By Gigi DiGiacomo, Endowed Chair In Agricultural Systems Program, University of Minnesota and Jane Grimsbo Jewett, Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture

Organic crop and livestock demand has continuously outpaced supply—putting many organic growers in the driver’s seat when it comes to marketing. Navigating the organic marketplace, however, can be a bumpy ride—with prices fluctuating dramatically and new, unfamiliar buyers entering the marketplace. As demand for organic products continues to grow, so too does the need for information about how certified organic farmers market their products, the challenges they face in doing so and their related resource needs.

In response to demand for marketing information, six marketing-related questions were added to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s 2007 Organic Farmer Survey. The accompanying report analyzes organic farmers’ responses to questions about the marketing of organic crops and products.

The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM); the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL); and the Foundation Ecology and Agriculture (SÖL) presented the latest statistics about organic agriculture worldwide at BioFach 2008. The results of this year’s study titled, “The World of Organic Agriculture: Statistics and Emerging Trends 2008” were presented on February 22, 2008, in Nuremberg, Germany.

The study shows that 30.4 million hectares are currently certified organic. Read the entire Global Organic Farming: Continued Growth press release.

The University of Minnesota will host three Organic Winter Schools in March and early April. The events will be held Tuesday, March 4 at the Meeker County Courthouse in Litchfield; Tuesday, March 18 at the Southwest Research and Outreach Center in Lamberton; and Monday, April 7 at the St. Charles Community Center in St. Charles.

The Litchfield Winter School will run from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The event is being organized by Nathan Winter, U of M Extension Educator. Jim Riddle, U of M Organic Outreach Coordinator, will review requirements for organic certification and answer questions. Milt Haar, U of M Associate Professor, will discuss weed identification and management for organic producers. Craig Sheaffer, U of M Professor of Agronomy, will discuss ways to minimize risk for organic farmers. Carmen Fernholz, U of M Organic Research Coordinator, will lead a panel discussion on marketing organic crops and products. Please pre-register by Tuesday, February 26 by contacting Nathan Winter at 320-693-5275.

The Lamberton Winter School will run from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., with the same line up of speakers and topics as Litchfield. At 2:00 p.m., the focus will shift to presentations on formation of an on-farm water quality monitoring network, led by Ann Lewandowski, director of the U of M Water Resources Center. Organic and sustainable producers are encouraged to participate in this meeting. Pre-register before Friday, March 14 by contacting Molly Werner at 507-752-5062 or werne022@umn.edu.

The St. Charles Winter School is being organized in collaboration with the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service. Jim Riddle and Craig Sheaffer, U of M, and Harriet Behar, MOSES Organic Outreach Coordinator, will team-teach the school. The event will focus on the production of organic feed crops, ways to minimize risks, and will feature a panel of experienced organic producers. (More details to be posted shortly.)