree trunks

In the winter, mice, voles, rabbits, and other critters will be looking for nourishment. The bark of fruit trees, and, more critically the green layer just beneath it, is a tempting source. Young trees are particularly at risk because if the bark gets nibbled all the way around the diameter of the tree it will cut off any flow of nutrients and the tree will die in the spring. This is commonly referred to as “girdling.”

There are a couple of options for protecting your trees. In our orchard, for most of our fruit we opt for wire mesh (“hardware cloth”) tree guards, either ¼ inch or ½ inch mesh. It is most cost effective to purchase this in large rolls and cut sections for individual trees. If you’re cutting many of these, a cutting attachment for a drill is useful, but wire snips work as well. Two-foot-by-two-foot sections can be rolled into a cage to go around the base of the tree, and secured by folding over the ends or weaving in a piece of flexible wire.

One reason we favor this type of protection is that it can be left in place all year long without risk of disease or pest buildup inside, since there’s plenty of airflow. At this time of year, we go around and make sure the existing tree guards are in good condition. If there’s time, it’s helpful to pull out weeds and grass from inside the mesh and make sure it’s closed tight.

Another option is plastic tree guards. These are less costly and less labor intensive to put on. However,

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they do need to be removed each spring. Borers and other insect pests that feed on your tree bark, as well as fungal diseases, can thrive inside that environment. On our farm, we use these for our recently grafted trees that haven’t been transplanted to their permanent homes. The plastic degrades over time, but we usually get a few years out of them

Prune those suckers

Depending on the species of tree and the rootstock, you may see “suckers” growing up from the roots of your trees. These rob nutrients from your tree. If you have very young trees, there’s an added risk that vigorous suckers could overtake the grafted tree. Some species, especially those in the prunus genus, might

sucker several feet out from the base of the tree and these can be managed with frequent mowing. But many suckers will grow right out of the trunk, below the graft union. It’s difficult to remove suckers during winter pruning, as they’re frequently growing from below the snow cover. It’s best to remove them as early as possible, when you can still get them with hand pruners. With a very sharp tool, cut as close as possible to the base of the trunk or the ground level.

Mow fallen leaves

Many diseases that affect tree fruit, including apple scab and leaf spot, live on the leaves as well as the fruit. Fallen leaves on the ground in your orchard are a source of disease for the next year. Running over the ground with a mower at this time of year helps break up the leaves, reducing the risk of spores being released next spring. As it speeds up decomposition, it’s also good for your soil. You can also use an organic nutrient spray to help with decomposition. If you are accustomed to using a foliar nutrient spray during the growing season, a similar, more diluted, mix can be applied to those fallen leaves.

Clean up fallen fruit

Hopefully you’ve been doing this throughout the harvest, but removing fallen fruit from the ground around your trees is a great way to break up pest life cycles. Many of the apples, pears, plums, or cherries that fell to the ground are harboring pest eggs or larvae. Getting them out stops them from starting over in your orchard next year. Most of those pests can survive in a home compost bin or pile. On our farm we like to put everything in a plastic bin with a lid that sits in the sun. Once everything in there has “cooked”, it’s safe to add to the compost.

Whether you’re establishing a commercial orchard or have a few fruit trees on your farm, these fall tasks help ensure healthy trees next spring.

What should I do to prepare my fruit trees for winter?

Danone North America creates a crisis for organic dairy in the Northeast

By Ed Maltby

In August 2021, French-owned Danone ended its relationship with all its New England organic dairies and farms in three northern New York counties that supply the milk for their Horizon brand. Danone North America sent letters to 89 organic dairy farm families in the northeast telling them their contractual relationship would end in August 2022. Ironically, in an indication of their lack of connection to their “farmer partners,” one farm had not shipped milk to them for a year, and Danone sent the dumped farmers the wrong cover sheet with the terms of their 24-page agreement.

These farms were good partners, producing high quality milk while meeting all the organic certification and Danone contractual requirements. They recently completed an extensive audit as part of Danone’s new regenerative program.

After repeated requests from the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance (NODPA), Danone published an email statement on Aug. 24 giving their reason for ending their contracts with these farm families: “they do not fit our manufacturing footprint.” The processing and packaging plant they chose, Steuben Foods plant in Elma, New York, near Buffalo, is over 300 miles from these farms. It doesn’t take a highly paid economist to realize that trucking raw milk from Maine to the west of New York is not economical.

Their decision was not made because of oversupply. Danone stated they ‘onboarded’ 50 farms of the same size to replace the cancelled contracts, although if they want the same volume of milk, the 50 farms must be larger operations to replace the milk from 89. Dropping all these farms in a single stroke has devastated the families and the rural communities they support. The multiplier effect on property taxes, schools, support and professional services, and the potential loss of organic ecosystems will have a significant impact on the economic future of the impacted counties, and on opportunities for the next generation of farmers.

Danone maintains it cares for its community of farmer-suppliers and that its actions comply with the goals of the B corporation it publicizes itself as. Certified B Corporations are designated as businesses that balance purpose and profit, and are required to meet high standards meant to improve equality, communities, and the environment. If Danone’s actions represent those of a B corporation then the certification has no value or legitimacy.

There are many questions left unanswered

• Why did Danone use this brutal method to end contracts when there are clear alternative approaches�

• Why drop so many farms at once during a period when there are no buyers for organic milk, when alternative action would have eased the effect on

rural communities and family farms�

• Why has Danone chosen a processing plant so far from their farmer-suppliers rather than invest in infrastructure in a more central location in the Northeast, or partner with other processors to co-pack their milk�

• Why did they invest millions of dollars in processing and packaging facilities for plant, nut, and vegetable juices that attempt to imitate the taste of milk rather than a more equitable investment in their many suppliers, some of whom had been supplying the Horizon brand for 20 years�

• Why haven’t they worked with their farmer partners and state agencies to improve on-farm milk storage, develop milk transfer stations, or institute any number of infrastructure investments that would lower the cost of trucking�

• Why haven’t they worked with the organic dairy community, and state and federal agencies to assess the viability of these organic farms that helped build the Horizon brand, and work with the farm families on possible alternatives to organic dairy, value-added products, diversification, or planned retirement�

• Why didn’t they approach the farmers about sharing some of the cost of trucking�

• Why didn’t they warn New England and New York organic dairy farms a few years ago that their projected manufacturing footprint and their capital investment plans did not include them�

• What is the future of their organic dairies that are 280 miles from the processing facility� Will these dairies be terminated in the near future, too�

Let’s be honest and straightforward. Danone North America needed to cut costs to meet the goals of their shareholders and did that without any thought to the effect on their loyal farmer-partners left with no buyers for their milk, or to the economic and cultural impact on surrounding communities. It appears that no triple-bottom-line assessment was considered at all. What is the response to the situation?

In the intervening two-plus months since the

termination letters were sent, many have taken action. The Congressional delegation from the Northeast and the State of Maine each sent letters to the USDA demanding action on the Origin of Livestock (OOL) Final Rule. The publication and implementation of this Rule will ensure that the one-time transition of conventional dairy animals is limited to a single 12-month period, and not continuously, and that those animals that transitioned would only be certified organic on the operation where they completed their transition. The delegation also asked for greater enforcement of the pasture regulation and for a leveling of the playing field for all organic operations.

The Secretary of Agriculture has responded on many levels. Secretary Vilsack said that a Final OOL Rule will be published in the spring 2022, and engaged Jennifer Moffitt, Under Secretary of Marketing and Regulatory Programs, and Marni Karlin, USDA Senior Advisor for Organic and Emerging Markets, to establish a regional task force to coordinate all the different initiatives.

The State of Vermont set up a Danone/Horizon Task Force which held its first meeting on Aug. 27, 2021, and has been very active in aggregating farmer and processor information. Maine has been working with stakeholder groups, especially Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association at a high level with the Governor and Agriculture Commissioner personally involved and very proactive. They both attended the NODPA Field Days on Oct. 1 in Freeport, Maine. New York Department of Agriculture and Markets and their Empire State Development have been supportive and are working with other states. New York’s Organic Dairy Task Force will have its first meeting since the crisis developed on Nov. 11.

The many organic organizations and individuals in the region set up a Horizon/Danone NE Dairy Task Force which first met on Sept. 15, 2021, under the coordination of the Organic Farmers Association and the National Organic Coalition. A petition was launched asking Danone to reinstate these farmers’ contracts, extend the contracts to allow farmers more time to make decisions on their future, and offer a contract severance package. That petition has been sent to Danone North America with 12,833 signatures. There has been no response at the time of this writing.

Secretary Vilsack held a virtual meeting of all stakeholders which was followed by the USDA setting up a Northeast Regional Organic Dairy Task Force facilitated by Laura Ginsburg from the Dairy Business Innovation Center and Britt Lundgren, Director of Organic and Sustainable Agriculture at Stonyfield Organic. They had their first virtual meeting on Oct. 15 and set up working groups. The facilitators say, “Secretary Vilsack is asking everyone to share their

Grow

Dhore

—

from page 1

Program Specialist with MOSES, who recently purchased acreage with his wife in rural western Wisconsin. He noted that, before even getting into the loan process, a lot of buyers encounter the twin prob lems of scarcity and affordability. With the shift from a farming economy built around small, family farms, to a global, corporate market, farmland has consolidated so that there are fewer owners, and therefore fewer sellers. “Where once there might have been sixty farms in a single county, now there might only be two,” he said.

Plus, farmland has proven to be an extremely good investment, one which has regularly outperformed the stock market for decades, meaning a lot of land is now owned not by farmers, but by investors, like billionaire Bill Gates, who NBC News recently reported was the largest owner of farmland in the United States. All of this results in a market where young farmers who seek land tenure are competing not only with other farm ers, but also with speculators, and that competition drives up prices.

“It’s a capital-intensive process,” Anderas said. “And young people, millennials and younger, if they don’t have generational wealth, they are going to have a hard time.”

Once a young farmer has found a piece of land, and has set their sights on purchasing it, if they want to get a loan through the USDA, they are likely to encounter a complicated and frustrating process, like the one Naima Dhore has described. Her experience, though many of the specifics may be unique to her, also bears many similarities to the experiences of countless other farmers. Since she shared her story in such publica tions as AG Week, young farmers have reached out to her, many of them white, to express similar frustra tions. “They email to tell me, ‘I agree with you. The process is terrible.’”

