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Increasingly, food safety certifications and plans are required to sell fresh fruits and vegetables, and the costs in time, labor, capital upgrades, and certifications are significant. While the USDA currently offersfinancial assistance for small growers (with less than $250,000 in annual sales), the Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) has a survey out to determine what barriers keep fruit and vegetable farms and packers from beginning or…

The CCOF Foundation’sOrganic Transition Program(OTP) supports producers transitioning their land into organic production. Producers receive direct financial support of $10,000 for three consecutive years, as well as technical…

We know that labor is often the biggest expense on the farm. We are looking to better understand what issues producers are facing with labor. We are offering a$25 stipendto organic producers who participate in our survey. The online survey should takeno more than 30 minutesto complete and can be found athttps://forms.office.com/r/fV3jYLMaK5.

Please contact Jessica Gonzalez atjgonzalez@ccof.orgif you have any questions or concerns.…

Have you considered adding a value-added component to your farm, such as starting an organic seed business or processing a crop you grow into a snack food?

USDA’s Rural Development Program offers support for farmers and ranchers to develop such enterprises. The Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) can be used for planning activities or for working capital expenses related to producing and marketing a value-added agricultural product. Examples of planning activities include conducting feasibility studies and developing business plans for processing and marketing the proposed value-…