Organic transition training returns to Wyoming  

Stipends available for beginning farmers and ranchers to attend 

Beginning farmers and ranchers from around the Northern Great Plains can make the trip to Powell, Wyo., in June to learn about regenerative, certified organic production systems for livestock, grains, oilseeds, pulses and specialty crops.

The National Center for Appropriate Technology or NCAT, along with nationally recognized organic leaders, will offer an Organic Academy Road Show training at Northwest College in Powell, June 13-14.

The OARS sessions are part of the three-year federal Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, Preparing a Resilient Future, in which NCAT partners with the Montana Organic Association, Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society, Center for Rural Affairs, the Intertribal Agriculture Council, Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society, International Organic Inspectors Association, North Dakota State University and University of Wyoming.

“This series of educational opportunities is not just another farming training,” said Doug Crabtree of Vilicus Farms near Havre, Mont. Crabtree, who runs Vilicus Farms with his wife, Anna Jones-Crabtree, was one of the presenters at previous OARS sessions.

“It is about leveraging training to further build the network of beginning organic producers who are farming and ranching at a scale that will have a tremendous impact on land stewardship across the Northern Great Plains,” Crabtree said.

CROPS AND LIVESTOCK

The project targets medium to large-scale field crop and livestock operations, unlike most programs focused on beginning farmers and ranchers. This project was selected in a national competition under the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, which is funded through the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

“(OARS training) was dynamic beyond words, in my opinion. And realistic,” said Matthew Romsa, whose multi-generational Romsa Ranch in Albin, Wyo., began as a homestead in 1906. Romsa attended a previous OARS session in Wyoming. “(It was) the most beneficial organic conference of any sort that I have ever attended.”

There is no registration fee for the training, but registration is required. Thirty stipends for beginning farmers and ranchers are available for up to $200 each to defray the costs of attending. 

Online registration and more information are available at bit.ly/organic-academy-powell.

The OARS training will host intensive training sessions and one-on-one technical assistance for beginning farmers and ranchers.

Topics will include developing an organic system plan; the economics and markets for organic products; considerations when transitioning an operation; and working with an organic consultant. There will be time for questions and crowdsourcing ideas with experienced organic farmers and ranchers. Participants also will tour GF Harvest in Powell, which produces gluten free oats products, for a first-hand look at a certified organic processing facility.