{"id":82361,"date":"2025-08-28T10:17:44","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T14:17:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mofga.org\/?post_type=stories&p=82361"},"modified":"2025-08-28T10:18:42","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T14:18:42","slug":"support-for-organic-farmers","status":"publish","type":"stories","link":"https:\/\/www.mofga.org\/stories\/community\/support-for-organic-farmers\/","title":{"rendered":"Partnership Provides Support for New Organic Farmers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Tim King

In 2024, 82% of American households purchased organic produce, according to an impact report issued by the Transition to Organic Partnership Program last year. The report states that the percentage will continue to increase and that demand has \u201cconsistently outpaced domestic production capacity\u201d for organic. TOPP was founded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s National Organic Program to address this domestic production shortfall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Organic Trade Association had estimated that the United States would bring in approximately $8.9 billion of organic imports that same year. The idea behind TOPP, which USDA funded with $100 million at the program\u2019s inception in 2022, was that much of that $8.9 billion in imports could be grown domestically. According to the 2024 impact report, TOPP was already making a difference across the country.

\u201cTOPP has helped over 3,800 operations get their organic certification totaling over 260,000 acres,\u201d Wren Frueh, the mentorship coordinator for the Northeast\/Mid-Atlantic region, wrote upon the release of the report.

TOPP credits the program\u2019s success through 2024 to the fact that it has delivered thousands of hours of relevant technical assistance to farmers transitioning to organic and organized nearly 1,500 events, such as field days, for transitioning farmers and other agricultural professionals. Experienced farmers also played an important role in the success of the program.

\u201cAt its core, TOPP connects new-to-organic producers with experienced mentors who provide practical guidance based on their real-world experience,\u201d the report states.

The report relayed that 230 experienced organic farmer-mentors were working with 320 transitioning farmer-mentees across the country at the time of its publication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Maine, Ben Whatley of Whatley Farm was one of those farmer-mentors. \u201cI value the mentorship that I have received in my life and wish I had made better use of the opportunities available to me as a beginning farmer,\u201d says Whatley, a farmer who produces MOFGA-certified vegetables and seedlings in Topsham. \u201cSo, I wanted to be able to provide that to someone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Michael
Michael Levine, of Avalon Acres in Hollis, Maine, wanted his farm to be certified organic but found the application process intimidating. He was paired with an organic farmer-mentor through the USDA\u2019s Transition to Organic Partnership Program and, with his mentor\u2019s help, successfully completed the certification application in July of 2024. Courtesy of Avalon Acres<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Whatley, who started farming in 2012, mentored Michael Levine, who farms with Mary Katherine Spain as Avalon Acres in Hollis, Maine. Levine, who started farming in 2022, was connected to Whatley by Meg Mitchell, MOFGA\u2019s climate smart and organic transition specialist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think she did a great job making that connection,\u201d says Whatley. He adds that one of his objectives as a mentor was to plug his mentee into a network of organic resources in Maine. \u201cI wanted to be an ask-me-anything resource and a one-stop shop for my mentee to figure out where to find what they need to know, or who to ask to find out,\u201d says Whatley. \u201cI also wanted to give my mentee the confidence to continue their farming journey and feel like they are a part of the community of growers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To meet those objectives, Whatley participated in some online trainings organized by TOPP, and he and Levine visited each other\u2019s farms on several occasions so that Levine could see how Whatley was doing things and ask him questions about what he saw. Whatley connected Levine with resources provided by the University of Maine, MOFGA, and other organizations when Levine needed answers and solutions that were outside his expertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is just so much you don’t know when you start out, including where to source your supplies and materials, how to set up your beds, fences, or irrigation systems,\u201d says Whatley. \u201cIt is really gratifying to be able to pass on some of the things that you know. That\u2019s true even when those things seem incredibly mundane and you don’t really think that anybody would care to know them; all that knowledge is vital to beginning farmers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of those seemingly mundane things experienced organic farmers take for granted, but that can pose a significant challenge for transitioning farmers, is the certification application itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBen walked me through the application for certification over the phone,\u201d says Levine. \u201cWithout his help, I would not have known how to answer many of the questions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Levine says he came to TOPP via MOFGA\u2019s Farm Beginnings class and by being a longtime attendee of the Common Ground Country Fair. At the Fair, he picked up information about certification but found it \u201csomewhat intimidating.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe knew the benefits of eating organic produce,\u201d he says. \u201cThe reason we became a TOPP mentee was to demystify the process and make it more achievable for us to consider getting certified. Our customers kept asking if we were certified, so we knew it was the way to go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Levine was enrolled in MOFGA\u2019s Farm Beginnings class he expressed his sense of being overwhelmed by the certification process to the instructors. His experience made him a prime candidate for TOPP, and he was connected to the program through MOFGA, which is a TOPP regional partner and Maine’s point organization for the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTOPP sent me some questions to answer after one of our classes about certification and then suggested I contact Ben Whatley of Whatley Farms in the spring of 2024,\u201d says Levine. \u201cI connected with him right away, so I knew it was a good fit. I visited his farm soon after the program began, and he came down to Avalon in the late summer of 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During 2024, Whatley consulted with Levine on myriad farm issues, large and small. They discussed the best broadfork to use for working beds as well as drip irrigation and produce cooling. Levine got ideas from Whatley about the right electric fencing, and Whatley pointed him to a better scale to use at farmers\u2019 markets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBen gave me the confidence to believe in myself as a beginning farmer by always being available to answer my questions,\u201d says Levine. \u201cWith his help, I completed the certification paperwork in July of 2024, and we are now a certified organic farm. Although the mentorship has officially ended, he continues to provide advice and assistance to me as I implement many of the improvements he recommended.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another farmer, Reid Calhoun, had a similar experience. His mentor, Johanna Davis, who previously operated Songbird Farm and now works as a manager at Villageside Farm in Freedom, has continued to help him beyond the designated TOPP mentorship period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calhoun worked on certified organic farms for a number of years before starting his own farm last year on rented land on Mt. Desert Island. He has since purchased farmland. Calhoun says he was particularly interested in organic certification because he wants his farm sales to be focused on the wholesale market. Like Levine, Calhoun was worried about the certification process and Davis helped him work through those concerns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was anxious about the certification process as I didn’t want to feel scrutinized throughout the process,\u201d says Calhoun. \u201cJohanna helped me to understand that I had nothing to worry about. She pointed out that I know that I use organic practices, so I don’t have much to be concerned about. Also, I keep fairly good data and Johanna encouraged me to feel open to communicating with the inspector about anything going on on the farm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Davis told Calhoun that organic inspectors could be teachers. They wanted him to succeed in becoming certified and that he should feel free to discuss concerns such as buffer areas or to ask questions about amendments or other materials he may want to use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJohanna was great at listening and offering calm suggestions when I was concerned about staying on top of everything from weeds, fertilizers, marketing, record-keeping, and even planning for future seasons,\u201d says Calhoun. \u201cMost importantly, she and the TOPP program helped me to feel more confident as a farmer and helped to induct me into the wonderful community of organic farmers in Maine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calhoun and Davis toured each other\u2019s farms during the 2024 growing season, and they exchanged numerous phone calls and emails. The two continue to communicate and have discussed exchanging farm visits during the 2025 growing season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Davis began her mentorship journey by filling out a TOPP mentor application online. She easily met the criteria for becoming a mentor which, according to MOFGA\u2019s website, include \u201chaving at least three years of organic production experience; being a certified organic producer in good standing (or three years of experience with organic certification); and being able to commit to 45 hours per year working with a mentee farmer.\u201d

