Cultivating Organic Farmers
Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) is the only national, non-profit organization to track and report organic programs and activity in the U.S. land grant system. Our leadership position ensures that education, research, and outreach services are highly responsive to the needs of certified organic farmers and ranchers.
Today, OFRF is delivering an updated inventory of land grant organic activity using more sophisticated methods to measure an institution’s level of commitment to organic agriculture.
These six campuses scored full points:
Colorado State University, Fort Collins
University of Minnesota, St. Paul
University of Florida, Gainesville
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Michigan State University, East Lansing
Washington State University, Pullman
The growing movement to train students with hands-on production and marketing experience at a student farm complemented by a formal curriculum on organic farming represents a great opportunity. OFRF is assessing which models being used at land grants and other institutions of higher learning are most effective in training the next generation of organic farmers, ranchers, researchers, and policy advocates. This assessment will be the basis for a larger strategy aimed at building the infrastructure necessary to meet the growing demand for organic food in the U.S.
