Help Us Raise $100,000 to Support Regenerative Organic Farming In America

Learn more how you can make a lasting impact!

Farmer Training

In the United States, organic sales have topped nearly $70 billion annually and continue to grow. Yet less than 1% of U.S. cropland is certified organic. We have a need for more organic farmers, from beginners to seasoned professionals. Today, there are 6x as many farmers over 65 as under 35. The time is now to invest in the future of organic agriculture. That’s why Rodale Institute is helping farmers transition to organic and training the next generation of organic leaders.

Growing Careers, Growing Food

Every year, Rodale Institute welcomes a select group of students to their headquarters in Pennsylvania to train for careers in organic agriculture. Farmer trainees spend nine months growing their farming skills both in the classroom and in the fields.

Rodale Institute Farmer Training (RIFT) and Veteran Farmer Training

These highly immersive, full-time programs allow anyone to begin a career in organic crop and vegetable production. Students learn financial skills, soil science, digital marketing and botany, coupled with hands-in-the-soil applications, learning on a world-renowned experimental farm. Students work alongside Rodale Institute farmers to grow organic produce for farm shares and farmers’ markets, learning how to process, distribute

Meet Isidra Garcia – Recent Graduate of the Veteran Farmer Training Program

While studying video editing at Kutztown University near Rodale Institute’s main campus, Isidra Garcia, known to her friends as Izzy, joined the Rodale Institute communications team as an intern in 2023. At the time, she was producing a documentary on fast fashion and its environmental impacts, which sparked a deeper interest in textiles and led her to the hemp research being conducted by Rodale Institute scientists.

“I had been learning about different fabrics and got really interested in hemp textiles,” Izzy says. “During my internship, I fell in love with agriculture because it brought me closer to nature.”

After graduating, Izzy applied to and was selected for the 2025 Rodale Institute Farmer Training Program. She chose to continue for a second year and was named one of two Second-Year Fellows in 2026, where she mentors incoming participants while continuing to refine her farm management skills.

After completing the program, Izzy plans to farm her own plot of land, growing the ingredients for a future line of fresh pico de gallo products. She also hopes to continue her work in video production, creating educational content from her farm to help consumers better understand organic food, farming and how everyday choices can help support the earth.
 

Ongoing Research

For more than 78 years, Rodale Institute has been putting science behind the best practices in organic agriculture proving that healthy soil=healthy food=healthy people. With over 33 active research projects across 12 sites, Rodale Institute has been the leading global voice in developing solutions for the regenerative organic agriculture movement. Rodale Institute’s research focus areas include developing organic solutions to pests, disease and weeds, mitigating and adapting to climate change, and growing nutrient dense foods.

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Image and Video source: Rodale Institute.