Still, though the process may be long and tedious for most anyone going through it, there are extra hurdles BIPOC farmers are apt to face.

As one example, Anderas pointed to the policy that requires buyers to work with an FSA agent who

Inside Organics — from page 3

employees, this training can also prepare them to participate in the two-year Organic Vegetable Farm Manager Apprenticeship program. The first of its kind in the country, the OVFM apprenticeship program is registered with the state of Wisconsin and pairs experienced farmers with aspiring farm managers. As Stacey Botsford of Red Door Family Farm shared, “My experience in this program has been amazing, and now I have two skilled workers who want to stay on at my farm after they graduate. I wanted to have this type of experience with employees in the past, but some times people are just looking for a short-term, seasonal experience. The goal is to invest in people who want to

is located in the county where the sale is to take place. That means, if English is not your first language, you may be working with an agent you literally cannot communicate with. “It’s a federal agency,” Anderas said, “so if you speak Spanish or Hmong, presum ably there’s someone in the agency who also speaks that language, but if they don’t happen to work in the county where you are trying to buy, then you’re out of luck.”

Anderas, who is white, pointed out that the cur rent loan system is “a system designed by and for the people it regularly serves.” And he went on to say that, “If I design a program, unless I make an explicit effort to include non-white people and people of color in the process, I’m likely to end up with a program designed for white people.”

In November of 2020, lawmakers including Senators Cory Booker (D-MA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), introduced the Justice for Black Farmers Act, to be included with COVID relief measures, with the intent to “reform the US Department of Agriculture and create a new generation of Black farmers.” As was reported by Mackenzie Jeter in a recent article in the Wisconsin Farmers Union News, one hundred years ago “a mil lion Black farmers operated about 14 percent of the country’s farms.” Now, there are just 48,000 Black farmers in the United States, which they point out is a 95 percent decline since 1920. The bill was intended to provide needed debt relief for Black farmers, and seeks to reform the agency, which has a history of discriminatory practices, in a number of ways includ ing establishing the Equitable Land Access Service, which would create partnerships between the USDA and historically Black colleges and universities, and provide land grants to Black farmers.

Additionally, the bill provides greater funding for the Local Agriculture Market Program, to help smallscale farmers connect with local outlets, instead of trying to break into national food chains, and promote greater “regional food-shed planning.”

There was, perhaps not surprisingly, pushback

be invested in, and this program makes that possible.”

If you are interested in participating in this labor management training, and joining your peers in a growing community of practice, there will be a num ber of ways for you to engage. We are eager to deliver key modules at a MOSES Organic University session during the 2022 conference. Earlier in the month, we will debut a companion module on “Building Intercultural Competence for Farm Employers” at the 2022 Organic Vegetable Production Conference, where we will also hold a farmer-led panel on “Keeping Employees on your Farm.” FairShare and Extension Dane County will also offer limited

to the bill this past spring, with lawmakers like Wisconsin’s Ron Johnson introducing amendments to blunt its effects, and conservative groups suing to block debt relief efforts, but many of the reforms in the bill, if implemented properly, could make the process of acquiring land through the USDA a little bit easier.

Dhore continues her work

Though she is not yet ready to divulge specific details, Naima Dhore may soon have land to farm. She’s working to secure a piece of land south of Minneapolis, which means that she can continue working with SAFA on projects like the Horn Towers urban farm where, with the help of local residents, she built and tended 28 raised beds, growing a variety of herbs and vegetables, on just one-eighth of an acre. (Had her most recent land purchase attempt been suc cessful, it would have taken her much farther from the Cities.) The new space offers a new opportunity to work within a community of people interested in promoting healthy and sustainable food systems, and that is an opportunity she embraces fully.

The importance of being able to learn and teach others, as part of a larger community is something she stressed throughout our talk, and she said that she hoped sharing her own experiences might serve as a means of helping others who are struggling with the land tenure process. “Throughout the whole thing I was learning,” she said, “and, hey, I got really close two times.”

Recently, Dhore was appointed to serve on the MDA’s newly formed Emerging Farmers Working Group. It’s a chance for her to change the system for the better, though the pace of change, she admits, can be slow. “It’s a lot of presentations,” she said, “but I do feel like I’m listened to, like my story is being heard. And I signed on to serve another year.”

Ultimately, Dhore said, “What I want to see is a model that is sustainable for organic farmers, but to do that there has to be a system that allows for a smoother transition from generation to generation.”

Bayard Godsave is a writer based in the Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul region.

enrollment of up to 25 farmers, for those who would like to work through the entire program over the course of several non-consecutive days. These sessions will be conducted by Zoom and are designed to be highly interactive. Look for more information on the Extension Dane County dane.extension.wisc.edu and FairShare csacoalition.org websites or email Sarah at sarah@csacoalition.org to be kept in the loop as train ings are scheduled.

Sarah Janes Ugoretz is a doctoral candidate at University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies.

Naima

Organic can still be the salvation of small New England dairy farms

By Dave Chapman

Ten years ago we believed organic would be the salvation of small New England dairy farms. Small dairy farms were obvious candidates to become organic. They already had pasture-based operations; it was a small step to change to organic grain. Vermont and Maine had a number of farms converting, and the question was whether all the farms would take the plunge.

Organic farming is based on building biological diversity and stewarding the closed cycling of nutrients and water. A well-run organic dairy is a benefit to us all, feeding us nutrient-dense milk, cheese, and yogurt, building soil organic matter, sequestering carbon, preventing erosion, and providing the social and economic base for the communities that once defined New England.

But all that has changed in ten years. The farms are still providing all those free services, but they are no longer profitable. The biggest reason: the depressed prices caused by the tidal wave of milk coming from the large Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) that now get organic certification. One

example is Natural Prairie Dairy. Their “certified organic” facility in Texas has about 14,000 cows. Their new “certified organic” facility in Indiana will have another 4,000 cows. Business is good enough for them to expand while the small family farms are going out of business.

The 89 New England contracts being dropped by Danone have fewer cows than one large “certified organic” CAFO in Texas. Danone’s Horizon is dropping 10% of the organic dairy farms in Vermont and 20% of the organic dairy farms in Maine.

To be clear, the milk bought by Horizon from those 89 farms won’t be replaced by milk from Natural Prairie Dairies to our knowledge. Much of the megadairy milk goes to “private label brands.” That is the milk sold under store labels like Kroegers and Walmart. But the low price paid for those house brands sets the mark for the low price paid by Horizon to family farms. After all, Horizon has to compete.

The question we can ask ourselves is which milk do we want to buy� Which yogurt do we want to eat� Which cheese� Rapidly, we are losing that choice. Dairy processors and brands are shrouded in secrecy. They will not name the farms that they buy from. That is considered a “trade secret.” They put a picture of a small family farm on the carton, but how much

of their milk comes from farms like these� We don’t know. As the mega dairies invade the organic sphere, the pasture-based family farms are quickly disappearing. The small farms have not gotten any less efficient in ten years. But the market price has dropped below the cost of their production. Ten years ago we were all glad to pay the higher price. But now the “market” insists that the price is too high. Because it is cheaper to produce milk in a factory.

Sure, the milk is not the same. That can be proven with lab analysis. The milk lacks the health benefits of pasture raised. The cows are less healthy, too. All milk is not the same. There are real, quantifiable differences. And you can easily taste those differences.

Reform of the USDA to enforce the organic standards has proven futile. It seems there is only one possible way for this to change, and that is if we demand it. If everyone insisted that their milk, cheese, eggs, and yogurt come from pasture-based dairies in their communities, the world would change for the better. Better for the land, for the animals, for our health, for our communities, for our economy, for our climate, and for our resiliency.

Let’s demand change.

Dave Chapman is the Co-director of Real Organic Project and owner of Long Wind Farm in Vermont.

Workers would receive overtime on the sixth and seventh days, provided they worked their scheduled hours during the week.5 The company also tried to move the additional costs of health insurance onto the shoulders of new employees.

Fed up with 12- to 16-hour days, seven days a week, with mandatory overtime, Kellogg union workers were pushed over the edge by the company’s drive to create a two-tiered system that would downgrade wages and benefits for new “transitional” workers. Executives know one of the most effective ways to destroy union spirit is to pit workers against one another. However, Kellogg legacy workers stood up for the next generation and they all went on strike to preserve benefits.

Kellogg’s CEO made $11.6 million last year.6 He received a 20% salary increase from 2020 to 2021.7 After almost two years of pandemic chaos, this profitmaking corporation had the gall to say it was “disappointed” that its essential production workers went on strike.

The farmer’s share of a $4.99 box of cereal is $.12 and this pittance has been going down for decades.8 We know that a great deal of the food dollar is spent on food processing, packaging, and transportation. In general, the American food system is characterized by cheap food at an unfair cost to farmers, laborers, and the land.

Striketober is catching people when they are attentive and showing them that some folks are getting fi lthy rich off this exploitative system. Farmers and workers are getting cheated while shareholders and top management are taking in record profits and salaries, even during a pandemic. Farmers and labor have stood together in the past as our Wisconsin Farmers Union farmer labor solidarity podcast illustrates.

Corporations will try every technique possible to divide workers, farmers, and consumers. Don’t fall for it. As you eat your next bowl of Froot Loops or Kashi, please consider who is getting taken advantage of in the food chain and who is getting rich, and encourage your friends and family to stand up in solidarity this Striketober.

Julie Keown-Bomar is executive director of the Wisconsin Farmers Union. Learn more at wisconsinfarmersunion.com

This op-ed originally appeared in Civil Eats at civileats.com

References:

1desmoinesregister.com/story/money/agriculture/2021/08/20/deere-annual-profits-recordbroken-three-months-left-go/8209000002/ 2 www1.salary.com/DEERE-and-CO-ExecutiveSalaries.html

3 fastcompany.com/90686383/more-than-10000-johndeere-workers-are-on-strike

4 npr.org/2021/05/26/1000400896/standoff-betweenfarmers-and-tractor-makers-intensifies-overrepair-issues

5 cbsnews.com/news/nabisco-strike-ends-five-states/

6 KELLOGG CO Executive Salaries & Other Compensation | Salary.com

7simplywall.st/stocks/us/food-beverage-tobacco/nysek/kellogg/news/heres-why-kellogg-companysnysek-ceo-compensation-is-the-lea 8 nfu.org/farmers-share/

Closed out: How U.S. farmers are denied access to conservation programs

By Michael Happ

Overview

According to data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), between 2010 and 2020, just 31% of farmers1 who applied to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and only 42% of farmers2 who applied to the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) were awarded contracts. Overall, EQIP turned down 946,459 contracts and CSP denied 146,425 contracts, at least partially for lack of funds. These numbers vary widely by state, but some of the lowest approval rates occurred in major agriculture states. The practices supported by EQIP and the whole farm approach supported by CSP help farmers reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to emerging and extreme climaterelated changes. Right now, Congress has a unique opportunity in the budget reconciliation process, and later in the next Farm Bill, to dramatically increase spending for CSP and EQIP, which would have an immediate, tangible impact on farmers’ ability to respond to the climate crisis.