She says she wanted to become a mentor as a way to acknowledge all the support that she\u2019s received as a farmer over the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’ve been farming for over 15 years. In that time, I\u2019ve had a lot of great mentors and learned so much from them,\u201d says Davis. \u201cAt this point I hope I have something I can offer to folks who have been farming for less time and I thought an official mentorship could be a good way to give back to that community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once MOFGA had accepted her application, Davis, like other mentors, received some basic TOPP training. That included watching a series of videos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe videos are helpful in laying out the expectations of the program and they give some insight on helpful ways to show up as a mentor,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once she had completed the training and paperwork, MOFGA staff connected her with Calhoun. Their communications approach, and mentor-mentee relationship, unfolded very much like that of Whatley and Levine. So did Davis\u2019 overall objectives, which she describes as showing up as a listener. Additionally, Davis saw her mentorship as responding to an element that is not often discussed but is experienced by many farmers. \u201cFarming can be really isolating and lonely, especially if you’re doing it on your own as my mentee was, and is,\u201d says Davis. \u201cThere are so many puzzles to work out and questions that rise all the time. So, trying just to be there is important. I worked to check in on a regular basis and listen to what things were going on at his farm. Then I offered any advice and some views from experience, if that was wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Davis says that commiserating with Calhoun when things were hard and celebrating his successes when they happened was important. It was a process that she found was enjoyable and that, time permitting, she\u2019d be happy to do again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was fun to get to know the nuts and bolts of another person\u2019s farm,\u201d she says. \u201cI enjoyed getting to dive into business details like crop and marketing plans, soil health, and labor. I\u2019ve gotten pretty jaded at points in my farming career for different reasons so it was refreshing to hear someone else’s excitement and motivation to create a farm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Davis and Calhoun\u2019s mentor-mentee partnership, along with Whatley and Levine\u2019s, are two of 29 partnerships that MOFGA has facilitated since TOPP began. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMentorship is not new to any of the farmers involved in this program but, by formalizing a relationship through TOPP, mentors are able to receive compensation for their guidance, wisdom, experience, and dedication to their craft,\u201d says Mitchell, MOFGA\u2019s climate smart and organic transition specialist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The program, which Mitchell says is funded through September 2026, helps to form mutually beneficial bonds between mentor and mentee that have the potential to last for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to organizing mentorship pairings, as a TOPP regional partner, MOFGA facilitates or attends about 40 training events per year to promote TOPP and organic practices. For example, MOFGA sponsors a quarterly meeting of no-till growers that get together to exchange growing knowledge and new no-till practices. The third component of TOPP is the organic production technical assistance that MOFGA\u2019s farmer programs staff provides to 35 to 40 farms annually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tim King is a produce and sheep farmer, a journalist, and cofounder of a bilingual community newspaper. He lives near Long Prairie, Minnesota.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article was originally published in the fall 2025 issue of\u00a0The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":82362,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"inline_featured_image":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"categories":[250],"tags":[564],"class_list":["post-82361","stories","type-stories","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-mcs"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPartnership Provides Support for New Organic Farmers - 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