JOB OPENINGS

Farmer Circle Facilitators

Timeline:  November 2023-November 2024, with an opportunity to extend the contract period.

Compensation: This role includes monthly meetings, either with the farmer circle or facilitator group, estimated at 4-5 hours/ month to cover the farmer circle gathering, planning, reporting, and outreach.  Compensation is: $2,640/yr.  

Facilitator Responsibilities:

  • Manage group communications
  • Create discussion topics and facilitation plans for Farmer Circle calls
  • Facilitate Farmer Circle calls
  • Monthly reports: As this is a Pilot Program funded by USDA we need to provide some generalized reporting.  After each meeting, the facilitator will submit short summary: 
    • Number of attendees
    • Certification status represented (organic curious, transitioning, certified) 
    • Broad lessons learned
    • General recurring challenges that may benefit from policy changes. 
    • Reports are intended to be brief and share information that might help us evolve the structure of the program and improve policies to better support farmers, but shall not share anything that would breach the trust and confidentiality established by the group.
  • Participate in quarterly facilitator meetings with other identity-group facilitators and OFA Racial Equity Manager
  • Uphold confidentiality, a key ingredient to the success of the Circles. As a Pilot Program, we’ll ask facilitators to share generalized lessons learned, number of attendees, and information that might help us evolve the structure of the program and OFA, but nothing that will breach the trust and confidentiality established by the group.

Facilitator Requirements:

  • Experience in organic agriculture
  • Experience facilitating small groups in an online format
  • Experience in DEI-related work in any sector, but in agriculture/food systems preferred
  • Strong written and oral communication skills
  • Experience in providing technical assistance to farmers preferred, but not required
  • Ability to work remotely
  • Fast and reliable internet is a must

Farmer Circle Support From OFA:

  • Managing promotion and registration
  • Provide and host zoom link for meetings
  • Thought partnership and support for meeting facilitation
  • Convening Farmer Circle facilitators

Farmer Circle Facilitator Application

INTERNSHIPS

Internship Project Description

Timeline:  Fall Semester;  Spring Semester; Summer

Goal:  Improve outreach to U.S. certified organic farmers about the Organic Farmers Association and build leadership capacity within this membership to better participate in the national grassroots policy process and increase knowledge of policy issues.

Activities:

  • Identify states with active organic farmer membership and identify areas of potential membership gains. Support membership growth activities.
  • Focus outreach on the areas where we have high probability of gaining new members by creating tailored communications pieces featuring policy issues, information about local politicians and organic policy, and tailored messaging for the region.
  • Schedule and coordinate 2 policy webinars: one geared towards organizations and one geared to farmers.
  • Write 1-2 articles to be used in future publications or blogs.
  • Coordinate the winter conference farmer outreach, by identifying winter conferences that will provide the most connections with organic farmers and the materials needed to best educate and engage them.
  • Help build out policy campaign education content on our websites.
  • Support monthly e-news communication with our membership.
  • Conduct policy research on key issues or questions that help advance OFA policy priorities.
  • Work on additional outreach to members and potential members such as social media posts, website updates, print mailings and more.

Measure for Success: 

We will measure the number of membership renewals and new members joining over this 16-week period as well as the quality of written content and online use and distribution.

Knowledge & Skills Expected to be Gained:

  • Learn tools for member engagement and outreach focused on the busy organic farmer audience.
  • Analyze farm policy and organic rulemaking and make that information accessible to a wide audience.
  • Gain an understanding of the U.S. agricultural agencies, Congress, and rule-making.
  • Gain an understanding of the diversity of U.S. organic agriculture and the cultural differences among regions of the U.S.

To Apply: 

Send a cover letter and resume to info@organicfarmersassociation.org

ABOUT ORGANIC FARMERS ASSOCIATION

The mission of the Organic Farmers Association is to provide a strong and unified national voice for domestic certified organic producers. With the purpose to build and support a farmer-led national organic farmer movement and national policy platform by: developing and advocating policies that benefit organic farmers; strengthening and supporting the capacity of organic farmers and farm organizations; and supporting collaboration and leadership among state, regional, and national organic farmer organizations.