Integration of Agroforestry as a Transformative Solution to Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in Organic Farms 

The 2022 Organic Center-FFAR joint Organic Research Program awardee, Dr. Sindhu Jagadamma, is investigating how growing trees on organic farms and transforming organic waste from those farms into high-value compost naturally and cost-effectively mitigates climate change and reduces the carbon footprint of organic farms. She will conduct the study at Caney Fork Farms, a Tennessee certified organic farm, and develop and disseminate educational materials to improve producers’ knowledge of these and other innovative farm management approaches to increase their adoption throughout the Southeast.

Oregon Tilth 

The Organic Training for Agricultural Professionals Prize supports the continued success of Oregon Tilth’s conservation, transition and farm viability education and will train additional farmers and agriculture professionals in organic certification, organic regulations, production practices and profitability tools. It will also facilitate the convening of organic certifiers to explore ways to streamline linkages between USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service support and the organic certification process.

Enhancing Tools to Model Climate and Environmental Impacts in Organic Agriculture Systems 

The 2022 Organic Center-FFAR joint Organic Research Program awardee, Dr. Erin Silva, is investigating how to improve existing carbon and nutrient modeling tools and create new ones to better reflect organic farming management practices and reduce climate change impact. She will share the results with agricultural professionals and policymakers to inform where further research is needed to better understand the impacts of organic farming methods on climate and environmental stewardship.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Organic Grain Resource and Information Network 

The Organic Training for Agricultural Professionals Prize advances the University of Wisconsin-Madison Organic Grain Resource and Information Network (OGRAIN) programming by building additional state-wide and cross-state relationships through Cooperative Extension, supporting work with Tribal Nations and developing additional resources for new agriculture professionals and farmers transitioning to organic.

Iowa State University Organic Agriculture Program (ISU OAP) 

The Organic Training for Agricultural Professionals Prize supports the expansion of the Iowa State University Organic Agriculture Program (ISU OAP) through train-the-trainer and organic certification workshops, videos and podcasts, and carbon sequestration webinars and field days. ISU OAP has a 25-year history of training farming community groups, farmer leaders and agricultural professionals in organic agronomic practices, certification and farm management.

OATS (Organic Agronomy Training Service) 

The Organic Training for Agricultural Professionals Prize supports OATS (Organic Agronomy Training Service) to increase domestic organic crop production by supporting the development of an organic professional certificate program, a variety of multi-media training tools and an industry-wide assessment to identify future participants and necessary education. OATS is a training program for agricultural professionals working with organic or transitioning farmers in the northern tier of the U.S., fiscally sponsored by the Organic Trade Association.

Performance-Based Financing for Sustainable Water Management 

Performance-Based Financing Models for Sustainable Water Management in the Great Lakes Basin 

Though fertilizer runoff can cause water pollution, the demand for high crop yields often stymies conservation practices. One possible answer lies with encouraging private financiers to incentivize farm sustainability efforts by identifying the full lending risks associated with fertilizer emissions. Researchers are exploring this potential solution by linking a water quality modeling and monitoring system in the Lake Huron drainage basin to sustainability-based financial products for farmers.