Context

In the wake of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth Report,3 it is clearer than ever that governments must use every tool at their disposal to address the climate crisis. The IPCC’s report underscores the sobering reality that there are currently enough greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to disrupt our planet for centuries, and we have a short window of time to reduce our emissions drastically.

This IPCC report was released as Congress debated new investments that respond to the climate crisis within budget reconciliation, a process that could add between $1.5 and $3.5 trillion in new spending. Through the process of budget reconciliation, federal policy can be passed with only a majority of votes in the U.S. Senate, avoiding the need for 60 senators’ support and any opposing fi libuster.4 IATP advocates for bold, climate-focused agriculture provisions in the budget. Such a budget could transform the landscape for farmers, particularly those who have been closed out of popular conservation programs that can play an important role in responding to the climate crisis. The budget could be a once-in-a-lifetime solution for the crisis of our lifetime.

Farmers are on the front lines of climate change. While climate change affects everyone’s livelihoods, it does so for farmers in an immediate, visceral way. Whether it is through droughts, floods, extreme heat, megafires or any other weather extremes, climate change can ruin a crop or devastate livestock in the blink of an eye. According to experts at USDA’s Economic Research Service, climate change is expected to increase the cost of the federal crop insurance program from 3-20% or more, depending on how quickly we respond to the climate crisis.5

When confronted with the enormity of the climate crisis, some activists and policymakers instinctively suggest new programs. Many of these ideas have merit but will take some time to hit their stride. Fortunately

for farmers, we already have two successful but underfunded programs in place to support climate resilience: The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).

Each year, farmers apply for EQIP and CSP contracts that support practices that protect the soil, air, water and wildlife. These programs can also help farmers bounce back from climate-related disruptions like increased (or decreased) rainfall, warmer temperatures, invasive plant species and others.

The Natural Resource Conservation Service generally categorizes eligible practices under buckets such as soil health, nutrient management, grazing/pasture, agroforestry and sometimes to crop-specific practices like rice.

Why are EQIP and CSP Important?

EQIP and CSP are both intended to help farmers pay for environmental improvements on their farm. EQIP payments are intended for small, one-off projects like planting grass seed in waterways to prevent erosion, whereas CSP is intended to help pay for wholefarm projects, bundling projects together for broader aims like erosion control, water quality or wildlife habitat enhancement.

Traditionally, EQIP has provided cost share assistance for targeted conservation projects on farms. Many of these practices, like buffer strips, multi-story

Hack@Organic: Working with the organic community toward open-source agricultural technology

By Jessica Shade

Mark your calendars for an exciting dive into agricultural technology in organic farming, with free virtual conferences in December and early February followed by a hackathon at the MOSES annual meeting Feb. 24-26.

The use of agricultural technology (AgTech) will be a critical component in overcoming current and future challenges to organic agriculture. Unfortunately, most AgTech development has happened without input from organic stakeholders, and often does not address the needs of the organic community. Even the AgTech tools that are allowed for use on organic farms are not always accessible to the broad diversity of organic growers, because a large proportion of current AgTech is almost exclusively designed for large-scale farmers who have the technological literacy to employ the tools, and the capital to afford them. This could widen the gap between organic versus conventional yields, and large-scale versus small-scale farmer resources. While there is growing interest in digital technologies for sustainable agriculture, current efforts are still fragmented across various research, tech, and industry initiatives.

To ensure that the organic sector is able to leverage the benefits from AgTech, organic stakeholders need to be connected with the agricultural technology community, and involved in discussions of accessible tool development. This connection will help shape the future of organic farming and allow current organic farmers to increase their yields while supporting ecological function, which will encourage increased transition to organic acres.

The Organic Center is working with the Gathering for Open Agricultural Technology, MOSES, and several universities to address these pitfalls in AgTech for organic by hosting a free conference series, followed by a hackathon focused on organic. A hackathon is a blending of the words “hack” and “marathon”, where the phrase refers to a short yet intense work session with the goal to catalyze technology development on a particular theme. In recognition of the varied types of technologies needed in agriculture, we refer to hackathons as events where communities collaboratively create something useful on topics and goals deemed urgent by the community.

The Gathering for Open Agricultural Technology (GOAT) operates on the premise that the technologies that produce our food and the data about our food system should be public, and enable control by the farms and farmers that produce it. They work with farmers to ensure that information about our food system is public and easy to share.

Agricultural startups are often venture funded, with interest veering toward capitalizing on farm data. Controlling such data, not just machines or sensors, is considered extremely valuable by AgTech companies. Closed data ecosystems hinder our ability to produce food equitably and sustainably and to support farm level decision support.

Fortunately, there is also significant interest in creating open-source hardware and soft ware to increase transparency in the food chain, allow for data sharing among groups and engage the public, and make the benefits of shared data available to all. Though the number of projects is growing, they tend to be small, isolated within universities or small companies, and disconnected from one another. The result is duplication of efforts, hard-to-find projects, and disconnected parts producing incompatible data. The lack of coordination means that as technology rapidly changes, closed-source companies are locking up the machinery, sensors, data, and varieties of the future.

This hackathon will bring together researchers, designers, developers, and agricultural practitioners to develop equitable, open-source technical infrastructure that enables research, adoption, and evaluation of organic agricultural practices. Programmers and stakeholders will work together in teams with facilitation from mentors who will move between groups, provide guidance and feedback, and serve as early testers for the teams’ hackathon outputs. Prototypes, ideas, and strategies will be presented to the whole conference group, and the day will end with a summary discussion of presented topics and breakout session information to synthesize ideas for improving the organic sector’s ability to access, influence, and leverage technological advances to address agronomic needs and expand organic acreage.

While project ideas will be developed at the beginning of the hackathon, some preliminary ideas for project challenge areas include:

Organic compliance and record keeping

Organic operations are required to track detailed information for organic certification and compliance. This type of soft ware could streamline tracking for compliance (e.g., sensors on cows to track pasture time).

Supply chain traceability

Innovative soft ware focused on documentation of farm management decisions can manage everything from crop plans and inputs, to tracking costs and sales. This technology may be especially helpful for diversified crop operations, which are common for organic farming operations. Farm-to-table block chain technology can enable secure traceability of a product

along the entire supply chain and assist in fraud prevention. This would also be critical for addressing and overcoming disturbances in the food flow from field to consumer.

Tracking ecosystem service goals

Ensuring that a farm is supporting a healthy ecosystem requires tracking of sustainability goals. These tools would target variables such as soil health, carbon sequestration, biodiversity, etc.

Robotic and sensing technologies

Technologies that can reduce the labor burden for organic farmers by addressing issues such as on-farm monitoring, weed control, and harvest. New robotic technologies are being developed to automate activities such as pruning and harvest. Sensing technologies such as drones and remote monitoring devices (e.g., temperature sensors with monitoring soft ware for compost piles) can optimize resource use on farms of all sizes by providing high resolution, real time data that can be used to monitor pests, pathogens, and weeds, track soil health and irrigation needs, and estimate crop yields.

Innovative machinery that improves efficiency and cost effectiveness

For example, a recent study found that combining flaming and roller crimping was the most effective and sustainable way to terminate cover crops without tillage. Additionally, a current machine developed in Australia called the Harrington Seed Destructor simultaneously vacuums and pulverizes weed seeds as a non-chemical method of weed control. It is currently being tested in limited locations in the US.

Join us for our free virtual conference and the Hack@Organic at the 2022 MOSES Conference. You don’t need to be a coder to join us for the free conference series and hackathon at the next MOSES annual meeting; all organic stakeholders are welcome and can contribute to the projects. If you can’t attend in person you are welcome to join us virtually, as we will have virtual teams working on the hackathon from around the country. Reach out to Jessica Shade (jshade@ organic-center.org) for the latest updates, register on the enclosed form, or online at organic-center.org/ AgTech

Jessica Shade is the Director of Science Programs at The Organic Center.

cropping, wetland enhancement and others can help mitigate some of the effects of climate change for farmers, acting as sort of an agroecological insurance against extreme weather events.

While EQIP can pay for beneficial practices, it is not a perfect program. On top of sending millions of dollars every year to CAFOs, in recent years, EQIP has also been used as a tool to weaken CSP. During the Trump administration especially, USDA leadership aimed to reduce the differences between the programs and introduce more first-time conservationists to CSP, even though it is meant to be used for experienced conservationists, or for those whose on-farm needs go beyond what EQIP can provide.

Climate-focused farmers are perfect candidates for the whole-farm-focused CSP but are now often diverted to EQIP. This could be because in many locations EQIP is more well-known among farmers and USDA staff, or that it is a simpler program to administer.

time livestock might be in a body of water, minimizing contamination risk.

Many of EQIP and CSP’s goals have secondary climate benefits, helping farms bounce back from climate change-related setbacks. For those looking to

15 years, making it a well-known program among farmers and contributing to its popularity.

However, Minnesota does not award EQIP contracts to many of its applicants, saying yes to just 611 contracts in 2020 across the state, or 17% of the total applicant pool. That ranks Minnesota 50th out of 52 states and territories in successful applicants.

Per Figure 5, the states in 2020 that were the most successful in connecting CSP applicants to contracts are states with fewer farmers. While Alaska has a 100% success rate, it only awarded two CSP contracts in 2020, whereas in Mississippi, nearly 2,900 farmers applied for CSP, with only 157 of them awarded a CSP contract.

If an operator wants maximum water conservation across their farm, CSP helps them decide which specific practices working in concert with each other can best achieve that goal. For one farmer that could mean planting grassed waterways, buffers along a creek, and rotational grazing and fencing to limit the amount of

transition from carbon-intensive, concentrated livestock operations to pasture-based livestock, CSP and EQIP can both be great tools, helping pay for fencing for rotational grazing, healthy forage, and other ways to make the most out of pastureland without stressing it too much.

