By Lydia Hsu
Lydia Hsu is a Farmer Services Coordinator at Georgia Organics.
On a sunny day in early December 2023, Georgia Organics hosted the second of a series of Organic Growers Farmer Field Days. These educational workshops are part of the Farmer Services GO Organic! program to provide a portfolio of services geared specifically towards transitioning and Certified Organic farmers.
The workshop on Dec. 5, 2023, “Building Cooperative Organic System Models,” took place at Global Growers' Rockdale farm, a 23-acre Certified Organic farm that operates a cooperative system of co-farming for growers launching and expanding their farm business. These growers share infrastructure, equipment, and knowledge with each other, thus reducing land and startup capital expenses. Global Growers provides opportunities for growers facing barriers to quality land access and resources, while prioritizing services for New American and low-wealth growers.
Global Growers Network farm and farmers. Photos courtesy of Global Growers.
ORGANIC GROWERS FARMER FIELD DAY
The workshop started off with an in-depth farm tour, led by Todd Eittreim, Global Growers’ Farm Operations Manager. Since April 2021, when Global Growers acquired the Rockdale farm, their main focus has been on building soil fertility and cover cropping. The property had formerly been a horse farm, and that was evident at various stops on the tour. The farm yard, where the main tools and equipment are stored, used to be an outdoor horse arena; the former horse barn has been renovated into a state-of-the-art wash/pack facility; and horse stalls have been converted into storage space, with the future potential to become a farmer library, recordkeeping area, or common space for farmers to decompress. While the farm isn’t Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certified, they keep record logs of all their food-safety practices, another advantage they’ll have if they want to become GAP-certified in the future.
Attendees toured the renovated horse barn that is now the shared wash/pack facility and storage space. Photos by Lydia Hsu and Lauren Cox.
One of Global Growers’ key pillars is providing space for farmers to learn, make mistakes, and continue learning. That is why they have specific “training fields” that are not Certified Organic. Growers that come onto the property and need a transition period to learn about Certified Organic rules and practices are able to make mistakes that won’t impact the farm’s overall certification. As farmers gain experience and knowledge, they have the opportunity to then move from the training fields to the larger, Organic fields. Grow with the Flow is one of the farm businesses currently leasing some of the Certified Organic fields. Owned and operated by brothers Reggie and Roger Ramos, Grow with the Flow started in 2014 growing on residential lawns and using underutilized space. At the time, they were managing 10-15 separate residential plots, but now, with a 1-acre plot at Global Growers’ Rockdale farm, they’ve been able to consolidate their growing space and share equipment, tools, and infrastructure space. That has allowed them to focus more on their crop production and growing their business.
Attendees learned from Reggie and Roger Ramos, owners and operators of Grow with the Flow. Photos by Lydia Hsu.
Global Growers’ model is to create a “coworking space” for farmers to come in with their own ideas and businesses, share infrastructure and equipment, and be in community with each other. By pooling these resources, capital expenses and start-up costs are reduced, farmers have a space to learn how to scale their business, enter local markets, and tap into each other’s farming expertise. This notion of building community to strengthen and support Certified Organic growers in Georgia is a key reason why Georgia Organics launched the Georgia Certified Organic Network (GCON) in 2023.
GEORGIA CERTIFIED ORGANIC NETWORK (GCON) 2023 PROGRAM RECAP
The first convening of GCON took place in Feb. 2023 at the Georgia Organics Conference & Expo in Perry, GA. The program was launched in response to the need for more comprehensive and tangible support for farmers who are currently Certified Organic in Georgia. In April 2023, a survey was conducted to get feedback from Georgia’s Certified Organic growers to guide the direction of the GCON program. The main feedback received was that there was a need for marketing resources, farmer community building, in-person networking events, and educational workshops. In May 2023, the first virtual GCON networking session took place to share-out the survey findings and let Certified Organic growers know what the 2023 GCON program would include.
In response to the survey feedback, Georgia Organics developed Organic marketing resources, including Certified Organic market flags, an informative Organic magnet for customers, and educational brochures for Organic consumers. These marketing resources were distributed to Certified Organic growers in Sept. 2023 and Dec. 2023 during Organic Focus Groups that took place following the Organic Growers Farmer Field Days. These Organic Focus Groups were in-person networking opportunities for Certified Organic farmers to learn from each other, discuss best practices, and build community and connections.
In total, Georgia Organics distributed 11 market flags, over 400 magnets, and 500 consumer educational brochures to farmers who participated in the Field Days and Focus Groups. In turn, Georgia Organics’ Farmer Services team gained valuable feedback from Organic growers on priorities for 2024 GCON programming.
Sept. 2023 and Dec. 2023 Organic Focus Groups and marketing resources distributed. Photos by Cait Carr Photo, Lydia Hsu, Lauren Cox.
Georgia Organics will be hosting an Organic Growers Farmer Field Day, focused on Organic sourcing and accessing Organic markets, and an Organic & Transition Focus Group on Feb. 19, 2024. Visit https://bit.ly/fsogffdfeb24 for more information!
WE’RE PROUD TO PARTNER WITH GEORGIA FARMERS
Thank you to Global Growers for hosting us on the farm, inviting us into a warm, welcoming space to gather, and teaching us about cooperative farming; and thank you to Grow with the Flow for sharing your story, and showing us the fruits of your labor and partnership with Global Growers.
To learn more about Global Growers, visit www.globalgrowers.org or follow them on Facebook and Instagram (@GlobalGrowers).
To learn more about Grow with the Flow, visit www.growwiththeflowllc.com or follow them on Facebook and Instagram (@GrowWithTheFlowLLC).
To learn more about Georgia Organics visit georgiaorganics.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
To view the resources passed out from the field day, click the button below. Please download the resources you would like to save by Feb. 29, 2024.
If you are a current or transitioning Certified Organic grower, check out the resources we have available for you through our GO Organic! program.
To learn more about our Georgia Organics Farmer Services programming, check out our website.
Want to keep up to date on future farmer-focused events, farmer resources, updates, and news? Join our monthly e-newsletter, the Grower News, for all the latest!
This event was supported through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP). TOPP is a program of the USDA Organic Transition Initiative and is administered by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) National Organic Program (NOP).