Global research nonprofit establishes program in Salina for organic farming education

Kendrick Calfee, Salina Journal
·4 min read
From left to right: Jeff Tkach, incoming CEO and current chief impact officer of Rodale Institute, Jason Ingermanson, president and CEO of JRI Hospitality, Jeff Moyer, CEO of Rodale Institute, and Matt Thompson, president and CEO of Kansas Wesleyan University, photographed after a signing ceremony at Rodale Institute’s Kutztown, Pennsylvania campus April 4.

A new education program focused on regenerative organic farming is being developed in central Kansas through a partnership between a local Salina farm, a global research nonprofit and Kansas Wesleyan University.

The partnership will work to create an accredited Kansas-based Rodale Institute Farmer Training Program focused on regenerative organic farming models. It will establish a Rodale Institute Regional Resource Center in Salina, and explore potential sites for a local farm-to-institution production facility.

The Rodale Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has been conducting groundbreaking research on regenerative organic agriculture since 1947. In its 75-year history, the organization has been dedicated to growing the regenerative organic agriculture movement through scientific studies, farmer training and education.

“Through this joint effort, Rodale Institute, Kansas Wesleyan University and Quail Creek Family Farms will build a pipeline of farmers skilled in regenerative organic agricultural practices and establish a hub for agriculture education and innovation in Kansas," said Rodale Institute CEO Jeff Moyer.

What is regenerative organic agriculture?

Regenerative organic agriculture is a collection of practices that focus on revitalizing soil health and entire farm ecosystems. In practice, it can involve a variety of methods including cover cropping, crop rotation, composting and low to no tilling.

In regenerative organic agriculture, there is an enhanced focus on zero use of persistent chemical pesticides and fertilizers. The Rodale Institute has conducted extensive research in an effort to identify the best methods to fight pests, weeds and disease without the use of synthetic chemicals.

Overall, the regenerative approach in agriculture aims to nourish the natural processes of the planet to yield the highest quality crops and ensure that farmland stays healthy and productive long-term.

The Rodale Institute’s research and direct farmer support programs have encouraged change in farming and food production worldwide.

“A partnership with a global leader that has a 75-year commitment to regenerative organic agriculture will enable our Community Resilience Hub to provide the highest level of research and programming available in the industry,” said Matt Thompson, president and CEO of Kansas Wesleyan in a statement.

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What would the new Kansas-based education program do?

The Rodale Institute Regional Resource Center in Salina, Kansas will be the Institute’s sixth regional center in the United States. The Institute’s local extensions serve farmers in select geographical areas by conducting research on local soil and crops, providing education programming and assisting farmers with regional-specific challenges.

The purpose and intention of the new Rodale Institute Farmer Training program is to educate, connect and support local Midwest communities in regenerative organic agriculture to meet demands of feeding families.

Prior to this partnership, Kansas Wesleyan has been partner in a three-year USDA Local Food Promotion Program grant with the Kansas Rural Center, Common Ground Producers and Growers, and St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church.

Through the university's Community Resilience Hub, the USDA Local Food Promotion Program focused on creating a 12-county food corridor of local, regenerative, chemical-free food offerings along Interstate 135 between Salina and Wichita.

Research and education will begin in the coming year on 600 acres at Quail Creek Family Farms in Saline County, managed by the Community Resilience Hub’s collaborative partner, JRI Hospitality. Quail Creek is the result of Ingermanson Farms transitioning 1,000 of its 5,000 acres as farmland to be certified as regenerative organic.

The first 300 acres has been planted to cover crop and there are currently 145 sheep rotationally grazing on the acreage. The farm will construct several mobile chicken coops with the additional acreage, and introduce other animals and crops into the system.

Quail Creek Family Farms has given Kansas Wesleyan, an institution JRI Hospitality has partnered with in the past, the opportunity to help facilitate the educational programming.

“We’re so excited to have Rodale Institute as a partner along with Kansas Wesleyan," said Quail Creek Family Farms Owner Jason Ingermanson in a news release. "Both are leaders in what they do and how they treat the communities they serve."

Ingermanson said when he took over his family farm from his father in 2015, he recognized the direction farming was going. He said he noticed the importance of looking at how future food is grown and distributed to families his farms provide for.

"I’m excited to collaborate and work with other area family farms to introduce the idea of incorporating (regenerative organic) practices and becoming a part of our distribution for the betterment of both the farmer and consumer of Kansas farm commodities," Ingermanson said in a statement.

Kendrick Calfee has been a reporter with the Salina Journal since 2022, primarily covering county government and education. You can reach him at kcalfee@gannett.com or on Twitter @calfee_kc.

This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Global nonprofit partners to facilitate organic farming in Salina