The Case of Minnesota

Over the past 15 years, Minnesota has awarded more CSP contracts than any other state, with a total of 8,661 contracts between 2005 and 2020. Despite this record of success, in 2020 Minnesota only awarded contracts to 14% of those who applied, landing it 47th out of 52 states and territories. With more designated resources, Minnesota could award more contracts, conserve more acres and help more farmers.

Similar to its relationship with CSP, Minnesota has awarded thousands of EQIP contracts over the past

As shown in the map in Figure 6, EQIP applicants are most successful in Western states, New England and a handful of Great Lakes states. Alaska is the most successful, with 72 of its 116 (62%) applicants awarded contracts. Arkansas is the least successful, with 1,212 of its 8,658 applicants (14%) awarded contracts.

Financing options for meat processing infrastructure

By Matt Kneece and Kelly Nuckolls

As the food system begins to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a significant need for financial investments to address the backlog at small-scale slaughter and processing facilities utilized by thousands of farmers and ranchers across the country. The backlog in slaughter and processing access is not a new concern, and has been exacerbated by the pandemic. The lack of scale appropriate processing infrastructure in some areas of the country has been a significant issue for small livestock and poultry producers for the last several decades.

Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) must continue to take steps towards building more resilient meat and poultry infrastructure. The COVID-19 pandemic has displayed this sector’s infrastructure weaknesses. Recent shutdowns, which have also highlighted the impact of consolidation, caused livestock destined for slaughter at large plants to be diverted to smaller facilities that serve local and regional markets. This strained the ability of small plants to continue to process small, pasture raised, and grassfed livestock and poultry.

Small plants are critical infrastructure for food system resilience. Now is an opportune time for policymakers to address a long-standing issue for thousands of small livestock and poultry producers because the pandemic has intensified the need for a more resilient supply chain, and Congress and USDA have committed funds to support this effort. Recently, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) released an Issue Brief on Financing Options for Local and Regional Meat Processing Infrastructure to encourage further investment in the small meat processing sector to ensure that small and mid-sized farms and ranches have access to a resilient, dependable supply chain.

Issue Brief Summary

To better illustrate the scope of the problem and identify potential avenues for policy change, NSAC has now released a specific issue brief on financing options for local and regional meat processing infrastructure. This brief outlines the challenges posed by independent farmers and ranchers, already burdened by COVID-19-related impacts, who often must travel incredible distances and wait months for appointments at the overstretched, small federally-inspected processing facilities. The extra economic and physical

costs are creating an increasingly untenable situation for small processors and local producers.

This brief is designed to provide legislators, policymakers and advocates with actionable policies and economic development tools to improve the processing landscape. Existing small federally inspected processors need more capital to increase their capacity to break up the bottlenecks and shorten wait times. Infrastructure cost assistance for custom-exempt and state-inspected plants would change the game entirely, allowing for a diversity of processing options at a local scale.

The brief’s section on possible financing progressions also highlights how grants alone are not sufficient in addressing the complex nature of this problem. Small plants often cannot access credit due to the lack of collateral and thin operating margins typical of small processors. A direct USDA loan with a reasonable interest rate may provide this much needed financial support. From funded feasibility studies to capital implementation programs and more, creative solutions are outlined to give processors the assistance they need.

There is a strong need to create shorter, more local supply chains that bolster small-scale meat processors and provide a resilient alternative to the fragile, complex systems of today. This brief is an important step in showing policymakers that a different approach is available and necessary.

A More Resilient Picture

As the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated, the more complex a given supply chain, the more vulnerable it is to unforeseen disruptions. Unfortunately, the domestic beef supply chain is a perfect example of this. In between processors and consumers lies third-party cold storage, retail distribution centers, food service operators and more, often with products making multiple stops between them.

For the sake of food security, a shorter supply chain could easily include only the farmer, the small meat processor, and the end consumer. This would better serve the immediate needs of farmers and ranchers seeking more direct, personal connections to consumers within their region.

Opportunities and Challenges for Certified Organic Processing

Why I sell Blue

Financial assistance for certified organic processing is essential to building a more resilient and sustainable meat and poultry sector. There are a number of opportunities to expand organic certified processing and livestock and poultry products through infrastructure investments.

For example, This Old Farm, Inc. is a certified organic processor in Indiana, that has served area farmers’ processing needs since 2009. In discussing why they decided to pursue organic certification, Jessica Roosa, the owner of This Old Farm, Inc., explained that she “believes in promoting the option for farmers who would like to process in a certified organic facility.”

If provided with a grant or direct USDA loan for infrastructure support, This Old Farm, Inc., which has served approximately 700 independent producers, would be able to double their services for area farmers and ranchers. Roosa stated “My dream and passion is that the new building comes online as all certified organic processing. It would be a success story that we are able to affect change in our regenerative agriculture community.”

Organic processors also have other financial needs that a grant or loan could assist with, such as training, additional paperwork, record keeping, and segregation of products. As an organic certified processing facility that serves farmers with and without organic certification, the amount of effort and financial resources This Old Farm, Inc. goes through to keep the different products segregated is significant.

“You need the ability to segregate everything, which is additional space and infrastructure,” says Roosa. Roosa also discussed the training costs, due to the lack of independently owned certified organic livestock product volume in the region: “Training is difficult on the organic side. If a producer is not regularly processing organic, it is a high burden, and only a few employees remember what to do six months later when a certified organic producer is coming again. The training gap is great, because the human brain forgets.”

Certified organic farmers can take several steps to help support certified organic processing in their region, including utilizing processors on a regular basis. “They need to scale to use the processor on a

River.

“At Blue River, the staff does a lot. It makes it easy on every end. They give good recommendations… and it’s good organic seed.”

— Dan’s All StarFeeds, LLC | Earlville, IA Blue River Dealer since 2010

Closed out — from page 10

Access to Conservation Programs for Farmers of Color

Five percent of CSP contracts are set aside each year for “socially disadvantaged farmers,” the USDA term that includes farmers of color. These set asides are pools where the applications for farmers of color are only ranked against each other rather than in the general pool with all other farmers. Though this set aside is intended to improve access to conservation programs for farmers of color, there is a long and painful history of discrimination at NRCS, and at USDA more broadly.7 This history has impeded outreach and signup processes.

The data that exists on farmers of color at USDA can be confusing or misleading. Part of the reason is that data is not broken down by race at the state level (with the exception of Hispanic producers), only by whether or not a farmer is classified as “socially disadvantaged.”

In addition, according to recent reporting by The Counter, discrimination in administering financial assistance to farmers of color continues into the current day, with data being distorted or misreported during the Obama administration and beyond to paint a sunnier picture than the reality at USDA.8

Despite the areas where USDA’s data falls short, the data that does exist can be helpful. The department recently made public much of their data in a dashboard-style format. This includes data on CSP contracts by race nationwide, which can be found here. Similar data for EQIP can be found here. In 2020, for example, only 245 CSP contracts and 2,158 EQIP contracts were awarded to farmers of color nationwide. That comes out to 3.7% of CSP contracts and 6.4% of EQIP contracts nationwide being awarded to farmers of color. According to the National Agriculture Statistics Service, in 2017 there were over 240,000 farmers of color in the United States. While IATP was not able to determine how many farmers of color applied for CSP and EQIP funding, it is clear that when only 1% of farmers of color are enrolled in the largest conservation programs in the country, more needs to be done to support farmers of color, who are in many cases the most susceptible to climate risks. What is happening with EQIP and CSP funding?

Since the inception of EQIP and CSP, there have been thousands more applications than contracts awarded. By nature of application-based programs, there will be those who are successful and those who

are not. However, with the sheer numbers of rejections occurring and the trends over the last decade, we know that qualified applicants are being turned away and that lack of funding is a serious and growing issue.

Figures 7 and 8 are two charts showing a divergent path for the two conservation programs. As a result of the 2018 Farm Bill, CSP funding has been on a downward funding trend, with nationwide funding for the program as high as $2.3 billion in 2019, with projected program funding to decrease to $1.4 billion in 2023.9 At the same time that Congress decided to gradually cut CSP, it upped funding for EQIP, with the yearly allocation rising by $200 million between 2019 and 2023.10

This is a dangerous trend, considering that CSP is meant to be a more comprehensive program than EQIP, having a higher potential conservation benefit and financial benefit to farmers. This trend coincides with a long-term shortage of NRCS staff, reducing technical assistance capacity for the more paperworkintensive CSP.11

A Unique Opportunity to Support Farmers and Protect the Climate

Expanding resources for CSP and EQIP are certainly not the only tools our food and farm system needs respond to the climate crisis. However, these programs can work in concert with other climate action policies, including stronger regulations on agriculture’s major sources of emissions (dairy and hog CAFOs and synthetic fertilizers), reforms to commodity and insurance programs in the Farm Bill to support climate resilience, and deeper investments to support small and mid-sized producers contributing to local food systems.

What does this data mean for the immediate budget reconciliation process and the next Farm Bill� Perhaps the biggest takeaway is that there is intense demand for EQIP and CSP across the country, and that demand is not being met. There are some simple solutions to address this demand, some of which could be done without legislation. Other more lasting changes can be addressed now through budget reconciliation, and perhaps later through the 2023 Farm Bill.

Solutions Needed from USDA

• Clarify and reform the application process through Conservation Assessment Ranking Tool (CART)

• Ensure that CSP remains a whole-farm program and EQIP remains targeted for single conservation projects

• Meaningfully invest in CSP and EQIP outreach to farmers of color

• Prioritize the climate mitigation benefits of CSP

Solutions Needed from Congress

• Include an additional $30 billion for CSP and EQIP in budget reconciliation

• Authorize and appropriate more money for conservation technical assistance at NRCS

• Prohibit EQIP dollars from going to new or expanding CAFOs

Conclusion

What would U.S. climate policy look like if we had climate smart programs that farmers trusted and applied for in droves� The good news is that these programs already exist: The Conservation Stewardship Program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. The bad news is that not nearly enough farmers are being awarded contracts to meet demand. When fewer than half of program applicants nationwide are awarded contracts (and in many farm states fewer than 20%), more resources are needed. These programs can go a long way toward helping farmers and rural communities bounce back from climate change-fueled disasters. If resilience was the only benefit of these programs, they might already be worth it. However, more farmers enrolled in these programs also means more financial stability for farmers, better soil and water conservation, more resilient local food systems, and fewer emissions. Expanding access to these programs is low hanging fruit for Congress that can bring immediate benefits for farmers and the climate.

