Transitioning more farms to organic practices is a goal of the United States Department of Agriculture, and since late 2022 the USDA has been working with regional partners to develop the Transition to Organic Partnership Program.
TOPP is part of USDA’s food system transformation effort to support local and regional food systems, expand access to markets to more producers and increase the affordable food supply for more Americans, while promoting climate-smart agriculture and ensuring equity for all producers.
Alongside TOPP, USDA has also created the Organic Certification Cost Share Program to assist producers financially. Certified operations may receive up to 75% of their certification costs reimbursed after completing the certification process. The deadline to apply for this funding is October 31, 2024.
There are about 60 certified organic farms in King County, more than twice as many when compared to a dozen years ago, and many producers utilize organic practices without going through the certification process due to the financial and time costs.
TOPP works by matching USDA resources with local farmer support organizations to provide region-specific assistance for farmers interested in obtaining organic certification. In Washington, these local partners include the Washington State Department of Agriculture, PCC Community Markets, Viva Farms and Tilth Alliance.
“Growing food using organic practices delivers multiple tangible and intangible benefits beyond those attributable to conventional agriculture,” said Melissa Spear, Executive Director of Tilth Alliance.
Organic agriculture relies primarily on biological and ecological processes and biodiversity, rather than the use of synthetic inputs with adverse effects, to control pests and enhance soil fertility. Farmers who comply with USDA organic standards must develop and follow organic system plans that sustain the health of soils, ecosystems, and people.
Organic agriculture is also good for the climate. Adopting organic practices has been shown to sequester more carbon, produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce water consumption when compared to conventional agriculture.
“In short, food production in compliance with an organic system plan is good both for the planet and for people,” Spear said.
Tilth Alliance, an organic farmer support organization that has been active in the region for half a century and an active participant in TOPP since its beginning in 2023, is expanding outreach and programming.
TOPP works through four prongs: mentorship, technical assistance, community building, and workforce development. Tilth Alliance is expanding or creating new programming in all these areas.
“In 2024 TOPP is funding four farm walks in Washington focused on organic practices. Tilth Alliance partners with WSU to produce farm walks that bring farmers together for on-farm learning. All farm walks are free to attend,” says Spear. “TOPP funding will also support two episodes of our podcast, Farmwalks, focused on information relevant to farmers transitioning to organic.”
24 episodes of the Farmwalks podcast have been produced to date, and they have been downloaded over 15,000 times. All episodes are available for free on the Farmwalks website.
Additionally, TOPP funding is being used to develop organic production workshop tracks at the 2024 Tilth Conference in November. These workshops are targeted specifically to farmers transitioning to organic production and will be paired with “Organic Office Hours” at the conference, where WSDA Organic Program staff will be available to meet with and address any questions or needs of farmers.
However, Organic Office Hours are not limited solely to the conference. Virtual Organic Office Hours are hosted weekly by Oregon Tilth and open to any Pacific Northwest farmers.
Oregon Tilth also coordinates a Pacific Northwest mentorship program. Existing organic producers can apply to be mentors for producers in the process of transitioning to organic. The mentorship program is free to participate, and mentors are compensated for their time.
Tilth Alliance is also creating new programming with TOPP funding.
“One new program that we are especially excited about is the development of an on-line community of practice for transitioning and organic farmers,” said Spear. “The Organic Forum would create an on-line community where transitioning and existing organic farmers can network, share learnings, connect with experts and access key resources and information. We will be seeking input from the organic community on the design and implementation of this resource over the coming months.”
Organic agriculture in King County is expanding, and transitioning to certified organic production can be a daunting process, but Tilth Alliance, Oregon Tilth, and all other partners in the TOPP program are here to help.
To register for future Tilth Alliance farm walks, visit farmwalks.org/farm-walk-registration.
To listen to Farmwalk podcast episodes, visit farmwalks.org/podcast.
To learn more or register for this year’s Tilth Conference, visit tilthalliance.org.
To learn more about Oregon Tilth’s TOPP services, visit tilth.org/education/transition.
To learn more about the organic mentorship program, visit organictransition.org/mentorship-program.
To access more Washington organic certification resources and information, visit agr.wa.gov/organic.