Organic Career Network

On a broad level, entry into the agriculture industry often begins with post-secondary education, where future producers, traders, and leaders are created.  It is important that all farmers have access to support services that will help them be most successful.  The development of support throughout the career pipeline for organic workforce development has been slow and inconsistent.

A critical piece to increasing a wide and diverse interest in the organic sector includes supporting the exploration of career opportunities in the industry. In order to support these efforts, OFA has created the Organic Career Network (OCN) which connects organic organizations to students who are interested in exploring career pathways in the organic industry. The OCN aims to provide students with the opportunity to get hands-on experience with organic certification, inspection, and farmer education organizations and agencies.

In recognition that navigating higher education and career exploration can be an isolating experience for students new to the process, OCN is designed as a cohort model to foster a sense of community among students across their internship placements. The cohort will meet monthly with OFA project lead, Ryann Monteiro.