Our mission...

• To sponsor research related to organic farming;
• To disseminate research results to organic farmers and to growers interested in adopting organic production systems; and
• To educate the public and decision-makers about organic farming issues.

OFRF’s integrated strategy of grantmaking, policy, education and networking initiatives supports organic farmers’ immediate information needs while moving the public and policymakers toward greater investment in organic farming systems.

Following is an overview of our program areas, and related links.

Grantmaking
Since 1992, OFRF’s grantmaking program has awarded more than $1.5 million for over 200 projects.Our grantmaking objective is to generate practical, science-based knowledge to support modern organic farming systems. OFRF-funded projects emphasize grower-researcher collaboration, studies conducted on-farm and/or in certified organic settings, and outreach of project results.

For deadline and application information visit: Applying for Grants.

For a list of OFRF-funded projects and available project reports, visit: OFRF-funded project reports.

Policy
OFRF’s policy program objectives are to ensure that the public and policymakers are well-informed about organic farming issues and to increase public institutional support for organic farming research and education funding.

• Secure a substantial increase in government support for organic agriculture;
• Ensure that land grant universities have an organic research and extension program and workplans developed with the participation of organic farmers;
• Cultivate state and federal policies that help to assure the economic viability of organic family farmers; and
• Support organic farmers’ rights to grow and sell their products without the threat of pesticide and GMO contamination.

To learn more visit our Policy Program pages.

OFRF encourages organic farmers to participate in the policy process by joining our Organic Farmers Action Network (OFAN). Members of OFAN will receive free policy updates and tools for communicating with representatives in Congress, to advocate for increased funding for organic research, technical assistance and marketing support, funding for organic conservation programs and maintenance and improvement of national organic standards.

Research
OFRF conducts original research about organic farming in the U.S. OFRF research projects include:

• Since 1992, OFRF has conducted four National Organic Farmers' Surveys, collecting information about organic farmers’ research and information needs, their experiences in the organic marketplace, effects of GMOs on organic production and markets, organic farmer demographics and much more.
• OFRF conducts regular inventories programs related to organic farming and land grant universities. Visit State of the States: Organic Farming Systems Research at Land Grant Institutions 2001-2003, for our latest report.
• In 1995 and 1996, OFRF conducted conducted a study to identify and catalogue federally supported agricultural research pertaining specifically to the understanding and improvement of organic farming. This led to publication, in 1997, of Searching for the ‘O-Word’: Analyzing the USDA Current Research Information System for Pertinence to Organic Farming, OFRF's seminal work identifying the need for federal support for organic programs.

Education
OFRF seeks to share new insights into organic farming systems with all farmers who use or want to adopt organic practices. The results of research projects funded by OFRF generate information useful to farmers who are working to develop and improve integrated, systems-level organic management practices. Every OFRF-funded project is required to have an outreach component that disseminates the results to the grower and research communities. These often include field days, farm tours, grower conference presentations and publication in grower newsletters.

The results of OFRF-funded projects are published in our newsletter, the Information Bulletin, available free-of charge both online and by regular mail.

OFRF also manages OrganicAgInfo.org, an on-line information source for research and information on organic production and marketing.

If you'd like to receive OFRF's free newsletters by email or by regular mail, please sign in through our subscriptions page.

Media
OFRF regularly serves as a media resource for topics related to organic farming research, farm policy, and the organic industry. We also track important organic media stories. Visit our pressroom for more on OFRF- and organic-related media.

Networking
OFRF is coordinating efforts to develop a national research agenda and a farmer-scientist network for pursuit of multi-disciplinary research & extension on working organic farms. The Scientific Congress on Organic Agricultural Research (SCOAR) has conducted a series of national and regional meetings with farmers and scientists to discuss and design a plan for basic, applied and developmental organic research.

OFRF also takes part in other networking in support of organic and sustainable farming. Examples include the Sustainable Agriculture Working Group and the Organic Agriculture Consortium.

Support
OFRF is supported by your donations from individuals and by grants from family foundations. We hope that you will choose to support OFRF’s work to meet the information and policy needs of organic family farmers -- the foundation of a healthier agriculture for the future. Please make a gift to the Organic Farming Research Foundation today.