Organic Farming Resources
Contents
- Core Library for Organic Farmers
- Drift Protection
- Business Plan
- Beginning Farmers and Transition to Organic
- Certification
- Disease Management
- Farm Safety
- Farm Planning Track & Skills Assessments
- Food Safety
- Food Safety/Postharvest Handling Webinar
- Wholesale Success: Postharvest Handling, Food Safety, Marketing Training Videos
- Greenhouse
- Holistic Management
- Loans
- Marketing
- Marketing Success: Agriculture Expert, Atina Diffley, Encourages Local Growers to Differentiate Their Product
- Pest Management
- Post Harvest Handling
- Risk Management
- Rotation
- Soil And Fertility Management
- USDA Organic Resources
- Weed Management
- Conferences
- Farm Newsletters–Free Subscription
- General Organic Farming Resources
- Organic and Sustainable Farming Organizations
Core Library for Organic Farmers
“Best $78 you’ll ever spend–don’t farm without these 4 books.”- Building Soils For Better Crops, $20 | SARE
- Managing Cover Crops Profitably, $19 | SARE
- Manage Insects on Your Farm $15 | SARE
- Crop Rotation on Organic Farms $24 | SARE
Or free digital download from SARESustainable Agriculture Research and Education
Drift Protection
- Register with Driftwatch™ tool to help protect pesticide-sensitive crops and habitats.
- No Toxic Spray – Organic Farm Signs | MOSES
- Protecting Your Organic Land from Unwanted Chemical Sprays | MOSES Fact Sheet
Business Plan
- Building a Sustainable Business: A Guide to Developing a Business Plan for Farms and Rural Businesses | Download | MISA | Purchase | SARE
Beginning Farmers and Transition to Organic
- Farmer-to-Farmer Mentoring Program | MOSES
- Transition to Organic On-line Class | Rodale Institute
- Fundamentals of Organic Agriculture | Iowa State University
- Transitioning to Organic Production | SARE
- Farm Beginnings Program | Land Stewardship
- How To Go Organic | Organic Trade Association
Certification
Disease Management
- Organic Farmers and the Disease Triangle | U of M Extension
- Managing Disease by Managing Soils | U of M Extension
Farm Safety
- Agricultural Tailgate Training Safety Modules | Ohio State U
Farm Planning Track & Skills Assessments
- Farming Skills Self-Evaluation | Land Stewardship Project
- Growing Season Learning Plan | Land Stewardship Project
Food Safety
- GAP Educational Materials || Cornell University
- NCMarketReady || NC State University
- Write a Food Safety Plan On-line Question Tree || Familyfarmed.org || Example: Steve Warsh
awer’s Food Safety Plan written by using the FamilyFarmed.org on-line tool. - Write a Food Safety Plan Template and Record Keeping Logs || Michele Schermann, U of MN || Example: Loon Organics Food Safety Plan developed from this template.
- How to Build a Handwashing Station in 10 Easy Steps For Under $20 || Michele Schermann, U of MN
- Worker Training Video || Fruits, Vegetables, and Food Safety: Health and Hygiene on the Farm, (English, Spanish, Hmong, Creole) || Cornell University
- Plans to make a “Tippy-Tap” hand washing station || ECHO
- Build a “TIppy-Tap” || YouTube Video
Food Safety/Postharvest Handling Webinar
This 3.75 hour Food Safety/Postharvest Handling Webinar for produce farmers is a Farmilyfarmed.org Wholesale Success training by Atina Diffley with food safety support from Angela Shaw, University of IA, Food Microbiologist. Food safety is taught predominantly through practical post harvest handling systems and practices—how-to information, along with why and when, with the support of pictures and videos and experiences from real farms and farmers. Food safety considerations, current food safety requirements, cold chain, and good agricultural practices are integrated into the post harvest handling training. The attendees learn about the value of food safety self-assessments and writing a food safety plan, and are provided with information on tools and resources available to help them do so.
Wholesale Success: Postharvest Handling, Food Safety, Marketing Training Videos
Consultant Atina Diffley teaches how to pick and handle produce crops to keep them not only safe, but high quality, and how to keep records of performing these tasks and differentiate in the market. Recorded by Louisville Farm to Table. Click these links for a 4.5 hour training. To purchase the Familyfarmed.org Wholesale Success Manual visit Wholesale Success: A Farmer’s Guide to Selling, Post Harvest Handling, and Packing Produce.