Michael Happ is the Program Associate for Climate and Rural Communities at IATP.

This article is an excerpt of the report issued Sept. 9, 2021. For a full ranking of the states by percentage of contracts awarded and complete citations, see the full report at iatp.org/documents/closed-out-how-us-farmers-are-denied-access-conservation-programs

Facilitating beginning farmer access to farmland

By Jody Padgham and Jan Joannides

A farmland access story: Singing Hills Farm

Lynne Reeck grew up on a farm, and like many young women, left the farm for other pursuits. Following her graduate work, she established a successful career in the Twin Cities including work as a writer and producer at Twin Cities Public Television where she won a Daytime Emmy. Yet, like a good dream, farming tugged at her spirit. In 1996, after returning to work for local farms, Lynne purchased the land and buildings that became Singing Hills Farm - 25 acres of rolling hills and prairie grasslands near Northfield, Minnesota. In 2008, she launched Singing Hills Dairy, a farmstead creamery and cheesemaking business. Her incredibly fresh cheeses are a favorite of customers at the Minneapolis Mill City Farmers’ Market and customers of local CSAs.

The farmland of Singing Hills Dairy shares a property line with Big Woods State Park, also a haven for birds and other wildlife. An aerial shot of the area shows the deep contrast between Singing Hills and neighboring farms, which are mostly raising corn and soybeans.

next generation of humans. The reality is that most farmers, especially those farming alone, do not have the depth of staff or potential workers to choose from for succession. Because of heft y debt, few, if any, farmers have retirement accounts that would allow them to stay on their farm. Instead, the equity in their farm is often only able to provide a sustainable future by continuing the intensive labor. And for small farmers, that cost is finite.

Lynne made the decision that she needs to retire from the physical labor of farming. In keeping with her dreams, and as someone with a heart of gold who values building community, she would like her farm to be transitioned to young farmers who have been historically ignored, prohibited, or discouraged from owning their own farm. If she could give her farm away, she would. That is an economic position few farmers hold.

Up until now, Lynne’s exit options to align her hopes and values with her financial reality have been typical: try to find a buyer herself, sell the farm through a realtor, or sell her farm at auction. Pursuing those options became another fulltime job for Lynne. Fortunately, she reached out to a network of individuals and organizations for help. One of these connections was Renewing the Countryside (RTC), which coordinates the Farmland Access Hub. Lynne’s situation is not unique, and RTC and other Farmland Access Hub partners have been grappling with how to help farmers who are ready to transition out of farming do so in a way that supports their own future while also helping new farmers.

Ways to get involved

Farmers wanting to rent or buy land

Visit renewingthecountryside.org/ farmlandaccess

You can check out our Farmland Access Navigator team, and fi ll out an intake form. A Navigator will contact you to discuss how we can help, including:

• Clarifying your goals.

• Identifying priorities for suitable farmland.

• Fostering and building networks to help in the search.

• Develop basic literacy about types of financing available.

• Reviewing personal financial readiness.

• Assessing technical and practical farming skills readiness.

• Studying elements of good and equitable farmland leases.

• Reviewing suitability of specific farms.

• Providing specialized knowledge, expertise, and connections to professionals for further assistance.

Attorneys, realtors, lenders, land surveyors, or other professionals interested in helping beginning farmers get on the land

While statistics tell us that the average age of farmers is on the rise, the data doesn’t often talk about how farmers retire, or “exit” farming. The truth is that no one likes to talk about this. For some families, a next generation has farmed alongside parents, and if everyone is on the same page, the farm can be transitioned to the next generation while elderly family members are cared for. However, this is no longer the norm. If there aren’t descendants, or if someone is farming alone, the trajectory becomes complicated.

This brings us back to Lynne, who has been farming alone with an incredible determination to fulfi ll a bigger picture that includes land protection, human connection, and local food access. She has long realized that more people need a connection to each other, the land, to the ability to grow food and importantly to nature. Now her farm and business require the energy levels and physical stamina of the

A serendipitous call between Jan Joannides at RTC and Alison Volk at American Farmland Trust (AFT) sparked a possibility – a way to pilot an innovative model (with a long history on the U.S. coasts) that could enable Lynne to retire from farming while making this land more affordable for the next farmer. Jan, Alison, and Farmland Access Navigator Jennifer Nelson, who works for MOSES, developed the following plan:

1. American Farmland Trust purchases the land at market rate – thus enabling Lynne to exit farming in a way that enables her to pay off her farm loans, find a new place to live, and set off on her next chapter with a modest income.

2. Funds are raised to place an agricultural conservation easement on the property, which protects the farm from either being developed or being

Contact jody@rtcinfo.org to participate in our Farmland Access Hub and receive resources and training on how to best help new and beginning farmers.

Owners of farmland they’d like to sell or rent

Contact us� While the Farmland Access Hub is not a listing place for farmland, (see those resources listed here renewingthecountryside.org/farmlandaccessresources) we do find it helpful to hear about farmland.

Our Navigators refer to the listings on the resource pages often. We will also be offering some meetup opportunities between landowners and farmland owners over the next few years.

Farmland

regular basis for the processors to remember their certified organic recipes,” said Roosa.

Roosa also noted that their facility, while at max capacity year-round for most of 2020 and 2021, now has space available again during the off-season for 2022, but remains booked for the remainder of the year. “Year round processing is also needed to maintain staff levels and training programs. Building the relationship with the certified organic processor is really important.” explained Roosa.

Another challenge This Old Farm, Inc. faces is the lack of volume of certified organic meat and poultry products that farmers bring to their facility each year to offset the high costs of their organic certification. Hopefully infrastructure investments can support the

efforts of both processors and farmers to increase the volume of certified organic meat and poultry products.

Congressional and USDA Action to Support Processing Needs

At the federal level, the Strengthening Local Processors Act (SLPA) is a comprehensive bill that addresses these very supply chain issues. The bill includes support for small plants’ compliance with food safety monitoring plans, increased cost share for state meat and poultry inspection programs, an infrastructure grant plan program to expand small plants, and more. SLPA is one of the strongest avenues for sweeping change currently on the table.

Section 5 of the SLPA supports NSAC’s infrastructure recommendations that are mentioned in the issue brief. This section of the SLPA would create a new grant program for federally inspected, state inspected, exempt, and new small and very small plants to expand infrastructure to increase harvest and processing capacity. This grant program, if passed by Congress, would support existing plants and new, small-scale meat slaughter and processing plants, with infrastructure, equipment, as well as training needs through several funding options, including grants up to $100,000 for 90 percent of eligible costs and up to $500,000 for 75 percent eligible costs.

Congress did pass over $15 billion in funding for multiple food and farm sector COVID-19 needs, including small and mid-sized processors, in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, and the American Rescue Plan, 2021. The USDA announced they will utilize $500 million of this funding to expand small and mid-sized processing capacity. NSAC agrees with USDA that this $500 million can support an increase in competition in the industry, and will be essential for the success and continuation of the country’s small- and medium-sized meat processing capacity and supply chains.

USDA is expected to announce soon the next steps for how they will spend the $500 million to strengthen resilience in the small meat and poultry processing industry. NSAC has requested that USDA direct this funding to a wide range of small processing establishments, including small-scale federally inspected, state inspected, exempt, and new facilities.

Take Action

We need your help to ensure the grassfed, pastureraised, sustainable, and niche meat sectors remain

resilient. You can advocate for Local and Regional Meat Processing Infrastructure Funding by:

1. Asking Your Member of Congress to Sponsor the SLPA. Check out our templates for emailing or calling your Member of Congress at sustainableagriculture.net/take-action

2. Sharing the brief with your Member of Congress. The document is designed to make this complex issue and potential pathways to change accessible to policymakers. sustainableagriculture.net/wpcontent/uploads/2021/08/2021-NSAC-Infrastructure_Training-Funding-Policy-Briefs.pdf

This article was co-authored by Matt Kneece, S.C. Policy Coordinator for Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, the lead drafter of NSAC’s Issue Brief on Financing Options for Local/Regional Meat Processing Infrastructure and Kelly Nuckolls, Senior Policy Specialist at NSAC. A version of this article originally appeared on the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Blog at sustainableagriculture.net/blog and this is reprinted with permission.

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used for non-farming uses (i.e. sold to someone as a second home or rural estate).

3. The easement is placed on the property – and in doing so the “value” of the property for resale is decreased. �

4. Concurrently, a process starts to identify a good match between a new farm family and the farm business.

5. The new farm family works with AFT to either purchase or lease-to-own the farm from AFT at a significantly reduced cost.

6. RTC, AFT, and other orgs and farmers provide support to the new farm family to ensure they are positioned to succeed.

Since the spring of 2021, efforts have been underway to see if this plan could be realized, and the answer is yes� But it is going to take a village. Placing an easement on the land requires that the value of the easement be “purchased.” The value of the easement for the Singing Hills property is $150,000. RTC and AFT have just started a fundraising campaign to raise this amount. “This is a big task and a bit daunting for an organization of our size, but this could be a game changer, providing a pathway to help get more sustainable farmers on the land, and at a time in history that only those with deep pockets, or with families with deep pockets, can afford to enter farming,” says RTC Executive Director, Jan Joannides. “Equally important is that this model provides older farmers a dignified pathway to retire from farming.”

RTC and AFT are not the only ones excited about this model. Jackie Rolfs & David Servertson have been customers of Singing Hills Dairy for many years, regularly purchasing cheese at the Mill City Farmers Market. When they heard about Lynne’s desire to both protect the land for farming and transition the farm to a beginning farmer or farmer of color, they were intrigued. They began talking about what they might do to support the vision and after a conversation with RTC and AFT, committed to making a matching contribution of $10,000 towards the easement fund.

“We’ve always made donations to organizations and causes we believe in, but we’re at a point in our lives where we feel like we can do more, and this really resonates with our values,” says Jackie. “Our kids are grown and established in their own careers, so we’re at a place where we can make a larger contribution. We talked to our kids about this, and they were supportive, just requesting that they get to visit at some point and meet the goats�”

How you can help

Renewing the Countryside is looking for more people like Jackie and David willing to make a contribution toward the Singing Hills endowment. “Reaching our financial goal will ensure that Lynne can leave her beloved farm feeling secure about her future, while also helping a new farm family get a great start,” says Jan. “Please email (jan@rtcinfo.org) or call me (612-251-7304) if you’d like to contribute, learn

more, or help with the campaign.”

