Land Grant Colleges Failing Organic Farmers

News Release
Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF)
March 1, 2001

CONTACTS:
Bob Scowcroft / Jane Sooby
831-426-6606
Woody Deryckx
541-891-1048

(Santa Cruz, CA) The nation's land grant agricultural research institutions are largely failing organic farmers, according to a report published today by the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF). The report, State of the States: Organic Farming Systems Research at Land Grant Institutions 2000-2001, was compiled by OFRF's Technical Program Coordinator, Jane Sooby. State of the States spotlights pioneering organic research programs in North Carolina, Ohio, Iowa, West Virginia and Minnesota but also reveals an overwhelming lack of investment in organic systems research by our public agricultural institutions.

State of the States is primarily meant to help farmers and scientists find and connect with organic systems researchers working in their state or area of interest. It represents the first comprehensive listing of organic research projects underway at the nation's 67 land grant schools, which are charged with supporting agriculture through research, education and extension. Contact information is provided with each project listing so readers can immediately connect with people doing work of interest to them.

"It's a slim volume," said Sooby, "but we hope that future editions will be larger as the land grants' commitment to organic farming research grows." The report identifies only five states with certified organic research acreage and seven others with research land in transition to organic certification. OFRF plans to publish annual updates of State of the States as a barometer of public investment in the future of organic agriculture.

In summarizing her findings, Sooby discovered that of the 885,863 available research acres in the land grant system, only 0.02%, or 151 acres, is devoted to certified organic research. "This is a shocking statistic. Organic farmers deserve a fair share of the nation's agricultural research dollar, and they clearly are not getting it," stated OFRF president and full-time organic farmer Woody Deryckx. "Organic farming is the fastest growing sector of the agricultural economy. The USDA and the land grants should be investing strategically in research to support its continued development."

"The land grant system's institutionalized focus on chemical inputs and genetically modified organisms has marginalized, if not outright excluded, many other areas of inquiry, most specifically organic production," said OFRF's Executive Director Bob Scowcroft. "It's past time for every land grant institution to include the needs of organic farmers in their research priorities. We expect them to devote more funding and acreage to organic research, and OFRF will continue to monitor and report on their progress with future editions of State of the States."

The 68-page report, State of the States: Organic Farming Systems Research at Land Grant Institutions 2000-2001, is available free of charge from the Organic Farming Research Foundation, PO Box 440, Santa Cruz, CA 95061. A $5 donation is requested to cover the expense of postage and handling. The full report is also available on OFRF's web site, www.ofrf.org.

Attention Editors:

Information on organic research being conducted in your state can be downloaded from our website. Alternatively, OFRF staff can email or fax any portion of the data specific to your readership.

The Organic Farming Research Foundation's purpose is to foster the improvement and widespread adoption of organic farming practices. To that end, our mission is: 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.

** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed for research and educational purposes only. **