Growing Forward: Organic Certification, SOWTH Conference Takeaways & What’s Next at Trefoil Gardens
Rob and Russell at Trefoil Gardens
Last week, we had the incredible opportunity to attend the SOWTH Conference, and wow—what an experience! 🌱 We plugged in, learned so much about sustainable farming, food access, and community-driven agriculture, and left feeling more inspired than ever.
A special shoutout to Georgia Organics for making this possible—Melanie won her ticket through a raffle at one of their Organic Field Day events! Meanwhile, my attendance was covered through a Florida Organic Growers (FOG) TOPP stipend (more on TOPP below). We’re still digesting all the valuable insights, even as we dive into our usual spring farm planning and preparations.
Taking a Big Step: Transitioning to USDA Organic Certification
We’re thrilled to announce that Trefoil Gardens is officially working toward organic certification! Thanks to Florida Organic Growers' Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP), we have access to educational resources, mentorship, and financial support to help us navigate this process.
One of the biggest hurdles? Finding a USDA Certified Organic mentor nearby. Organic farms in our region are few and far between, so we’re incredibly grateful to Russell Honderd from Love is Love Cooperative Farm for stepping up to guide us through the ins and outs of certification. From standard operating procedures (SOPs) and logging requirements to choosing a certified inspector, this process has been eye-opening.
While we've always farmed with organic principles—using OMRI-approved products and sustainable growing methods—we're realizing that certification involves so much more. The level of accountability, documentation, and compliance required is a major reason many small farms hesitate to take this step. But we believe it's worth it—for our farm, our customers, and our community.
Why Organic Certification?
It elevates transparency and trust in our products.
It strengthens our farm's future, opening doors to larger retail and wholesale opportunities.
It ensures the highest level of integrity from seed to harvest to product.
We’re starting with our mushrooms, since they’re the easiest crop to certify, and will gradually expand certification to our herbs as we refine our processes.
What’s Next?
Next week, we’ll dive into spring planting prep—including our favorite seed-starting techniques and a game-changing piece of software that has streamlined our production and record-keeping.
Stay tuned, and as always, thank you for growing with us! 💚