Aug 30, 2023

USDA adds to Growing Organic Workforce course

The National Organic Program (NOP) has published new resources in its Growing the Organic Workforce course in the USDA Organic Integrity Learning Center.

The course provides resources to support a robust, highly skilled workforce of qualified organic professionals. These free online resources promote organic market development, protect organic integrity and enhance diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. 

Course resources help organic growers find information on recruitment, education, professional training and more. Resources are organized topically, and new topics are added frequently. 

Most recently, topics on establishing a cooperative business and organic inspector recruitment programs have been added, according to the USDA.

Growing the Organic Workforce resources were developed as part of the NOP Human Capital Initiative to support current and future generations of organic professionals with the skills needed to effectively protect the USDA organic seal. Learn more on the USDA’s Human Capital Initiative web page.

To enroll in a USDA Learning Center course, establish an account. If you have an account, access the center by signing in. 

Pursuing a career to protect organic integrity 

As part of the NOP Human Capital Initiative, partner organizations created a professional training program and resources for organic professionals to jumpstart the development of their own cooperative businesses.

Learn more about how these programs support current organic inspectors and other professionals across the organic industry at the USDA’s Blog.