SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa – There are a lot of misconceptions about organic farming. It is important that these farmers be able to tell their stories. The Organic Farmers Association (OFA), a nationwide nonprofit, has developed Story Lab Workshops to help farmers with that.

“Organic farmers are competing against a flood of food marketing dollars, but they hold something no ad budget can buy: a real story about how their food is grown and why it matters,” said Madison Letizia, OFA communications manager. “Through the Story Lab workshops and one-on-one coaching, we’re supplying farmers the tools to tell that story with confidence.”

The Story Lab Workshops are comprised of 90-minute virtual sessions, 101 and 102, Letizia said. The first session describes why domestic and local organic matters and how farmers can start to use their stories to explain that.

“We give them the framework, mediums and audience guides,” Letizia said. “Those are free resources on our website to help them start to shape that story. Those are the building blocks.

“The second session is really the ‘how,’” she explained. “They start to put all of those pieces together into their own words. They come out at the end with stories or variations of stories of things that they can put in their newsletters, on their website, or in a video if they wanted to put it on social media.”

A group of about 25 people goes through each workshop. They are not a lecture but are interactive. There is a breakout session so the farmers can get to work with other farmers.

“That has been surprisingly one of the highlights when we asked for feedback,” Letizia said. “They talk with farmers from the other side of the country – a farmer who raises cattle might talk with one who raises fruit. Then they start to write out their part of their story.”

Once someone has completed the workshops, they can schedule a one-on-one meeting and be connected with one of the team members for a 30-minute private consultation.

The workshops are scheduled to continue through the fall, but the hope is that they will be continued next year. They are part of the Organic Farmer Storytelling Project, a collection of free resources to help farmers share more about their experiences and the value of organic.

 “We also hope to take this show on the road, maybe do a few conferences,” Letizia said.

OFA partnered with Modern Species, a creative agency that works with farmers and food system organizations to tell clear, compelling stories. The project is supported through the USDA Department of Transition to Organic Partnership Program.

“We learned that farmers are the best people to tell that message about organic if we wanted consumers to understand it better,” Letizia said. “Or if we want people at the farmers market to understand why organic is different from any other vegetable growing. The farmers are the trusted source, and they are the best people to be able to tell those stories and then highlight it with their own production practices.”

For information, visit Organicfarmersassociation.org. Under the education tab, click on the Organic Farmers storytelling project.