2022 Annual Report
Get a window into our work with our 2022 Annual Report.
The stories and content below provide highlights of some of our major accomplishments in the last calendar year. We couldn’t do what we do without supporters like you—thank you for making our work possible.
For a downloadable PDF version of our 2022 Annual Report, click here:
Annual Report PDFA New Horizon for Organic Agriculture
As the world experiences challenges and disruptions to the global agricultural sector, Rodale Institute has continued to invest in innovations that will secure the future of farming worldwide.
In 2022, the United States Congress invited the Institute to provide expert testimony on the topic of soil health before the House Committee on Agriculture. The federal government also invested $25 million in the work of the Institute and our partner organizations to advance farming practices in the American Southeast. When it comes to industry, we joined forces with organizations such as General Mills and Mad Agriculture to accelerate the transition of farms in the United States to regenerative organic production.
Expanding Rodale Institute’s reach in agricultural communities around the nation was a priority in 2022 as the Institute opened campuses in the Poconos region of Pennsylvania and the Pacific Northwest. Revolutionizing agricultural education in the United States—for farmers and healthcare professionals—was also a core accomplishment of our nonprofit this year.
As you go through our 2022 Annual Report, I hope you recognize the positive impact we are having on the future of farming worldwide. In the years to come, Rodale Institute will build on the successes outlined in this report to further advance organic farming methods. Because if there’s one thing we know for sure, it’s that regenerative organic agriculture is essential to humanity’s survival.
Sincerely,
Jeff Tkach
Rodale Institute CEO
Featured Stories
Research
USDA Climate-Smart Grant
In 2022, Rodale Institute received a $25 million grant—the largest governmental grant in the Institute’s 75-year history. The grant, which is part of the USDA’s new climate-smart agriculture program, will allow the Institute and our partners to research and measure the effectiveness of various cover crops in sequestering carbon while also promoting climate-smart commodities at the consumer level in the Southern Piedmont.
This historic multimillion-dollar investment brings together farmers, producers, organizations, and academic institutions to improve the well-being of the farming community in the American Southeast.
Consulting
Rodale Institute X Mad Agriculture
In the Fall of 2022, Rodale Institute and Mad Agriculture announced a partnership to reduce barriers for farmers transitioning to organic agriculture in the Midwest.
Mad Agriculture, a Colorado-based nonprofit that supports farmers pursuing regenerative organic agriculture, will provide its farmer clients with access to capital, markets, business, and planning support. Rodale Institute will provide on-the-ground technical assistance to farmers through its Organic Consulting Services.
By combining their knowledge, connections, expertise, research, and strategies, Rodale Institute and Mad Agriculture will be able to support farmers from the field to the marketplace and ultimately transition more farmland in America’s heartland to regenerative organic production.
Farmer Training
Student Spotlight: Adam Strickler
After years of struggling with PTSD due to being deployed to Iraq, veteran Adam Strickler found a new purpose for his life in organic farming. Through Rodale Institute’s Veteran Farmer Training Program, Strickler gained the technical skills needed to become an independent organic farmer and embark on a new career.
In the future he plans to serve his community in Florida by providing fresh, healthy food to local residents. Strickler’s story is one of hope, survival, and the beautiful power of nature.
Hear Strickler’s story in this NBC feature >>
Adam Stricker’s story begins at minute 21
Education
Inaugural Regenerative Healthcare Conference
Rodale Institute hosted its first-ever Regenerative Healthcare Conference, in which world-leading agricultural and medical experts gathered to learn about the benefits of regenerative organic farming and its implications for healthcare.
From physicians, nurses, and neurologists to medical students and nutritional psychiatrists, attendees came together to learn how to use food as medicine and reframe the healthcare system’s approach to treating chronic illness. Rodale Institute plans to host this conference annually with the goal of educating healthcare providers about the inherent link between soil health and human health.
Policy
Rodale Institute Testifies Before Congress
Jeff Moyer, Rodale Institute’s CEO emeritus and renowned farmer, provided expert testimony on soil health and regenerative organic management at a House Committee on Agriculture hearing in September 2022.
Moyer’s valuable testimony helped inform lawmakers on the dangers of soil degradation for America’s economy, climate, and food security. As he encouraged officials to invest in regenerative organic agriculture, Moyer emphasized that the path to greater and healthier food is through healthy soil and called on lawmakers to support regenerative organic practices in the upcoming Farm Bill.
2022 IMPACT by the numbers
-
14 PhD scientists on staff
-
13 peer-reviewed journal articles
-
30 active research projects
-
321 farmers in transition to organic and regenerative organic methods
-
32,670 acres in transition with our organic consulting program
-
14 consulting staff
-
20 webinars with 2,450 participants
-
13 virtual courses with 3,440 students
-
1,200 workshop, tour, and event attendees
-
7,500+ media mentions
-
78 full-time staff members (30% increase from 2021)
News & Updates
2022 marked the expansion of Rodale Institute to new campuses (physical and virtual) as well as new discoveries of ways to give back to the farmers who are the foundation of regenerative organic agriculture. Here are just some of the updates from 2022:
Expanding Campuses
Rodale Institute saw significant growth in 2022. In January, we grew our main campus from 333 acres to 386 acres with the addition of a historic orchard. In April, we officially opened the Rodale Institute Pocono Organic Center at Pocono Organics in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.
The Institute expanded once more in September with the acquisition of Cascadian Farm Home Farm in Rockport, Washington. This historic farm was generously donated by General Mills and will be used for research and education in the region under its new name, the Rodale Institute Pacific Northwest Organic Center at Cascadian Farm.
Read More: PARTNERSHIP WITH POCONO ORGANICS BLOSSOMS INTO NEW REGIONAL RESOURCE CENTER
GENERAL MILLS DONATES THE CASCADIAN FARM HOME FARM TO RODALE INSTITUTE
New Partnerships
2022 was a year of collaboration. From universities and government agencies to corporations, Rodale Institute forged new partnerships all across the country.
Through corporate collaborations with brands like General Mills and Ancient Nutrition, Rodale Institute opened new paths to transitioning farmland to organic and regenerative organic production. These multiyear projects will bring more organic and regenerative organic food to the marketplace and will give farmers in Tennessee, Missouri, California, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming more stability by protecting and regenerating their natural resources for years to come.
Through partnerships with TAZO and Kutztown University, Rodale Institute invested in a new generation of farmers in 2022. The Institute’s BIPOC microgrant, funded in part by TAZO Tea, gave financial assistance to 35 people of color who are leading the organic movement. An academic agreement with Kutztown University will establish a new regenerative organic track for ag students and will facilitate collaboration between the Institute and the university’s agriculture department.
Read More:
75th Anniversary
October 2022 marked the 75th anniversary of Rodale Institute’s founding. As leaders of the modern organic movement in the United States, Rodale Institute has been instrumental in shaping the 60-billion-dollar industry we know today. From our humble beginnings as the Soil and Health Foundation in Allentown, Pennsylvania, to the Rodale Institute of today—operating eight regional campuses and spanning two continents—we have never strayed from our mission of creating a healthier food system for both people and planet.
To celebrate this milestone of 75 years of organic leadership, we launched a social media campaign with the hashtag #MyWhyOrganic asking our followers to share why they care about organic food and farming.
Be Part of the Impact
Rodale Institute depends on supporters like you to continue the impactful work you see here. Please consider including Rodale Institute in your giving plan this year.
Donate Today