NOFA-NY

What NOFA-NY does

NOFA-NY is the New York state chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA), a 501(c)(3) non-profit federation of seven independent state chapters (CT, MA, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT) coordinated through the NOFA Interstate Council. Founded in the 1980s (with the parent NOFA established in 1971), the organization provides ecological production management education, organic certification coordination, and agricultural advisory services to over 5,000 farmers, gardeners, landscape professionals, and consumers across the Northeast US. Core offerings include The Natural Farmer (a quarterly print newspaper distributed to 6,000+ households), annual winter conferences, the Soil Carbon Restoration campaign, the USDA-funded Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP), and a regional/national policy and advocacy program.

NOFA-NY generates revenue through recurring membership dues and tax-deductible donations, TNF magazine subscriptions ($20 domestic / $30 international annually), and winter conference registration fees. The organization distributes its services and publications through a community-led GTM motion anchored in grassroots chapters, email newsletters, and policy action alerts. It is a founding member of multiple national coalitions (National Organic Coalition, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, Agricultural Justice Project, National Family Farm Coalition), and engages in high-profile advocacy including lawsuits against USDA, PFAS manufacturers, and federal workforce reduction actions. The organization is registered as a non-profit with no proprietary technology, no AI/ML capabilities, and limited disclosed financials.

The business model is subscription-and-donation-based with three primary revenue streams: membership/donations, publication subscriptions, and event registration. NOFA-NY holds no patents, trademarks, or proprietary technology assets. Its competitive position rests on community legitimacy, multi-decade brand equity, and coalition leverage rather than technical differentiation. Operational headwinds include 2025 USDA funding freezes that forced staff layoffs and project suspensions across NOFA chapters.

Name

NOFA-NY

Legal name

Northeast Organic Farming Association, Interstate Council

Website

https://nofa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NOFA-NY is a non-profit chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association providing organic farming education, certification coordination, and policy advocacy to farmers, gardeners, and consumers across New York State and the broader Northeast US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organic Agriculture Advocacy and Education

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Organic Certification Services (AFALAMAA), Soil Testing, pH Adjustment & Soil Amendments (Lime/Gypsum/Organic Matter) (HSAIAGAC)

Keywords

• Organic farming advocacy
• Sustainable agriculture education
• Farmer certification programs
• Agricultural policy advocacy
• Organic gardening resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Binghamton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues & Donations: NOFA relies heavily on tax-deductible donations and membership contributions to fund its policy and advocacy programs. The interstate council's policy work is funded 100% by donor support. Donations are processed online, with contributions designated as tax-exempt under IRS section 501(c).
2. The Natural Farmer (TNF) Magazine Subscriptions: The Natural Farmer is the quarterly in-print newspaper of NOFA, published nearly 40 years. It covers organic farming techniques, certification issues, food justice, and environmental topics. Subscriptions are available for $20/year (domestic US) or $30/year (international). TNF is free to most NOFA members.
3. Winter Conference Registrations: Each NOFA state chapter organizes its own annual winter conference (in-person, online, or hybrid). Registration fees for these multi-day educational events generate revenue and are promoted through NOFA-IC's central site.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NOFA-NY is the New York chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that serves more than 5,000 members including organic farmers, gardeners, landscape professionals, and consumers across seven Northeast state chapters. The organization delivers education, training, peer networking, policy advocacy, and certification-support services through its flagship offerings: the annual Winter Conference, the quarterly The Natural Farmer publication, the Soil Carbon Restoration campaign, and the Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP). It also engages in national agricultural policy advocacy in coalition with peer organizations.

Product overview

The Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) is a non-profit organization comprising seven state chapters (Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont) with over 5,000 farmers, gardeners, landscape professionals, and consumers. The organization operates as a unified advocacy and educational network under the NOFA Interstate Council. Key offerings include The Natural Farmer quarterly magazine, annual Winter Conferences across all chapters, the Soil Carbon Restoration campaign, the Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP), and a Policy Program advocating for organic farming at regional and national levels. The organization also operates an Online Store for subscriptions and donations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Natural Farmer: The quarterly newspaper of NOFA, published since nearly forty years ago. Features organic farming techniques, certification issues, environmental developments, food justice topics, and stories about farmers from New England, New York and New Jersey. Readership of more than 6,000 households.