Renewing the Countryside and American Farmland Trust only see this as the beginning. They have begun discussions about how to further develop this model in the Midwest, to make this possibility of conservation easement purchase and the resulting reduced purchase price, available to other new farmers. If you would like more information or to contribute to this effort, visit www.renewingthecountryside.org/easement

The bigger farmland access story

Singing Hills is one exciting highlight in the realm of farmland access, which evolved out of the broader, collective effort of the Midwest Farmland Access Hub - a growing collective of over twenty organizations working together to help beginning farmers secure improved access to land. Renewing the Countryside has served as the convener of the collective, and the work has been supported by the Bush Foundation, the USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP), Lakewinds Food Co-op, and Compeer Financial. A new, three-year BFRDP grant will launch a new configuration where each state will have its own lead.

Whereas twenty organizations were involved in the first iteration, the goal is to double that number in the next two years and to add more support service providers (attorneys, accountants, realtors) as members of the Hub. Renewing the Countryside, MOSES and PFI will each play a role in developing this diverse group of partners into three state Hubs. The diagram below provides our plan for the structure. (Partners in Illinois are following our model and also collaborating with our work. All members of the Hub will participate in a Farmland Access Summit in 2022)

What’s at the Core?

The core of the Farmland Access Hub’s success has been the work of the Farmland Access Navigators. Eight navigators have worked with 284 farmer clients, assisting them in developing farmland access plans, answering questions, connecting them to resources, and offering information and support. As a result 64 beginning farmer clients have either purchased farmland or secured stable leases.

Under our new funding the current navigators will continue their work and we will also bring on new navigators with a goal of helping more BIPOC farmers access land. Our plan is to train new navigators who are from, or have deep connections to, BIPOC communities, and have them focus their efforts on assisting farmers from their communities.

As a result of this work, we envision a multitude of thriving small and mid-scale farms supporting generations of farmers and their communities across the upper Midwest, advancing resilient and sustainable farming practices, establishing racial and ethnic equity in land access, and reversing persistent patterns of land loss and rural decline. Please join us in this important work�

Current Farmland Access Partners

Minnesota

Big River Farms/The Food Group

Compeer Financial

Farmers’ Legal Action Group

Hmong American Farmers Association

Kilimo MN

Lakewinds Food Co-op

Land Stewardship Project

Latino Economic Development Center

Minnesota Department of Agriculture

Minnesota Farmers Union

MN Institute for Sustainable Agriculture

MN Central Chapter – NYFC

Northern Plains Sustainable Ag

Renewing the Countryside

SE MN Agrarian Commons

Sustainable Farming Association

Twin Cities Community Ag Land Trust

University of Minnesota Extension

Wisconsin American Farmland Trust

MOSES

University of Wisconsin Extension

Wisconsin Farmers Union

Iowa Iowa Valley RC&D

Lutheran Services in Iowa

Practical Farmers of Iowa

Sustainable Iowa Land Trust

Illinois Liberty Prairie Foundation

The Conservation Fund

The Land Connection

National Iroquois Valley Farms Land for Good National Young Farmers Coalition

Jan Joannides is the Executive Director and co-founder of Renewing the Countryside where Jody Padgham is a writer and administrator.

*For more information on farmland easements, see Land trusts, easements improve land access for new farmers by Erin Schneider, May-June 2021 Organic Broadcaster.

individual recommendations without necessarily needing to reach consensus.”

On Oct. 13, Stonyfield announced its plans to help save at-risk Northeast organic family farms by inviting a number of farms into their direct supply program during the coming months. Stonyfield is owned by the French group, Lactilis, which is the second-largest dairy company in the world. From their press release, “We will bring on the farms that we can, and we have launched an internal task force of senior company leaders to work alongside various state departments of agriculture, nonprofit organizations, retailers and institutional food customers to find ways to keep more of these farms alive and in business.” This announcement by Stonyfield built on the work already done by Lundgren, who has talked with farmers, attended the NODPA Field Days, and worked on the Vermont Task Force in the past few months.

Travis Forgues, a Vermont native and Executive Vice President of Membership for Organic Valley/ CROPP Cooperative, also worked with state agencies, local communities and farmers, and attended the NODPA Field Days. CROPP currently has a moratorium on taking on new farmer-owners but they are at a point where they are allowing more growth in supply within their quota system and might consider expanding. “We don’t yet know if there’s any way Organic Valley can help these farmers in the Northeast, but we will turn over every stone and link arms with every partner to see what’s possible,” said Bob Kirchoff, CEO of Organic Valley.

A regional solution is just the beginning

As we move forward, we must capitalize on the concern for individual organic dairy operations and the resulting search for sustainable solutions, by looking at the larger picture. The crisis in the Northeast is a

symptom of organic dairy’s broader challenge. What is happening in the Northeast has happened in the West and will happen in the Midwest.

Strong regulations, consistently enforced throughout the organic program, are the essential components of a sustainable certification that retains its integrity and ensures a level playing field for all operations. In the National Organic Program (NOP) report at the most recent meeting of the National Organic Standards Board, Jenny Tucker, Deputy Administrator for the NOP, said they were fully staffed and rule-making has been prioritized. She expects that there will be a Final Rule in the spring of 2022 for the OOL and for the Strengthening Organic Enforcement rule. Once published, these regulations need to be implemented and enforced immediately for there to be any future for organic dairy in the Northeast.

There is also a great need for the regular publication of organic production data similar to what is provided on the conventional side. The information is already within the data that is collected by the Federal Milk Marketing Orders and by USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. Currently the only information that is available to organic dairy farmers is on retail fluid milk sales. There is no independent information on the utilization of organic milk and how much is sold into the conventional market or dumped. With access to this information, producers could make critical decisions on production. Currently, only buyers can make claims from proprietary information, which affect pay price and future investments by processors without independent verification. Farmers and their representative organizations cannot afford the same access buyers and processors have to Nielsen and SPIN reports.

In assessing the landscape for individual and collective opportunity, the federal and state governments can provide much needed assistance in rebuilding infrastructure but at a scale appropriate to the needs of the regional organic dairy community. For example, those operations that have a farm-based, value-added alternative, with no requirement for balancing on the open market, will need help in business planning and evaluation of their capacity. Farm-based processing, product marketing, and running a farm operation, while staying compliant with all health and food safety requirements can easily lead to burnout and bankruptcy without adequate support. Similarly, smaller, individual operations that lack the capital and

operational cash flow have found it difficult to compete within the highly competitive dairy case.

As a regional community, there is a great opportunity to work on physical solutions that will provide secure markets into the future, based on the local economy and not reliant on domestic and foreign multinationals. This would encourage younger folks who want to farm and help support a strong rural community. Secretary Vilsack has committed USDA efforts to find a regional solution. As different alternatives are analyzed, the two major buyers in the region, CROPP/Organic Valley and Stonyfield/Lactalis, will assist in the development of viable projects by quickly reaching a decision and identifying the farms they can take on.

Next steps in a regional solution can be broadly summarized as:

1. Collect and aggregate all the information on which farmers immediately involved are looking and exclude those that are retiring, ending milking, have a new buyer, or already have a value-added alternative.

2. Establish an interim model for utilization of the organic milk produced by those farms dumped by Danone.

3. Establish marketing and manufacturing infrastructure, size-appropriate for New England and New York, that can sustain a workable pay price of $35 and is accessible for all organic dairies in the region.

4. Establish an ownership structure that offers the farmers a stake in the venture to give them access to the larger profit pool created through value-added products. This provides the farmers a more durable economic solution.

Any solution needs to recognize the broad implications of the situation in the Northeast and produce a process that can be replicated elsewhere, as needed. Consolidation and the dominance of multinationals will remain prominent in organic. Effectively, there is one buyer for New England organic milk: a French multinational. The owner of the leading organic brand nationally is a different French multinational. As opportunities disappear from other regions in the U.S. the solutions in the Northeast and the West can provide guidance and encouragement for other small organic dairies facing the same issues.

Ed Maltby is the Executive Director of the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance.

USDA Accepts More than 5 Million Acres in CRP Signups

As of September 2021, producers and landowners have enrolled 5.3 million acres through Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) signups, well surpassing USDA’s 4-million acre goal. Signups include nearly 2.6 million acres in the Grassland signup, nearly 1.9 million acres for the General signup, and over 900,000 acres for the Continuous signup. In 2021, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) introduced improvements to CRP, including higher payment rates, new incentives, and a more targeted focus on CRP’s role in mitigating climate change. The Continuous Signup remains open; however, CRP Grasslands Signup is now closed. Learn more at bit.ly/2Z515yV

Sustainable Agriculture Funding Available in Minnesota

Farmers and organizations can now apply for Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) funds to support projects that explore sustainable agricultural practices and systems that could make farming more profitable or resource efficient. Applications for the Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation (AGRI) Program are due no later than 4:00 p.m. CST on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021. A total of $250,000 is available in Fiscal Year 2022. Applicants may request up to $50,000 per project which can include, but is not limited to: practices that improve soil health, conservation tillage and weed management methods, novel cover crops and crop rotations, input reduction strategies, on-farm energy production, developing marketing opportunities, novel enterprise diversification, and other ideas that focus on environmental sustainability, energy savings or production, and profitability. The program also funds Minnesota nonprofits and educational organizations that involve Minnesota farmers in projects; however, applications from Minnesota farmers receive priority. To learn more about project eligibility and submit an application, visit bit.ly/3DWI1BQ

USDA Introduces Insurance Policy for Farmers Who Sell Locally

A new insurance option is available from the USDA for farmers who sell locally. Offered through WholeFarm Revenue Protection (WFRP), the policy will be available beginning with the 2022 crop year and will simplify record keeping and cover post-production costs such as washing and value-added products. Including feedback from producers who grow for their local communities, USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) created this policy based on research directed by the 2018 Farm Bill. The Micro Farm policy builds on other RMA efforts to better serve specialty and organic crop growers, including WFRP, which provides coverage for larger operations that may not be eligible for Micro Farm. The Micro Farm policy is available to producers whose farm operation earns an average allowable revenue of $100,000 or less, or $125,000 or less for carryover insureds. Find out more at bit.ly/3APKEna

NEWS BRIEFS

New Electronic Communication Tool for Wisconsin Producers

A new tool is available to help Wisconsin producers receive information from their local USDA service center. Producers can now sign up to receive free emails and text messages directly from their USDA Service Center for information regarding loans, farm disaster assistance, conservation programs, crop insurance, and other USDA programs. The digital communications platform, govDelivery, is secure and subscriber contact information will not be shared. Producers can subscribe online by visiting farmers.gov/subscribe. Using this link, producers can opt in to receive alerts via email, text message, or both.

