Organic Transitions: Dakota Rudloff-Eastman & Matthew Went | River Ridge Farm and Market
March 30, 2026
As a core partner in the ongoing Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP), CT NOFA has provided support to Connecticut farms that are pursuing organic certification. One of the farms that has achieved organic certification with support from the program is River Ridge Farm (Portland, CT), one of the first farms to become a program participant.
I think we try to take a holistic approach to growing food. We’re trying to grow really high-quality produce but we’re also looking after the environment and we’re looking after employees and trying to build something that makes you feel good about what you eat.
In this video, farm owners and operators Dakota Rudloff-Eastman and Matthew Went discuss how they heard about TOPP, how the transition process was less challenging than they expected, how their mentor helped, and how being organically certified has helped them make wholesale farming profitable. The video also features Sherlene Rodriguez, Program Director of TOPP at CT NOFA and Jeremy Pelletier, Executive Director of CT NOFA.
This video was produced by UConn Extension in partnership with CT NOFA and filmed by Defining Studios.
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