In partnership with the Organic Fruit Growers Association and University of Minnesota Extension, a second round of our Fruit Climate Resilience Cohort will be offered this year with cohort dates on December 3rd (remote), December 10th (remote), and January 7th (in-person, La Crosse, WI). If you are a commercial fruit grower who follows primarily organic management practices, we invite you to apple for this opportunity to learn and fund a climate resiliency project to help your farm!
Quick link: Climate resilience program application.
For more information, see below.
Background
Perennial fruit growers are in a unique position when facing challenges related to extreme weather and climate change because of the inherent fixed nature and longevity of most perennial fruit crops, which remain in the same location for many years rather than being rotated seasonally like annual crops. With the anticipation that fruit growers will continue to face extreme weather conditions and other challenges related to climate change, the ability to identify and mitigate risks becomes increasingly essential to farm sustainability.Climate Resilience Cohort
Because of this, the Organic Fruit Growers Association (OFGA), in collaboration with the University of Minnesota Extension, has created a climate resilience-focused program that gives organic fruit growers the opportunity to join a cohort with other fruit growers and...- Learn through our workshop series how changing weather patterns in the Upper Midwest are likely to affect your farm and develop a plan for how your farm can prepare for a changing climate.
- Improve your farm financial management skills and meet with financial consultants for help with planning how to fund climate resilience projects on your farm.
- Receive a grant to help fund climate resilience investments on your farm.
Who can participate?
This program is for organic commercial fruit growers, or those planning to transition to organic, who also live in, or very close to Minnesota or Wisconsin.What is specifically involved?
Those who participate in this program will go through a three-part workshop series (two remote and one in-person workshop), complete an online farm financial management class, as well as meet with a farm financial consultant. Finally, participants will apply for grant funding to fund climate resilience investments specific to their farm. Grant awards will range from $1,000 to $10,000 depending on the cost of the proposal and the number of applicants.Please note, spots are limited in this program for participants who want to receive grant funding, and those participants must plan to dedicate themselves to all parts of the program. If you’re a fruit grower who is not interested in funding, it is possible to participate only in the workshop series, or stop after the online farm financial management class (see contacts below for questions).
Dates for project participation:
Workshop series:- Workshop 1 (remote): December 3rd, 2025
- Workshop 2 (remote): January 10th, 2025
- Workshop 3 (in-person workshop in La Crosse, WI): January 7th, 2025
Financial consultation session: Participants will meet with a farm financial consultant between February-March, 2025, after completing the online farm financial management class.
Grant funding application: After completing a farm resilience plan, finishing the financial management course, and meeting with a consultant, participants will be able to submit a grant proposal for climate resiliency investments for their farm in March, 2025.
How can you sign up?
Complete the brief application form and someone from OFGA will contact you to confirm that the program is a good fit for you: Climate resilience program application.Questions?
For more information about registering for this program, please contact Chris McGuire, OFGA Coordinator at ofgacoordinator@gmail.com, or Madeline Wimmer at wimm0035@umn.edu.
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