Casey Holland has run Chispas Farm (four acres in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with over 120 varieties of heirloom vegetables and fruits, plus hens, sheep, goats, ducks, geese, and rabbits) since 2017. Holland’s passions aren’t limited to farming, though. “I’ve always been engaged in some kind of community organizing,” they say, “so that comes naturally to me.”
Among other community projects, Holland started a continuing educational program for early-career growers in their first few growing seasons called Seeding Futures Farm School. Under Holland’s leadership, Chispas Farm hosts frequent educational events and offerings like free cooking classes. This made them a natural choice to participate in the USDA’s Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP), which provides mentorship, technical assistance, and wrap-around support to transitioning and existing organic producers. Through TOPP, the CCOF Foundation leads the Western & Southwestern Regional Center for Organic Transition, working with a coalition of partners to support producers in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Texas.
“When I was connected to the program,” Holland says, “they said our site is naturally positioned to be a hub, because it’s already a hub. This is where folks come who want to learn and better their practices and integrate into an existing grower community.”
The fact that TOPP included funding made it possible for Chispas Farm to welcome more community education and involvement. “We were doing this largely pro bono on our own,” Holland says, “but this makes everything easier. Now there’s money behind it in order to support the hosting of these events.”
Holland points out that funding community farmer hubs helps everyone. “Because this is important to us and organic growing practices are critical to us, for the health and support of ourselves, the ecosystem we’re stewarding, and the community at large, of course we want to do this more formally and partner with a larger program. Distributing these funds to small farms and keeping them going—that feels like a no-brainer.”
TOPP is scheduled to end at the end of 2026, and the CCOF Foundation partners are looking to continue this important work through private, foundation, and corporate partnerships. “I still have two more field days to host before the end of the program,” Holland says. “We’re probably cutting it a little close, but we’ll get ‘er done!”
The field days and farmer/grower socials have been instrumental in strengthening the community, Holland says. “We’ve done topics on cover crops, irrigation, field and bed prep, different amendments, the organic standards, holistic farm planning… topics we normally get a lot of questions about. Great turnouts of folks who are really engaged in farming. We’re learning together.”
Chispas Farm specifically builds in time after the learning sessions for farmers to socialize and network. “There are meaningful connections being fostered,” Holland says. “People exchange phone numbers for questions. That didn’t happen before.”
Holland recalls one pair of farmer attendees who had just bought 15 acres but weren’t yet familiar with New Mexico’s flood irrigation system, which was going to be one of their primary sources of watering. “They came to our irrigation field day and they were so interested, taking notes. The instructor, Matt Draper, visited their farm later and helped them think through their design of how the water would flow. I thought, that is so cool! Here they are, still getting support from that instructor. At their scale, it might make sense for them to think about getting certified organic as a next step.”
“Another couple bought an old alpaca farm, and they’re doing similar follow-ups with me all the time. I give people my phone number and tell them, if you ever have livestock or field problems to address, call me, I’ll swing by and check it out. That’s just how I am. There’s a lot of heartache you can save. We’re continuing to expand our education together through these socials.”
The community events that TOPP helps fund are an essential step in strengthening farmers at the beginnings of their careers. “We’re helping them gain continued skill building in a peer setting, to facilitate them building their own networks,” Holland says. “Without that initial spark, how do you get the conversation started? And it gets people thinking about organic practices. So many beginning growers think that organic certification doesn’t make sense for them. Well, maybe not immediately, when you’re small enough to know all your customers at the farmers market, but these group learning environments provide the pathways once you get big enough to sell at grocery stores and you need the organic label to compete on the shelves. Now this education is a tool in their toolbelt they can reach for when they do get there.”
Holland is glad to be creating farmer-to-farmer connections and teaching the benefits of organic farming practices. “When you’re a farmer, that’s what it’s all about, your connection to community. Creating open doors. What else is there with this one life? I want to live it to its fullest.”
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The Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) is a nationwide initiative supporting transitioning and existing organic producers across six geographic regions of the U.S. (including the West/Southwest region, which CCOF leads).
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Want to support the next generation of organic growers? Donate to the CCOF Foundation. Our organic transition grants provide funding, 1:1 organic technical assistance, access to mentorship, and business training opportunities to farmers transitioning to organic over a three-year period.
