Reaching Midwest Organic Growers through On-farm Partnerships

Abstract

Based on citizen demand, Iowa State Univ. (ISU) established the first organic specialist faculty position at a U.S. Land Grant Univ. in 1997, as a shared appointment in the departments of horticulture and agronomy, with a 70% Extension and 30% Research split. A series of Organic Agriculture Focus Groups was convened in 1998 to help direct the new organic research and Extension program at ISU. Partnerships with the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture and the College of Agriculture facilitated the ISU sustainable agriculture Extension leader and organic specialist's participation in an extensive focus group dialogue with a diverse group of farmers (organic and conventional), agribusiness professionals, bankers and consumers in six agricultural communities across Iowa. Paramount in the needs assessment was the establishment of organic research sites, both on-farm and at research stations across the state, to demonstrate the economic and environmental benefits associated with organic farming practices over the long term. Specific outcomes-based Extension needs were articulated, which led to the development of an annual schedule of organic workshops, field days and conferences. In 2001, in a survey of 300 farmers, 90% of respondents reported an increase in soil quality and 67% reported a 6 to 30% increase in farm income as a result of organic farming practices. The success of Land Grant Univ. organic programs will be dependent upon administrative support, sufficient resources, and community involvement in the decision-making process.