This guide helps organic farmers evaluate, negotiate, and manage marketing contracts. It covers contract law basics, a Quick Organic Contract Checklist, how federal organic regulations interact with contracts, over 100 types of contract provisions, and dispute resolution — providing certified organic operations with independent legal guidance for crop, dairy, livestock, and other organic product contracts.

Managing soil fertility doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. In this workshop from the 38th Annual California Small Farm Conference, we demonstrate a suite of free, easy-to-use online tools that any farmer can use to improve nutrient use efficiency, reduce costs, minimize nutrient loss to the environment, and support soil health management practices.

This guidebook introduces producer marketing cooperatives as a vehicle for small-scale farmers to collectively improve market access, pricing, and business stability. It covers cooperative functions, member responsibilities, alternatives to cooperatives, and includes a marketing planning supplement addressing ideal client profiles, messaging frameworks, and website essentials to help cooperatives achieve revenue growth.

Join Mark Schonbeck and Diana Jerkins for Part 4 of the “Soil Health and Organic Farming” webinar series by the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) and eOrganic. Learn about selecting the best cover crops, mixes, and management methods for soil health, including crop rotations and cropping system biodiversity.

From USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service, this resource page compiles guides and programs supporting farmer cooperatives. It links to publications covering cooperative basics, member roles, startup processes, feasibility studies, and federal statutes. It also highlights USDA programs available to cooperative businesses and their members.

Join Mark Schonbeck and Diana Jerkins for Part 5 of the “Soil Health and Organic Farming” webinar series by the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) and eOrganic. Learn about plant breeding and variety selection for performance in sustainable organic systems, including nutrient and moisture use efficiency, competitiveness toward weeds, and enhanced interactions with beneficial soil biota.

This SARE publication provides guidance to farmers considering expanding their operations and branching out into wholesale markets. Topics include business planning, working with wholesale buyers, and areas of production that range from increasing yield and produce quality, to harvest and postharvest handling, food safety and more.

Join Mark Schonbeck and Diana Jerkins for Part 6 of the “Soil Health and Organic Farming” webinar series by the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) and eOrganic. Learn about the role of soil health and organic soil management in water conservation and water quality.

From the University of Wisconsin, this factsheet introduces cooperative food enterprises as vehicles for supporting small-scale producers and expanding local food access. It describes three cooperative types — producer, consumer, and multi-stakeholder — with Wisconsin case study examples, outlines basic startup steps, and points to cooperative development resources through UW Extension and regional organizations.

Join Mark Schonbeck and Diana Jerkins for Part 7 of the “Soil Health and Organic Farming” webinar series by the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) and eOrganic. Learn about the role of soil health and the soil food web, including guidelines for optimizing crop nutrition, minimizing adverse environmental impacts of organic fertility inputs, and adapting soil test-based nutrient recommendations for organic systems.

This USDA report examines food hubs as intermediaries connecting local farmers to wholesale, retail, and institutional markets. It covers food hub definitions, business structures (nonprofit, cooperative, for-profit, and virtual), key functions like aggregation and distribution, constraints such as capitalization and liability, the regulatory environment, funding sources, and a roadmap for successful food hub development.

Join Mark Schonbeck and Diana Jerkins for Part 8 of the “Soil Health and Organic Farming” webinar series by the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) and eOrganic. Learn about the capacity of organic systems to sequester soil carbon, minimize nitrous oxide and methane emissions during crop and livestock production, and enhance agricultural resilience to weather extremes.