Transition To Organic Partnership Program (TOPP)
Transition To Organic Partnership Program (TOPP)
MOFGA Certification Services (MCS) encourages operators to consider submitting a request for Proposal for the Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP). Project funding is capped at $100,000 per year, and technical assistance is an important part. To become an organic mentor, criteria include at least three years of organic production experience; good standing as a certified organic producer (or experience with organic certification); and a commitment of 45 hours/year working with a mentee farmer. For more information, contact MCS at 207-568-6030 or email certification@mofga.org.
Chestnut Improvement Network
The Chestnut Improvement Network (CIN) is a participatory network of chestnut growers developing resilient, productive cultivars for scaling commercial production in the US. CIN provides technical assistance to participating growers. Researchers work with breeding members on tree improvement, sharing selection criteria and assistance with record keeping, orchard planning, and practices for site preparation and management. To become a CIN breeding member, growers can establish an orchard of 250 or more open-pollinated seedlings using this order form for one-year-old bareroot trees to be shipped from January to March 2026. For more information, contact chestnut@missouri.edu.
New England Resources
American Farmland Trusts’ work in New England: