OTA and Rodale Institute join USDA’s Transition to Organic Program

In the last 10 years, organic sales in the U.S. have more than doubled as shoppers clamor for more organic foods and products than ever before. Meanwhile, on the production side, growth of organic farming acreage in the U.S. is slowing.

“Consumer demand for organic products has been growing rapidly in the United States, but domestic production and handling capacity have not kept pace,” Rodale Institute CEO Jeff Tkach said in a news release.

Underlining this slowing growth trend, the most recent results from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service's Organic Survey revealed that while total sales of organic products increased 13% from 2019 to 2021 — $1.28 billion in sales — there was only a 5% increase in certified organic farms — 17,445 certified organic farms — during the same period.

While a strong and even growing demand persists for organic foods, for many farmers the barriers to shifting from conventional farming to organic remain prohibitively high.

Transitioning from conventional to certified organic production takes much more than expertise and farming know-how; investments into new growing methods and preparing for certification compliance requires time, new materials, education and additional funds.  

Promoting the organic transition from every angle  

To help stem the widening gap between domestic demand and production, last fall the USDA made the largest single investment in assistance to organic farmers (existing, transitioning and aspiring) through the roll out of its Organic Transition Initiative.

The $300 million investment was born out of the hope that growth of organic production in the U.S. would quicken to meet the increasing demand for organic products.

“Farmers face challenging technical, cultural, and market shifts while transitioning to organic production, and even during the first years after successful organic certification,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement last fall. “Through this multi-phased, multi-agency initiative, we are expanding USDA’s support of organic farmers to help them with every step of their transition as they work to become certified and secure markets for their products.”

Related news: Transitioning to organic production? Here's how the USDA can help

In the first half of 2023, the USDA’s Organic Transition Initiative has launched a handful of projects to create opportunities for new and beginning farmers, to promote an increase in organic acreage and production, ultimately expanding consumer access to organic foods. Today, the agricultural agency is working with interagency and nonprofit partners to:

• Provide technical assistance.

• Facilitate farmer-to-farmer mentoring.

• Providing conservation financial assistance.

• Offering additional crop insurance assistance.

• Support marketing development.

Many of these ambitious goals are being met through the USDA’s Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP), a series of projects where regional- and national-level nonprofits work together with government agencies to provide farmer training and education.

The OTA and Rodale join the transition initiative

The latest partner to dig in to supporting organic markets and production through TOPP is the member-based nonprofit Organic Trade Association. The trade association has been selected to act as a key partner in TOPP along with longtime organic research nonprofit, the Rodale Institute.

As a national project lead, the OTA will drive activities throughout the country that support market development for organic products, facilitate the matching of organic producers and suppliers, as well as educate handlers on strategies to deal with organic products, according to a news release. 

“Supporting market development and access for transitioning and organic producers and handlers is vital for the long-term success of USDA's Organic Transition Initiative,” Tom Chapman, CEO of the trade association, said in the release. “By leveraging our experience and in-depth knowledge of organic, industry network, and collaborative approach, we know we can contribute to the success of the USDA TOPP initiative, and having Rodale as our core partner ensures even greater outcomes for the program.”

What’s more, through the partnership with the USDA and OTA, the Rodale Institute will have an opportunity to teach producers how to successfully adopt certified organic handling and processing practices, Rodale CEO Tkach said in the release.

“The [Rodale] Institute’s innovative organic consulting division will also provide on-the-ground training and market development assistance to producers across the nation. If one thing is clear, it’s that this critical and in-demand partnership will lead to better outcomes for both producers and consumers of organic agriculture in the United States,” Tkach said.

According to a news release, key OTA and Rodale Institute initiates include:

• Providing technical assistance and workshops on market trends, marketing and business strategies and other relevant topics.
• Connecting organic producers with buyers, which includes coordinating in-person buyer/seller events and buyer tours.
• Host a handler transition training program, which will teach how to effectively manage organic products and evaluate handling concerns as labeling, contamination prevention, storage and fraud prevention plans.
   

National-level TOPP partners supplement and support regional initiatives as well as coordinate nationally focused projects and services. Farmers and organic advocates can review TOPP’s resources and regional partners on the USDA’s website.