Organic certification requires producers to maintain detailed records from seed to sale. While these records are essential for certification and inspections, they are equally valuable tools for any farm, providing important insights into a farming operation and helping fine tune farm businesses. This workshop introduces farmers to practical recordkeeping strategies that work for both certified and noncertified operations.

This factsheet, produced by ATTRA NCAT, outlines selling to agricultural aggregators and grower marketing cooperatives — businesses that consolidate and distribute products from multiple farms to local and regional markets. It outlines advantages including retained farm identity, technical support, and reduced marketing costs, alongside key considerations such as volume expectations, food safety requirements, packing standards, and cooperative participation commitments.

This workshop highlights two Western SARE research projects aimed at enhancing sustainable agriculture in California. Jesse Trace of Traceland Ranch (Cayucos, CA) will discuss his work on implementing rehydration/restoration practices to increase water infiltration and crop production, and Alex Palmerlee of Far View Ranch (Bangor, CA) will talk about how grazing management can aid in natural oak recruitment as a landscape-scale solution.

This guidebook, produced by ATTRA NCAT, provides an overview of direct marketing strategies for farm operations. It covers farmers markets, CSAs, farm-to-school and institution sales, agritourism, restaurants, food hubs, and cooperatives, while addressing marketing plan development, pricing strategies, branding, liability insurance, food safety considerations, and online promotional tools.

Cover cropping is an excellent soil health practice that improves water infiltration, builds organic matter and soil structure and provides nutrients to crops. Join the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) to learn about the best practices for planting a cover crop, and how to optimize the use of planting equipment in your management system to grow successful cover crops.

Many different market channels exist for your organic product, but not all channels will align with your goals, values, product line, and personality. This tool will help you select the perfect channel for your business, with an emphasis on finding the right avenue for your end consumers.

Join the Midwest Organic Center team for a comprehensive overview of using cover crops in a row crop system. This webinar will cover some benefits and challenges of using cover crops and dive into some basics like planting, termination, and equipment. We will also discuss selecting species for a diverse mixture, livestock grazing, and share relevant data from the MOC’s Diverse Systems Trial.

This guide, produced by the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), helps certified organic and transitioning produce farmers understand wholesale pricing. It covers four pricing strategies, tools for estimating market prices, how prices are determined across wholesale relationships, and best practices for communicating prices to buyers — accompanied by a Competitor Price Comparison Spreadsheet and tutorial videos.

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 publication outlines direct marketing channels and strategies for organic producers. It covers CSAs, farmers markets, u-pick operations, farm stands, restaurant sales, farm-to-school and institution programs, agritourism, and online marketing — providing an overview of each channel's advantages, startup considerations, and resources to help farmers develop effective single or multi-channel marketing strategies.

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.

This publication provides an introduction to farm direct marketing and explains how organic farmers can sell directly to customers at near-retail prices. It covers advantages including price control and immediate payment, challenges such as increased risk and added business responsibilities, and guidance on niche marketing — identifying products that meet specific consumer needs and differentiate the farm in the marketplace.