USDA Launches Soil Carbon Monitoring Efforts through CRP

To reduce impacts of climate change facing farmers and ranchers, the USDA is investing $10 million in a new initiative to monitor soil carbon on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres. Implementation began in fall 2021 with three partners who will conduct soil carbon sampling on three categories of CRP practice types: perennial grass, trees, and wetlands. Michigan State University will measure soil carbon and bulk density of CRP grasslands at 600 sites in the U.S., focusing on central states. Mississippi State University and Alabama A&M University will partner to collect data at 162 sites in seven states to document CRPrelated benefits to carbon levels in soil and the atmosphere. Ducks Unlimited will work at 250 sites in 15 states to collect data on carbon stocks in wetland soils as well as vegetation carbon levels. According to the Farm Service Agency (FSA), the projects will survey, sample and measure the climate benefits of land enrolled in CRP conservation practice types over time which will help USDA better target practices that achieve climate wins across environmentally sensitive lands.

Cast Your Vote in County Committee Elections

Calling all farmers and ranchers� The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is asking you to take part in upcoming county committee elections, as the election of responsible agricultural producers is important to all farmers with large or small operations. Committee members are a critical component of day-to-day operations of the FSA: helping to deliver FSA programs at the local level, providing guidance on which programs their counties will offer, and working to make FSA agricultural programs serve the needs of local producers. It is crucial that every eligible producer takes part in upcoming

elections. Learn more and find important election dates at fsa.usda.gov/news-room/county-committee-elections

In Her Boots Podcast

Tune in to the In Her Boots Podcast to learn about the life and work of women in agriculture through their conversations with host Tiffany LaShae. The re-boot of In Her Boots highlights the stories of Black and Brown women who traditionally have not had a platform to share their voices. In Episode 4, “An East African in Minnesota,” Tiffany LaShae is joined by Maryan Abdinur who shares childhood memories from growing up in Somalia. Maryan works with Hope Community Inc. as Food, Land and Community Program Lead. Tune in to Episode 4 on your favorite podcast listening app or at moseorganic.org/podcasts

Fall Fundraising to Support Farmer Resilience

When the pandemic hit, its impacts on our food and farming systems made abundantly clear what we collectively have known all along: we need stronger protections and more resources for organic and sustainable, small and mid-scale farmers, for the independent markets they depend on, and for the communities they serve. This fall, we’re laying the groundwork on exciting new projects, like an online community platform for farmers, rebuilding our website to make it easier to find the resources you need, and strengthening our ambitious land-access programs. The funds we raise now will support programs that connect retiring and beginning farmers, facilitate land transfers, and advance policy engagement on issues of farmer credit and land access equity.

We hope you can support this work by making a one time or monthly recurring donation. Donate $25 or more and you’ll also receive a limited-edition pair of custom-designed MOSES socks, made by our friends at Maggie’s Organics. To donate, visit us online at mosesorganic.org/grow-organic or send a check to: Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service (MOSES), PO Box 339, Spring Valley, WI 54767.

Organic Dairy Farmers Encouraged to Participate in Forage Production Survey

Do you operate an organic dairy or forage operation� Your voice is needed� Heather Darby and the University of Vermont are seeking your participation in a national survey to identify key research priorities, and resources that are integral in optimizing forage production on organic dairy farms through a changing climate. Forage production and quality are the backbone of organic dairy farms and there is enormous pressure to produce both high yield and high-quality feed that will sustain the herd through the year without sacrificing milk production, milk quality, or animal health. As you know, grasslands account for over two-thirds of the U.S. land base and contribute $45 billion in value annually to our agricultural system. In addition to providing vital feed for animals that support our dairy and meat industries, forages contribute a host of ecosystem services including soil health and stabilization, water

retention, water filtration, carbon sequestration, and wildlife habitat. These benefits apply to our greater food system and landscape. Sadly, disproportionately low funding and support for forage research and extension efforts are threatening our current and future body of knowledge and expertise of forages. The widespread use and reliance on forages across a wide range of production systems and climates has contributed to an overall lack of continuity in critical forage production and management research. This project aims to unite forage experts to identify farmer needs and determine research and educational priorities that will support successful forage production and management in the organic dairy industry and beyond.

The information generated from this project will be valuable to all organic livestock farmers across the country and will also provide valuable insight to policy makers, governmental agencies, and academic institutions to understand the importance and value of forages and the need for continued support for research and extension efforts.

To take the Managing Organic Forages Survey, visit bit.ly/3EhHNFU

Low-Interest Loans Available for Producers Affected by Natural Disasters

Low-interest physical loss loans are available from the USDA for Wisconsin producers affected by the tornado that occurred on Aug. 7, 2021. Eligible counties in Wisconsin include Crawford, Grant, Iowa, Lafayette, and Richland. Physical loss loans can help producers repair or replace damaged or destroyed physical property essential to the success of the agricultural operation, including livestock loss, farm buildings, fi xtures to real estate, equipment, perennial crops, fruit and nut-bearing trees, and harvested or stored crops and hay. Find the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Farm Loan Discovery Tool, and Disaster Assistance at-aGlance fact sheet to help determine program or loan options. Contact your local USDA Service Center to file a Note of Loss and to learn more about available programs.

Online Tool for Drought-Stricken Ranchers

The USDA has created an online tool to help ranchers document and estimate payments to cover feed transportation costs caused by drought, which are now covered by the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP). This year, ELAP was updated to include feed transportation costs and to lower the threshold for availability of assistance for water hauling expenses. Microsoft Excel is required to use the tool and ranchers will need the following information specific to their operation: number of truckloads for this year, mileage per truckload this year, share of feed cost this year, number of truckloads normally hauled, normal mileage per truckload, and share of normal feed cost. A tutorial video for the tool is available at fsa.usda.gov/elap

NEWS BRIEFS

Higher Loan Limit for USDA Guaranteed Farm Loans

Starting Oct. 1, 2021, the USDA is offering a higher loan limit for borrowers seeking a farm loan. The loan limit is now $1.825 million. From securing land to financing equipment purchases, Farm Service Agency (FSA) farm loans offer access to funding for a wide range of needs. In addition to FSA farm loans, USDA has additional support available to producers in regards to recent outbreaks of the COVID-19 delta variant. The availability of COVID-19 Disaster Set-Aside (DSA) has been extended through Jan. 31, 2022. Producers can explore available FSA loan options at fsa.usda.gov or by contacting their local USDA Service Center.

Conservation Funding Opportunities for 2022

Agricultural producers and private landowners can now apply for conservation funding from the USDA for fiscal year 2022. NRCS provides technical and financial assistance to help producers and landowners make conservation improvements on their land through key programs, such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), and Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) programs. Offering programs that are good for natural resources and for your operation’s bottom line, the NRCS encourages all to learn more by contacting your local NRCS field office. USDA accepts applications year-round however, producers and landowners should apply for consideration by state-specific, ranking dates. Special provisions are available for historically underserved producers. Learn more about applying for assistance and find state-specific, ranking dates at bit.ly/2ZiHXh0

Funding Opportunity for HBCU

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced a grant opportunity for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to support the establishment of an Agriculture Business Innovation Center. In an effort to enhance agriculturebased business development opportunities, the establishment of this center will provide technical assistance to food and agricultural producers, assist startups in agriculture business, provide workforce development and educational experiences for students, and offer outreach services. Learn more about eligibility and apply at bit.ly/3BavqJz

Luzum Heritage Farm Available Late 2022

The Luzum Heritage Farm, located just south of Decorah, Iowa, is seeking new stewards and will

become available Nov. 1, 2022. This is one of twelve protected farms through Sustainable Iowa Land Trust (SILT). In addition to 98 acres in conservation, Luzum Heritage Farm includes 70 acres of pasture, a 4-bedroom farmhouse, and multiple outbuildings. After having grown pastured pork, lamb and chickens, organic livestock feed, and a wide variety of vegetables, Andy Boone and his wife Betsy have decided to search for a smaller farm. For more information and to see all SILT farms, visit silt.org/silt-farms

Pandemic Support for Certified and Transitioning Operations

The USDA announced on November 4, 2021, that it will make $20 million available through the new Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program (OTECP) to provide pandemic assistance to cover certification and education expenses for producers who are certified organic or transitioning to organic.

Certified and transitioning operations may apply for OTECP for eligible expenses paid during the 2020, 2021, and 2022 fiscal years which will cover 25% of a certified operation’s eligible certification expenses, up to $250 per category (crop, livestock, wild crop, handling and State Organic Program fee). In addition, crop and livestock operations transitioning to organic production may be eligible for 75% of a transitional operation’s eligible expenses, up to $750, for each year. For both certified and transitioning operations, OTECP also covers 75% of registration fees, up to $200 per year, for educational events that include content related to organic production and handling. MOSES events covered by this funding include the 2020 MOSES Organic Farming Conference, 2021 Growing Stronger, and 2021 New Farmer U.

Learn more about eligibility at bit.ly/3EWXRNy. Apply by Jan. 7, 2022 at your local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office or call 877-508-8364 for one-onone support with applications.

EQUIPMENT

For Sale: Howard Rotovator 10 foot $4000. Dyna Drive 10 foot $3000. Both eld ready. Baldwin, WI. Ron 715-977-0602.

For Sale: 1460 International combine 2nd owner used on small acre organic farm past 10 years. Nice machine, many new parts, easy machine to work on. 6000 hrs maintained by certi ed IH mechanic. $15,000. Sibley, IL. Call Josh McMillan 815-383-8815

Sale: 2020 Salford 8206 Plow. 6x4, coulters, used one season, $44,000. Call Ben 970-630-7789.

