To date this project has succeeded in delivering four publications on current topics in organic agriculture. All meet the criteria of timeliness and current research set forth in our original proposal. There are at least two more publications in draft and others under discussion, indicating success in our objective to create an on-going, more proactive vehicle for the ATTRA project to use in reaching the agricultural community.
The continued demand for these publications is viewed as an indicator of success in both outreach and in selection of topics. While more feedback from clientele is needed, the comments received to date indicate at positive response to the content and presentation of the information.
While not clearly articulated in the original proposal, another objective of this project was to focus more of NCAT’s energy on service to the organic community. While the ATTRA project has long provided good information to organic farmers, there had been no further efforts to specifically target their needs or the needs of those who work with organic producers. The Organic Matters project was the first step towards changing that. NCAT currently has an additional four active organic projects, plus additional proposals under development. We are also involved in other organic initiatives such as SCOAR, and several staff assist OMRI in its work. We are most pleased with the outcomes of the Organic Matters project and want to express our thanks to the primary funder, the Organic Farming Research Foundation, and the two organizations that provided matching funding, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service and the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture.