- Part 1: http://cvp.telvue.com/player?id=T01343&video=144248
- Part 2: http://cvp.telvue.com/player?id=T01343&video=144295
- Part 3: http://cvp.telvue.com/player?id=T01343&video=144363
Greenhouse
- Vegetable Cultivator Descriptions for North America | NC University
- Organic Greenhouse Vegetable Production Horticulture Systems Guide | ATTRA
- Bare Root Transplants Outdoor Seedbed Production Manual | Atina Diffley, OFW
Holistic Management
- Whole Farm Planning with Holistic Management | University of Massachusetts
- Whole Farm Planning | Virgina Tech
- Whole-Farm Planning: Ecological Imperatives, Personal Values and Economics | Elizabeth Henderson, Karl North
Loans
Marketing
- Organic Price Report | Rodale Institute
- Cost Of Production | Enterprise Budgeting Tools | Iowa State
Marketing Success: Agriculture Expert, Atina Diffley, Encourages Local Growers to Differentiate Their Product
A Wholesale Success workshop in Leelanau County gave local food producers an opportunity to learn how to enhance their success in the marketplace. Wholesale Success program trainer Atina Diffley said it’s important for local growers to add value to their products and differentiate themselves from large producers.
Pest Management
- Biorationals: Ecological Pest Management Searchable Database | ATRRA
- Pest Management Publications | ATTRA
- Manage Insects on Your Farm | SARE
- Use of Cover Crops and Green Manures to Attract Beneficial Insects | U of Connecticut
- Biological Diversity: An Organic Farmer’s Guide | Wild Farm Alliance
- Farmscaping to Enhance Biological Control | ATRRA
Post Harvest Handling
- Small-Scale Post-Harvest Handling Practices: A Manual for Horticultural Crops | UC Davis
- Wholesale Success: A Farmer’s Guide to Selling, Post Harvest Handling, and Packing Produce. |FamilyFarmed.org
- Post Harvest Facts for Vegetables | UC Davis
- Links to a Comprehensive Collection of Post Harvest Handling Resources | UC Davis
- Cool and Ship: Low-Cost, Portable Forced-Air Cooler | NC Extension Service
- Pack and Cool: Portable Cooling | NC Extension Service
- Properties and Recommended Conditions for the Long Term Storage of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, by Dr. Marita Cantwell.
- Storage Information for Vegetables | Respiration Rate of Vegetables| Organic Farming Works LLC Workshop Handouts
- Production Guide For Storage Of Organic Fruits and Vegetables | Cornell University
- Post-Harvest Handling Decision Tool | Leopold Center
- Quality / Standards and Regulations | Purdue University
- Illustrated Guides to Grading Vegetables | Purdue University
- Fresh Market Vegetable Grade Standards | USDA
Risk Management
- Organic Risk Management | University of Minnesota
Rotation
Soil And Fertility Management
- Web Soil Survey: Free Soil Report | USDA
- Soil Biology Primer – Online | Purchase
- Soil Building Videos | U of M Extension
- Soil Management: National Organic Program Regulations – ATTRA
- Midwest Cover Crops Council
- Soil Health Card | New South Wales
- Building Soils For Better Crops |SARE
- Managing Cover Crops Profitably | SARE
- Caring for the Soil as a Living System | Mark Schonbeck | Virginia Association for Biological Farming
USDA Organic Resources
- Organic Literacy Initiative Materials (training and outreach materials)
Weed Management
- Design the Cropping System to Minimize Niches for Weed Growth | U of M Extension
- Video: Vegetable Farmers and their Weed-Control Machines | U of M Extension
- Weeds And Why They Grow, Jay L. McCaman
- Weed The Soil, Not The Crop: A whole-farm approach to the weed-free market garden. Nordell.
- Steel in the Field: A Farmer’s Guide to Weed Management Tools | SARE
Conferences
- The Organic Farming Conference | MOSES
- Minnesota Organic Conference | MN. Department of Agriculture
Farm Newsletters–Free Subscription
- Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Services | MOSES
- NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Project | ATTRA
- National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition | NSAC
- Organic Center
- Land Stewardship Project | LSP
General Organic Farming Resources
- Organic Farming Exchange | Michigan State University
- Organic Webinars | eOrganic
- Video Clips about Organic Farming | eOrganic
- Conference Workshop Recordings | Organic Voices
- Information Exchange | MISA
- Organic Gardening Manual
Organic and Sustainable Farming Organizations
- Rodale Institute
- Organic Seed Alliance | OSA
- National Organic Coalition | NOC
- Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture | MISA
- National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition | NSAC
- Land Stewardship Project | LSP
- NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Project | ATTRA
- The Organic Center
- The Organic Field School OFS
- Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Services |MOSES
- Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program | SARE