FARMS/LAND

FOR RENT: Certified pasture 600 acres. Fine stemmed upland grasses. Native and cool season - all fresh waterSouth Dakota. Dr Timothy Brown. Clinic 507 637 3581. Tim. brown63@icloud.com

Looking to rent. Looking for organic row crop farmland to rent in Northwest Iowa or extreme Southeast South Dakota. Been farming organically for 20 years. 712-229-0161

FORAGES

For Sale: Organic Certified Round Hay and Straw Bales.

• 1st, 2nd, and 3rd cut of baleage available.

• 2nd cut of dry hay available.

• Test are available for all the hay.

• Rye straw is available.

• Located in Central Wisconsin and can be delivered.

• Contact Todd at 715-571-6714 for more information.

For Sale: Organic Baleage & Dry Hay. 4x5 rounds baleage & dry hay from 2021 1st, 3rd, and 4th cuttings. Alfalfa/ clover/grass mixes. Quality hay, tests available. Prices vary. Call 608-792-2952. Western WI.

For Sale: Organic hay wrapped and dry. Big bales. Barley, barley straw, and rye seed. Can deliver. 608-574-2160

Organic hay for sale. 4x5 roto-cut rounds. All three crops dry and baleage. Approximately 900-1,100 lbs dry matter/ bale. 715-495-2813 or mess@wwt.net

Organic hay for sale. 2x3x6 foot large square bales. First, second, and third cuttings. High quality. Ed Baum 920-4272575. Shiocton, WI.

Organic baleage for sale. We have various cuts and lots of dairy quality with no rain. Prices per ton are based on feed tests. There are various combinations of alfalfa, clover, and grass. Delivery available. Call 715-921-9079.

Certified Organic Hay For Sale. Multiple types and qualities. Small squares are in bundles of 9, 18, or 21. Rounds and big squares also available. Sold individually or by the semi-load. Brian@suttoncattle.com

GRAINS

For Sale: Organic Oats. Approx 400 bu. Delivery possible. Call Larry at (507) 297-5750 or email lllgooden@yahoo.com.

For Sale: Organic Winter Rye. Cleaned $8. per bushel. Also Organic Field Corn 2000 bushel in eld. Baldwin, WI. Ron 715 977 0602

For Sale: 1600 Bushels of Organic Winter Wheat. Clear Lake, South Dakota. Phone 605-880-2121.

LIVESTOCK

For Sale: Organically Raised Cattle weighing 700-800 lbs (8 Steers and 8 Hiefers). Clear Lake, South Dakota. Phone 605-880-2121.

Organic replacement pullets available. Highline browns. Beaks trimmed and vaccinated. 18 weeks old September 14th. Up to 2000 available. We also have 10,000 available mid-October. Call 608-489-2725.

For Sale: Dairy Herd. 40 Holstein-Jersey-Brown Swiss cows in all stages of lactation. A2/A2 bred to Flevich bull. 20 springers due now till fall. Retiring. Call 507-582-3330.

MISCELLANEOUS

Organic Fish Fertilizer 15-1-1, 100% dry water soluble, 5-7 times more nutritious than liquid sh. Will not clog drip irrigation. One lb., 5 lb. or 55 lb. packaging. Humates OMRIcerti ed, liquid and dry. Can be shipped anywhere via UPS. Frommelt Ag Service, Greeley, IA, 563-920-3674.

OMRI 15-1-1 & 7-7-7 dry soluble fertilizers. 3-3-3 clean liquid organic fertilizer. Sold by the ton, tote, and tanker. Call Dan Beck at 308-940-2020. Nature Safe Organic Fertilizers.

For Sale: Tempered, insulated, double-pane glass. Large panes for sunrooms, solar homes, ag buildings, greenhouses or ??? One hundred fty thousand sold since 1979; 32” x 74” x 1” double-pane only $69.00. If you need glass, now would be a good time! Arctic Glass, kissourglass.wordpress.com, 612-860-8083.

Classified Ad Placement

Reach 15,000+ organic-minded readers. Includes free listing in the Online Organic Classi eds at mosesorganic.org/organic-classifieds.

Submit ads online or write out your ad and send it with this mail-in form and payment to: MOSES, PO Box 339, Spring Valley, WI 54767

Ads must be submitted by the 25th of the month prior to Organic Broadcaster publication date.

Iowa Organic Conference

November 28 & 29 | $ | Iowa City, Iowa

Hosted by the University of Iowa Extension. This year’s theme: Save the Planet Through Organics – Managing Climate Change with Organic Practices, featuring keynote Dr. Jessica Shade, Director of Science Programs at The Organic Center. Call Kathleen at 515-294-7069 or go to regcytes.extension.iastate.edu/iowaorganic to learn more.

Organic Blueberry Production

December 1 | Free | Online

Hosted by eOrganic. More info coming soon at eorganic.org/node/4942

Organic & Non-GMO Forum

December 1 & 2 | $ | Minneapolis, Minn.

The Organic & Non-GMO Forum is the source for conventional food and ag businesses to learn about opportunities in the organic and non-GMO industry, and for those in the eld to discuss the challenges and advantages it presents. Learn more at ongforum.com

ACRES Eco-Ag Conference & Trade Show

December 6 – 9 | $ | Cincinnati, Ohio

In-person event. Attend in-depth workshops and sessions about soil health, animal agriculture, human health, plant nutrition and more. Call 970-392-4464 or go to acresusa.com/event/eco-ag-conference-2021 to get more info.

Intertribal Agriculture Council Annual Conference

December 7 – 9 | $ | Las Vegas, Nev. and Online

Join the IAC as they highlight tribal producers and land stewardship e orts that lend important modeling and direction to all sectors of agriculture and land management. In-person and virtual attendance available. In-person registration is limited. Go to web.cvent.com/event/89c5b06f-ab55-4cdb-a57f-ee781c99d8cf/ summary to register.

Perennial Farm Gathering

December 9 – 11 | $ | Online

This multi-day event brings together farmers, researchers, and community members to share their experiences, ask questions, connect, and build the momentum behind agroforestry. Learn more at savannainstitute.org/perennial-farm-gathering or call 608) 448-6432.

Minnesota Organic Conference

January 6 & 7 | $ | Online

Join the Minnesota Department of Agriculture for workshops on a range of topics and connect with others involved in organic agriculture at their annual conference, being held virtually this year. To learn more at mda.state.mn.us/environment-sustainability/ minnesota-organic-conference or call 651-201-6000.

Michigan Organic Food and Farm Alliance Organic Intensives

January 8 | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. | $ | East Lansing, Mich.

Join the Michigan Organic Food and Farm Alliance (MOFFA) for

a one-day in-depth learning experience. Organic Intensives are an opportunity to acquire practical, detailed information over the course of a day with fellow Michigan farmers and gardeners. Keep an eye on our website for more information. Go to mo a.net to learn more.

National Farmers Union Women’s Conference

January 10 – 13 | $ | Online

January 16 – 18 | $ | Nashville, Tenn.

Farmers, policy makers, educators, and specialists will present on a number of subjects, including business management, leadership, community building, and more. This will be a hybrid event with virtual sessions focusing on cooperatives, business management, and food sovereignty. In-person participants will hear from speakers on USDA programs, business management, leadership, and more. Come meet your fellow Farmers Union members, play games, and tour Nashville. Get more info at nfu.org/womensconference

Grassworks Grazing Conference

January 20 – 22 | $ | Wisconsin Dells, Wis.

Grassworks is celebrating their 30th anniversary conference with the theme, Celebrating the Resilience of Grazing. Contact Jill at grassworks@wi.rr.com or go to grassworks.org/events/grazing-conference to learn more.

Practical Farmers of Iowa Annual Conference

January 20 – 22 | $ | Ames, Iowa

Join Practical Farmers of Iowa for their annual conference featuring 50+ sessions, hundreds of attendees, 80+ exhibitors, plenty of networking time. To learn more call 515.232.5661 or go to practicalfarmers.org/events/annual-conference

OGRAIN Conference

January 28 & 29 | $ | Madison, Wis.

Each winter at the end of January, growers, researchers, and industry representatives meet in Madison to share information and best practices about organic grain production. Hosted by University of Wisconsin-Madison and UW Extension. Email emsilva@wisc.edu or go to ograin.cals.wisc.edu to learn more.

Organic Vegetable Production Conference

February 3 – 8 | $ | Online

Connect with professional vegetable growers from throughout the Midwest at this unique virtual event grounded in farmer-to-

farmer skill sharing. Hosted by Fairshare CSA Coalition and Dane County University of Wisconsin Extension. Register at eventbrite.com/e/2022-organic-vegetable-productionconference-registration-190655775557

Organic Seed Growers Conference

February 4 – 11 | $ | Online

Join the Organic Seed Alliance for a fun, dynamic, and educational virtual gathering for their annual conference this year. Learn more at seedalliance.org/conference

Illinois Specialty Crop Conference (ISCC)

& Trade Show

February 5 – 7 | $ | Springfield, Ill.

Organized by the Illinois Specialty Growers Association, the University of Illinois, and the Illinois Department of Agriculture. The conference is aimed at meeting the needs of agritourism businesses, irrigation issues, pollinators, cut ower growers, organics, and producers of vegetable, herb, and fruit crops in Illinois and surrounding states. This is a hybrid event – virtual sessions will also be available each day. Contact Charlene at 309-557-2107 or Cblary@ilfb.org.

Organic

Grain

Conference and Trade Show

February 9 – 10 | $ | Champaign, Ill.

Save the date! More info coming soon. Organized by the Land Connection. Contact them at 217-840-2128 or go to thelandconnection.org/event/ogc2022

OEFFA Conference

February 12 (online) & 17 – 19 (in-person) | $ | Dayton, Ohio

They are planning for hybrid conference event, which will offer you the best of both worlds, and registration will open by December. Call 614-421-2022 or go to conference.oe a.org for more info.

EcoFarm Conference

February 19 – 22 | $ | Pacific Grove, Calif.

Join this annual gathering of agriculturalists working to advance ecological, equitable farms and food systems. Join in-person for visionary keynote speakers, skill-building workshops, pre-conference events, our tented expo, seed swaps, networking, and farm tours. Go to eco-farm.org/conference/2022 or call 831-763-2111 to learn more.

MOSES Organic Farming Conference: Cultivating Community

February 24 – 26 | $ | La Crosse, Wis.

Join MOSES in-person this year! We bring together all kinds of farmers and ag professionals to learn the latest organic production methods and build a supportive community of resilient organic and sustainable farms. To learn more call 715-778-5775 or go to mosesorganic.org/conference

Indicates MOSES Event