Products and services

• NOFA-NY Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• Reached over 5,000 farmers, gardeners, landscape professionals and consumers across 7 Northeast states
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1986NFFC was formed in 1986 as an opposition coalition to USDA-backed industrial agriculture. Today it has 30 member organizations including the NOFA Chapters via the Interstate Council, representing 50,000 farmers and ranchers and over 400,000 fishers. NOFA participates in NFFC's annual DC Fly-In, sending farmer representatives from state chapters to meet with Congressional staffers on issues including fair dairy pricing, food sovereignty, and equitable access to farmland and farm credit.
• Agricultural Justice Project (AJP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNOFA is one of AJP's four founding members. AJP operates the Food Justice Certified label and provides technical assistance to farmers who want to adopt fair labor practices including recognition of workers' rights to organize, living wages, and conflict resolution free from retaliation. NOFA has partnered with AJP on projects to support the organic farming community in addressing shared social justice values.
• Real Organic Project (ROP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerROP is a farmer-led organization that provides an add-on label to USDA-certified organic prohibiting hydroponics and livestock confinement operations. NOFA-NY and NOFA-VT are among the rebel certifiers who are part of ROP's network. ROP has verified over 1,000 farms across the country under its add-on organic label. NOFA supports ROP's mission to preserve the soil-based meaning of organic.
• Coalition of Immokalee Farmworkers (CIW)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNOFA supports CIW's Worker-Driven Social Responsibility model and its Fair Food label, which has empowered farmworkers to shame major fast-food brands into forcing farms to pay a penny more per pound of produce. NOFA chapters are encouraged to join CIW's boycott campaigns such as the Wendy boycott.
• Vermont Migrant JusticeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVermont Migrant Justice has forced Ben and Jerry's to require dairies in their supply chain to sign contracts with Milk with Dignity. NOFA VT and NY and NJ have supported Migrant Justice's campaigns to give undocumented people the right to driver's licenses. NOFA has also publicly supported Migrant Justice in its legal actions against ICE targeting farmworker leaders.
• National Organic Coalition (NOC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNOFA is a founding member of the National Organic Coalition, which advocates for organic standards, farmer supports, and consumer protection in federal policy. NOC coordinates testimony and advocacy on Farm Bill, NOSB, NOP, and related issues.
• National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNOFA is a founding member of NSAC, which works on federal agricultural policy advocacy including farm bill, conservation programs, and sustainable agriculture research funding.
• Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOFGA is one of the five rebel certifiers (alongside NOFA-NY and NOFA-VT) that filed a May 2023 position paper refusing to certify hydroponic operations as organic. MOFGA is also a leader in addressing PFAS contamination of farmland in Maine and serves as a model for NOFA's PFAS response in the Northeast.
• Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOEFFA is one of the five rebel certifiers that filed the May 2023 position paper with USDA's NOP refusing to certify soilless hydroponic operations as organic, alongside NOFA-NY, NOFA-VT, MOFGA, One Cert, and the Real Organic Project.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Agricultural Justice Project (AJP): AJP operates the Food Justice Certified label focused on fair labor practices for farmworkers. NOFA is one of AJP's four founding members, with overlapping social-justice-oriented values and farmer support programs.
• Real Organic Project (ROP): ROP is a farmer-led add-on organic label that has verified over 1,000 farms. NOFA-NY and NOFA-VT are among ROP's 'rebel certifier' network. ROP operates in the same soil-based organic advocacy space and competes for aligned farmer loyalty and donor support.

Others

• National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC): NFFC is the umbrella coalition of 30 member organizations (including NOFA via the Interstate Council) representing 50,000 farmers and ranchers. NFFC convenes the DC Fly-In that NOFA participates in, making it a coalition-enabling peer rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Rodale Institute: Rodale Institute is a national organic agriculture research and education institution with overlapping mission focus on soil health, organic farming practices, and farmer training, though it operates more as a research center than a membership advocacy organization.
• National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC): NSAC is the broader federal policy coalition of which NOFA is a founding member. NSAC works on Farm Bill, conservation programs, and sustainable agriculture research funding at the national level, giving it overlapping advocacy mandate and shared coalition membership.
• National Organic Coalition (NOC): NOC is a federal policy coalition on organic standards, farmer supports, and consumer protection. NOFA is a founding member, giving NOC overlapping advocacy function and shared coalition participation with NOFA's policy program.

Regional players

• Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA): PASA is a neighboring Mid-Atlantic sustainable agriculture organization running farmer education, conferences, and advocacy. Its geographic adjacency and overlapping programming make it a relevant regional comparable.
• Carolina Farm Stewardship Association: CFSA is a Southeast US regional organic/sustainable agriculture organization offering farmer education, conferences, and advocacy. It mirrors NOFA's structure in a different geography, making it a structurally comparable regional peer.

Direct peers

• Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA): MOFGA is one of the five 'rebel certifiers' (alongside NOFA-NY and NOFA-VT) that filed the May 2023 position paper refusing to certify hydroponic operations as organic. It operates an almost identical state-level organic farming education, certification, and advocacy model serving Maine, with overlapping donor and member pools.
• Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA): OEFFA is a fellow rebel certifier that co-signed the May 2023 USDA position paper alongside NOFA. It runs an organic certification program plus farmer education and policy advocacy in Ohio, making it a structurally comparable state-level organic farming organization.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nofanewyork
• Facebookfacebook.com/nofanewyork

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about NOFA-NY