CT NOFA Seeks Mentors and Mentees for TOPP
May 8, 2023
As part of the next phase of TOPP (Transition to Organic Partnership Program), CT NOFA is actively seeking potential mentors and mentees for the program.
What is TOPP?
TOPP is a coalition of organizations from throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region which are partnering to provide technical assistance and wrap-around support for transitioning and existing organic farmers. This Regional Partnership serves producers in Pennsylvania, Washington DC, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware.
How to Take Part
CT NOFA is currently recruiting:
- Mentor farmers who have operated certified organic farms for at least three years that are interested in assisting mentee farmers as they transition their farms for certification.
- Farmers looking to transition to organic (mentees): if you are operating a farm and would like the assistance of an experienced organic farmer during your transition to organic we welcome you to join our group of mentee farmers.
- Partner organizations which wish to help grow the program
- Technical experts who are interested in helping provide guidance on specific topics, skills, or areas of interest to farmers who are transitioning to organic methods
Although CT NOFA is happy to speak with anyone who is interested in helping to support the program, identifying interested potential mentors and mentees is currently the highest priority. CT NOFA will be connecting paid mentors to mentees for one year. The mentorship program is expected to commence in the 4th quarter of 2023. CT NOFA staff will assist with helping mentee farmers to navigate the organic certification process.
Learn more about the program here.
Individuals interested in providing mentorship services can apply here. Individuals interested in receiving mentorship for the process of transitioning a farm to organic practices can apply here. We look forward to working with you.
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Advocacy News: May 2026
The Good News: CT Senator Chris Murphy has introduced a bill (bipartisan and bicameral) to increase funding for Agricultural Management Assistance to $30 million and to expand the eligible uses for these funds to include “soil health improvements, composting, implementing organic farming, and food safety certification in addition to existing authorized uses such as water management structure and soil erosion control.” Let’s thank Senator Murphy for introducing this bill!
The Bad News: The Farm Bill passed the House of Representatives on April 30, despite 320 food, farm, and conservation organizations, including CT NOFA, voicing our opposition to a bill that does not fix SNAP, does not support new and beginning farmers, and does not adequately support conservation programs or organic agriculture. Now it goes to the Senate and we need to urge both of Connecticut’s Senators to reject this Farm Bill.
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Our vision is that every person is able to live their life with healthy food, clean water and air, community, livelihood, dignity, and purpose within the means of our life-giving planet. We seek that vision on every level, from our households and farms to our communities, states, bioregions, nation, and world. For that vision to be fulfilled, every person, no matter their origin or circumstances, must have all their basic human needs met without degrading the air, water, soil, ecosystems, and climate which we have been given and on which we depend for our lives.