Field days, workshops and webinars for farmers transitioning to organic
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If you’re curious about transitioning to organic production practices and/or certifying organic, this will be a great year to find out what is involved. The Michigan Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) is organizing five field days, six webinars and sessions at several conferences. The field days include tours of organic farms with a specific focus each day on livestock, weeds and insect pests. In addition, TOPP Network Partners Keep Growing Detroit, Michigan Food and Farming Systems, Michigan Organic Food and Farm Alliance and Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology are planning for events to connect farmers in their networks to learn more about transitioning to organic.
Field Days
Vegetables, Livestock, Markets and More! Field Day at Providence Farm (Central Lake)
When: July 29 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Providence Organic Farm, Café & Natural Food Market, 5695 N Michigan 88, Central Lake, MI 49622
What: Visit Providence Farm to learn from the farmers about raising and marketing vegetables and livestock sustainably and how to follow organic standards for pastures and livestock.
Speakers: Ryan and Andrea Romeyn of Providence Farm as well as a panel of livestock producers
Weed Management Field Day at Full Hollow Farm (Belding)
When: Thursday, August 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Full Hollow Farm, 7944 Palmer Rd, Belding, MI 48809
What: Learn from Jamie Wilbraham and Brad Smith about the keys to managing weeds organically with hand tools and tractor cultivation.
Speaker: Jamie Wilbraham and Brad Smith of Full Hollow Farm as well as additional speakers.
Farm Tours at the Northern Michigan Small Farms Conference
When: Monday and Tuesday, August 18-19
Where: Main conference is at The Leelanau School, 1 Old Homestead Rd, Glen Arbor, MI 49636. Buses will transport people from the main conference site to farm tour locations.
What: The Northern Michigan Small Farms Conference is a mix of on-farm workshops, presentations and roundtables.
Speakers: TOPP is funding organic farm tours at Lakeview Hill Farm, Green Bird Cellars, Bardenhagen Berries. On the bus ride to Lakeview Hill Farm, Sam Wallace will be discussing "Mentorship Opportunities for Organic Farmers." As part of the tour of the Glen Arbor Farmers Market, TOPP is helping to coordinate a session on "Organic Market Premiums." In addition to these field day events, there will also be an Affinity Group meeting for organic farmers and Eric Pawloski will speak about organic farming as part of the conference.
Organic Vegetable Pest Management Field Day (Ann Arbor)
When: Wednesday, August 20
Where: UM Campus Farm, 1800, N Dixboro Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48105
What: Join this field day focused on the insect pests that can damage vegetable crops. Kyle Mitchell will showcase his growing spaces and post-harvest setup while sharing his unique marketing strategies for organic blueberries.
Speakers: Jeremy Moghtader of the University of Michigan Campus Farm will lead a tour of the farm focused on scouting for insect pests and discussing how to control them organically. Other speakers to be announced soon.
Organic Orchard Tour at Third Leaf Farm
When: October 9 from 4 to 6 p.m.
Where: Third Leaf Farm, 13993 10 Mile Rd NE, Greenville, MI 48838
What: Managing organic apples is complex. See this example from a third generation orchard that has transitioned to organic over the last decade. Farmer Kyle Rasch will share insights on soil health, organic approaches to pest and disease management and more.
Speakers: Kyle Rasch of Third Leaf Farm
Farm Field Day with Fisheye Farm (Detroit)
When: Saturday, October 11 from 1-3 p.m.
Where: Fisheye Farm, 2334 Buchanan St, Detroit, MI 48208
What: Join us for an open house and tour of Fisheye Farm hosted by Keep Growing Detroit and the Transition to Organic Partnership Program. Participants will get an overview of the farm infrastructure, tools and techniques Fisheye farmers use to be a successful market garden selling wholesale and retail in Detroit.
Speaker: Andy Chae of Fisheye Farms
Farmer webinars
Farmers are the focus of this webinar series, but educators and others are welcome. Learn how to choose the right certification for your farm. The second and third webinars in this series will focus on how to translate organic certification into higher prices and profits for your farm.
What are Your Farm Certification Goals?
When: Tuesday, October 21, 12-1 p.m.
Where: Online webinar
What: Learn about different farm certification options available to highlight your farm's values and practices to customers.
Speakers: More information to come.
Organic Market Premium - How Much Can I Expect to Get for My Products?
When: Tuesday, October 28, 12-1 p.m.
Where: Online webinar
What: Join us for a webinar discussing organic market premiums, how they vary for different crops and products, and how much premium you can expect on the products you want to sell.
