Iowa State University Organic Agriculture Program (ISU OAP)
To Advance Organic Agriculture, Training and Technical Support is Needed
The $350,000 Organic Training for Agricultural Professionals Prize recognizes extraordinary contributions to training farmers, agriculture professionals and community organizations in organic production. In selecting the 2022 prize winners, The Organic Center and FFAR prioritized farmer-led projects with the potential for expansion and multi-regional impact. Organizations were also selected based on their project’s ability to increase diversity, equity and inclusion among participants and on the extent to which they included measurable, in-person and online knowledge exchange between farmers and organic agriculture professionals. Applicants were required to match the award amounts.
Why this research is important
Organic farming is poised to be part of the climate change solution; organic farmers do not rely on fossil-fuel intensive synthetic inputs to manage pests or increase soil fertility and use farming techniques that sequester carbon in the soil. However, more work is needed to understand specific strategies organic growers can adopt to mitigate climate change, while managing the negative effects climate change is having on their farms through drought, flooding, invasive pests and extreme weather events.
Transitioning to organic farming can be confusing, costly and labor-intensive. This partnership with The Organic Center provides a much-needed opportunity for agriculture professionals to educate more farmers about organic farming best practices so we can sustainably meet consumers’ growing demand for organic products and support thriving farms.
LaKisha Odom, Ph.D.
Scientific Program Director
Sustaining Vibrant Agroecosystems
Details About this Research
Expanding Organic Production Education
Iowa State University Organic Agriculture Program (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. With support from this prize, ISU OAP is expanding its organic production education through train-the-trainer and organic certification workshops, videos and podcasts, and carbon sequestration webinars and field days.
Novel, Innovative Programs Offered
- “Train the Trainers in Organic Production and Rules” full-day training
- “Latest Innovations in Organic Ag Technologies” video and podcast
- “Navigating Organic Certification” Intensive Workshop at the Iowa Organic Conference
- “Enhancing Carbon Sequestration on Organic Farms” Webinar and Field Day
How This Research Contributes to Our Mission
This research develops and deploys the latest technology and knowledge to help farmers build and maintain healthy, productive soil and to protect farmers’ livelihoods and the environment, while increasing productivity.
Matching Funders
The Organic Center's mission is to convene credible, evidence-based science on the health and environmental impacts of organic food and farming and to communicate the findings to the public. The Center is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) research and education organization operating under the administrative auspices of the Organic Trade Association.
Connect: @OrganicCenter
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The Latest
Insights
Our Insights highlight unique perspectives from across the food and agriculture community.
See all Insights
Advancing Ecosystem Service Markets for Sustainable Farming
A Place for Everyone in Agriculture
Dr. LaKisha Odom & Jocelyn Hittle
Finding a New Way to Control Weeds in Cotton.
Sarah Chu
FFAR Fellow, Texas A&M University
The “Good Soil Discount” — A Game Changer for U.S. Agriculture
Harley Cross
Land Core Co-founder & Director of Strategy
Organic Ag Podcast Features Innovative Industry Topics
Kathleen Delate
Professor, Organic Agriculture Program, Iowa State University
Building Bridges Between Academics & Farmers
FFAR Fellow, Elizabeth Ellis
Manure – Waste or Resource?
Manny Sabbagh
University of Minnesota
Diversifying the Future of Venture Capital
The first cohort of the HBCU Kirchner Fellows are Bryana Pittman, Kwame Jackson and Martin Adu-Boahene who co-wrote this Insights piece to share the value of this fellowship and its potential impact.
Can Adding Carbon to the Soil Help us Manage Weeds?
Maria Gannett
2019-2022 FFAR Fellow
Taking Science Beyond the Bench: Critical Reflections for Change-Oriented Research
Krista Marshall
2019-2022 FFAR Fellow
Soil is Not Dirt
Aaron Prairie
2020-2023 FFAR Fellow
Fine-tuning photosynthesis
Dhruv Patel
2019-2022 FFAR Fellow
Can biochar help adapt agriculture to a hotter, dryer climate?
Shelby Hoglund
2018-2021 FFAR Fellow
Milkweeds: Medicine for Monarchs?
Annie Krueger
2018-2021 FFAR Fellow
The Time is RIPE for Agricultural Innovation
Sally Rockey, Ph.D.
Executive Director Emeritus
News
The latest news and updates from FFAR.
See all News
FFAR & FoodShot Global Announce GroundBreaker Prize Winners in Water Research
FFAR & The Organic Center Invest $632,000 into the Future of Organic Farming
FFAR Grant Reduces Nitrogen Inputs, Lower Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Grant Transforms Wastewater to Crop Fertilizer
GroundBreaker Prize to Fund Critical Water Research
FFAR Renews ESMC Partnership to Grow Ecosystem Services Market Program
Mitigating Farm Risk Through Improved Soil Health
FFAR & OCP North America Announce Fertilizer Fellowship Awardees & 2023 Opportunities
FFAR and The Organic Center Announce $2.4 Million in Funding for Organic Outreach and Research
RIPE research proves potential for measuring root biomass throughout growing season
Producers and Researchers Agree, Scale Up of a Sustainable Biochar Industry is Critical to Meet Climate Targets, and Build Agricultural Resilience and Soil Health
FFAR and FoodShot Global Announce GroundBreaker Prize Winners
Advancing DEI in Sharing Carbon & Ecosystems Services Information
FFAR Announces $1 Million for Organic Research to Tuskegee University
FFAR & The Organic Center Advance Organic Agriculture
RIPE Researchers Report Faster Screening of Photoprotection in Crops
RIPE Researchers Prove Bioengineering Better Photosynthesis Increases Yields in Food Crops for the First Time
RIPE Shows Potential for Improved Water-Use Efficiency in Field-Grown Plants
UC Davis Receives FFAR Grant to Help Improve Vineyard Soil Health
FFAR and OFRF Announce Six Organic Farming Research Project Awardees
Breakthroughs
Tools, technologies and strategies from the research we fund.
See all Breakthroughs
New Study Shows AI & Supercomputing Can Quantify Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Individual Farms
Breakthrough for FFAR Grant Quantifies Organic Carbon to Improve Agricultural Productivity
Building Collaborations for Technology-Driven Solutions in Agriculture
Breakthrough for Open Technology Ecosystem for Agricultural Management (OpenTEAM)
Documenting Adaptive Multi-Paddock Grazing’s Benefits
Breakthrough for Quantifying the Advantages of Multi-Paddock (AMP) Grazing in the U.S. Southeast & Northern Great Plains
RIPE Researchers Prove Bioengineering Better Photosynthesis Increases Yields in Food Crops for the First Time
Breakthrough for Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) Reinvestment