Help American farmers meet the growing demand for organic through technical assistance and training.
Groundbreaking technical assistance addresses the lack of experts available to help organic farmers and those who want to transition. Imagine innovative, virtual and in-person, train-the-trainer programming for agricultural professionals working with organic or transitioning producers across geographic regions and crop types.
Visit OATS Site
OATS, the Organic Agronomy Training Service, is a training program for agricultural advisors and food professionals working with organic or transitioning farmers in the United States. It seeks to grow domestic organic production by strengthening the educational support network of technical advisors, consultants, extension agents, and service providers. Its aim is for every transitional and certified organic farmer to have robust access to technical service expertise to provide unbiased, evidence-based support for their farming operation.
Since its launch, the Organic Agronomy Training Service (OATS) has:
- Trained 1,030 agricultural professionals who each advise an average of 47 clients and 4,045 acres through in-person and virtual opportunities who have directly impacted management decisions on farms across the U.S.
- Launched the Organic Field Crop Course - a comprehensive facilitated online course that prepares agricultural professionals to advise field crop farmers - with 85 professionals trained. (Watch a sample lesson!)
- Developed NOP-260 Organic Field Crop Practices - a course housed on the Organic Integrity Learning Center that prepares organic inspectors to be effective auditors of field crop operations with 433 professionals trained.
- Launched an organic advisor call series for creating a peer learning network where agricultural professionals can interact with each other - attended by over 360 professionals.
- Supported ag and food industry professionals across the country through collaboration with the USDA Transition to Organic Partnership Program.
- Supplied targeted training support to USDA NRCS through the NRCS Organic Assistance Specialist program. OATS and OTA house one of six newly created joint positions that provide organic training directly to NRCS staff so that they can better serve organic and transitional producers.
About OATS
OATS began in 2018 when more than a dozen university researchers, extension educators, non-profit educators, and industry members recognized that farmers were reporting on evaluations and surveys, that they were struggling to use the rich and deep information they received at conferences and field days on their farms. Farmers needed more one-on-one guidance than these organizations were able to supply. And thus, OATS was launched.
With seed funding provided by the Organic Trade Association’s GRO Organic Voluntary Research, Promotion, and Education program, OATS held a series of 3 pilot trainings on organic grain production in the Midwest in 2019. These trainings demonstrated that our approach is effective and needed. Since that time, OATS has grown to serve ag professionals across the U.S. through in-person and virtual trainings, educational resources, network building, and expanded training topics to include specialty crops, livestock, and handling/processing.
How to Support OATS
For a quick overview of OATS’s mission, impact, and partnership opportunities, download the 2025 program snapshot:
2025 OATS One-Pager: Impact & Opportunities
2024 Sponsors
Fiscal Sponsorship
OATS is fiscally sponsored by the Organic Trade Association who provides non-profit oversight, financial accounting and reporting, grant administration, and general guidance.
OTA serves as an anchor funder for OATS programming through its industry-invested fundraising in support of organic research, promotion, and education. OTA seeks to meet goals of scalability, regional diversity, and production system diversity in technical assistance for organic and transitioning farmers nationwide.
Stephanie Jerger, Vice President of Operations, and Libby Mucciarone, Director of Programs, serve as staff liaisons to OATS on their steering committee and through grant administration.
Contact: Mallory Krieger, National Program Director