Speakers: Cheryl Kobernick of Kobernick Orchards will discuss marketing certified organic cherries, along with other organic farmers.
How to Make Money in Organic Farming
When: Tuesday, November 4, 12-1 p.m.
Where: Online webinar
What: Join us for a webinar discussing how to make money in organic farming.
Speakers: More information to come.
Educator webinars
These webinars are open to all, but the speakers will emphasize information that is important for farm educators with conservation districts, Michigan State University Extension, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and non-profit farm organizations. This series will help Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) technicians, NRCS employees and other farm professionals understand the conservation challenges for organic growers, such as water pollution from manure or compost and the risk of organic pesticides to pollinators.
Nutrient Management for Organic Farms - Part 1: Food Safety and Water Pollution
When: Thursday, October 23, 12-1 p.m.
Where: Online webinar
What: Join us for a two-part webinar series discussing nutrient risk management for organic farms. This session will focus on food safety and water pollution.
Speakers: Paul Buzzard, a MAEAP technician with Washtenaw County Conservation District, will discuss how to reduce risks to waterways from compost and organic crop amendments. Breanna Hannula, the produce safety technician for northern Michigan, will discuss how to manage food safety risks of using compost and manure. James DeDecker, director of the Michigan State University (MSU) Upper Peninsula Research and Extension Center, will discuss how phosphorus and salts can build up in soils after years of applying compost.
Nutrient Management for Organic Farms - Part 2
When: Thursday, October 30, 12-1 p.m.
Where: Online webinar
What: Should organic farmers focus on nutrient levels or soil life? Is there a way to balance both approaches?
Speakers: Christine Charles of MSU Extension will open this webinar with insights on how to plan for managing soils and crop nutrients with conservation in mind. A panel of three farmers will discuss their approaches to managing soils. Green Wagon Farm will share about their no-till compost-top methods for growing vegetables at the tractor scale. Laura Brosius of Full Plate Farm will share soil management techniques for hand-scale vegetable growers. We hope to also include a larger scale organic grain farmer.
Organic Pesticide Management
When: Thursday, November 6, 12-1 p.m.
Where: Online webinar
What: Join us for a webinar discussing how to make money in organic farming.
Speakers: To be determined.
Conferences
Learn from Michigan’s organic farmers and TOPP mentors at the following conferences:
- August 18-19, 2025: Northern Michigan Small Farms Conference (see details in Field Days section above)
- December 9-11, 2025: Great Lakes Fruit & Vegetable EXPO
- January 10, 2026: MOFFA Organic Intensives
Monthly drop-in organic farming Q&A
Stop by online to ask your questions about organic farming. Michigan's TOPP technicians Alex, Kim and Sam will bring their knowledge to these monthly drop-in office hours to chat all things organic farming. Upcoming office hours will be held:
TOPP Farmer and Community Input Session
When: Friday, December 5, 12 to 1:30 p.m.
Where: Online webinar
What: Share your insights and ideas for 2026 workshops, field days and webinars for farmers transitioning to organic. Join this interactive webinar to let your voice be heard.
Mentorship
Michigan’s TOPP has paired over 40 transitioning farmers with experienced organic farm mentors. Apply now to be a mentor or transitioning farmer mentee. Mentors will be paid $3,000 for completing the 40 hours of mentorship. Mentees receive a $500 stipend for attending an educational event. Mentors and mentees meet for 40 hours each year, including visiting each other's farms at least once per year, monthly meetings, attending an educational event together and answering questions as needed. Mentors and mentees also commit to onboarding, trainings, evaluation, quarterly check-ins with the coordinator and tracking meeting hours. Mentees commit to pursuing organic certification and creating an organic system plan.
The program welcomes farmers from all backgrounds, and encourages farmers of color, veterans, women, Spanish speakers, lower income farmers and young and beginning farmers to apply. All crops, livestock species and farm types qualify for this program.
Partners
MSU Extension, MSU Organic Farmer Training Program, Grand Traverse Conservation District and Washtenaw County Conservation District are working together to co-lead this project until 2027. In addition, Keep Growing Detroit, Michigan Food and Farming Systems, Michigan Organic Food and Farm Alliance and Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology are TOPP Network Partners who will each host two community-building events to connect with farmers and answer questions about organic farming and certification.
More information
Contact Katie Brandt at brandtk7@msu.edu or Mariel Borgman at mborgm@msu.edu for more information.
To sign up for TOPP jobs and opportunities emails, email listserv@list.msu.edu with SUBSCRIBE MISUSTAINABLEFARMJOBS in the body of the message (not the Subject line).
