Natural Grocers, Rodale Institute support the future of regenerative organic agriculture

As September is Organic Month, two renowned leaders in the regenerative organic movement have announced they are teaming up to nurture future farmers. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, a family-operated natural and organic retailer with 169 stores across 21 states, has forged a pivotal partnership with Rodale Institute, aiming to raise $100,000 for the nonprofit’s farmer training programs, Rodale Institute Farmer Training (RIFT) and Veteran Farmer Training (VFT).

“Natural Grocers’ support of the RIFT program, which trains many first-generation farmers, is key to growing the pipeline of regenerative organic producers,” says Annie Brown, vice president of development at Rodale Institute.

According to Brown, the U.S. organic industry is nearing $70 billion and 7% of all grocery sales. With demand for organic goods predicted to increase 3X over the next decade, “it’s critical that training opportunities exist for the next generation of organic farmers in order to meet consumer demand and establish a strong domestic supply chain for organic food,” Brown says.

Credit: Rodale Institute

Training organic farmers

Long known for its groundbreaking organic field research and education initiatives, Kutztown, Pennsylvania-based Rodale Institute launched an early iteration of farmer training back in 2010

“Those [first] students began to seek a deeper understanding of why we farm the way we do,” Brown says. “RIFT now includes time with our Ph.D. scientists, finance training, field trips and a capstone project. It is the premier program for regenerative organic farmer training.”

Catered to individuals with little to no farming experience, RIFT provides expert-led classroom instruction on the science and business of regenerative organic agriculture, plus farm tours and hands-on skills training. The nine-month program involves students in the whole lifecycle of a diversified organic crop and vegetable farm.

RIFT alums who aim to open an organic farm can then apply for the fellowship program, which dives deeper into operational skills training. Fellows must also create and defend a profitable agricultural business plan to graduate.  

To date, Rodale Institute has trained over 100 farmers through RIFT, says Brown, while more than 75 have come through VFT. Created to prepare military veterans for successful careers in regenerative organic agriculture, VFT provides 35 weeks of paid, personalized hands-on instruction on the gamut of farm operations, including vegetable growing, composting, greenhouse and high-tunnel production, beekeeping and machinery use.

While both RIFT and VFT are supported primarily by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, says Brown, private donors are also instrumental to advancing these programs.

Seeds of a partnership

For Lakewood, Colorado-based Natural Grocers, teaming up with the mission-aligned Rodale Institute was an easy decision.

“As an organic and natural retailer, we have admired—and cited—the work and research of Rodale Institute for years,” says Katie Macarelli, director of public relations at Natural Grocers.

For example, Macarelli credits Rodale Institute with demonstrating that organic farming increases soil health and microbial biodiversity, and that organic yields outperform conventional by 30% during extreme weather spells. Rodale Institute’s work has also shown that “organic farming releases 50% less new reactive nitrogen pollution to the environment than conventional farming and recycles it through compost and manure,” she adds.

“Despite these and so many more benefits to regenerative organic agriculture, less than 1% of U.S. cropland is certified organic,” Macarelli says. “We need more organic farmers from beginners to seasoned professionals who want to transition from conventional to organic.”

Addressing that need is precisely why Rodale Institute launched RIFT and VFT and why Natural Grocers wanted to support those efforts.  

“We prioritize sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices as a retailer, but we wanted to do more at the ground level,” Macarelli says. “We were looking for a trusted organization that had programs in place to grow organic regenerative agriculture. The farmer training programs from Rodale Institute immediately appealed. We are so happy that the dollars we raise will be a direct investment in the education and training of organic farmers.”

Macarelli calls supporting future organic farmers an actionable way to help restore our planet’s resources. “But it also helps restore hope in our future, hope for the future of our children, hope for our planet,” she says. “Fundraisers and campaigns aside, the simplest way to support organic farmers is by choosing organic when you shop.”