Educational Services

Education and Technical Assistance

NOFA-NY offers educational programs and technical assistance throughout the year. We cover a wide range of topics: vegetable and fruit production, dairy and livestock management, transitioning to organic methods, farm business and marketing techniques, and related areas such as value-added processing. Our educational programming includes conferences, on-farm field days, educational videos, and other online tools and resources. Technical assistance for farmers is available at 1.855.2.NOFA-NY (1.855.266.3269) or farmerhelp@nofany.org.

  • Winter Conference: Our largest event is our annual Organic Farming & Gardening Conference held each January. One of the largest conferences in the region, our winter conference typically hosts more than 100 educational workshops across a variety of tracks. With a concurrent trade show, NOFA-NY’s winter conference provides opportunities for learning and networking for farmers, gardeners, and agribusiness professionals.
  • Field Days: Recognizing the value of on-farm education, NOFA-NY coordinates an annual field day series across New York State. Field days typically take place between May and October and cover a wide range of farming practices and skills. Field days are free for all NOFA-NY members.

Certification

Our certification branch, NOFA-NY Certified Organic, LLC, has been accredited by the USDA National Organic Program since 2002. We operate the largest organic certification agency in New York State and certify in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region. In 2015, a 100% grass fed certification also became available to certified organic operations. We take pride in providing quality third-party verification and great customer service, while maintaining the highest level of organic integrity. Learn more here.

Advocacy

NOFA-NY advocates for a sustainable, local, organic food and farm system within New York State and beyond. We care about issues impacting the health and wellbeing of our farmers, our communities, our animals, and our environment. We’re all in this together – check out our New York Organic Action Plan Infographic for ways you can support the organic movement. Visit our Take Action page for more information on our current areas of focus, and become a member to vote on NOFA-NY’s policy positions.

Outreach

NOFA-NY offers print publications and online resources to keep consumers and farmers up to date on the latest news in organic and sustainable food and farming. Sign up for our eNews and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Become a member to receive additional benefits.

Over the years, I’ve learned about everything from high tunnel management to farm finances to cultivating shiitake mushrooms, thanks to NOFA-NY educational events.

I started attending the NOFA-NY Winter Conference and field days in 2008 and have been running my own Certified Organic vegetable farm in Western New York since 2015. A workshop at the 2013 Winter Conference on no-till organic vegetable farming connected me with a farmer I’d go on to work for and who would be a mentor to me. A 2015 field day in the Rochester area contained information about soil drainage that informed my search for farmland to buy. My fiancé, who had no prior background in farming, began farming with me last year, and he’s already applying what he learned by attending the NOFA-NY Winter Conference the past two years to help our farm apply for grants, implement tarping, design a new wash station, and buy new tools that are appropriate for our farm’s scale.”
Laura Colligan
Dirt Rich Farm, Springville, NY

Refund Policies

  • Conferences: We refund NOFA-NY conference registration fees for cancellation requests received up to 14 days before the event. Cancellations will be charged a $30 processing fee. No refunds are given for requests received less than 14 days prior to the first day of the event.
  • On-Farm Field Days: Field days are free for all NOFA-NY members. For all other attendees, cancellations will be refunded in full up to seven days prior to the event, unless otherwise noted. All field day events are held rain or shine.
  • Returned Check Policy: All returned checks will be charged a $50 processing fee plus any bank-incurred fees for insufficient funds.