UW-Madison Division of Extension Welcomes New Organic Transition Outreach Specialist to Focus on Organic Programming and Education

By ERICA GENTRY

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension welcomes a new Outreach Specialist focused on organic transition, supporting growers through a sometimes-challenging process and growing organics in Wisconsin.

Ari Abbrescia will fill the new statewide position which is focused exclusively on supporting farmers transitioning to organic production. With almost 250,000 acres of certified organic land spread across more than 1,500 farms, Wisconsin continues to lead the nation in both organic production and sales, second only to California in farm numbers. As the state’s first Organic Transition Outreach Specialist, Abbrescia hopes to increase those statistics as she supports more farmers in pursuing the organic opportunity. 

This new position is evidence of the increasing support for organic growers from the UW. “The Division of Extension has long wanted to invest more resources in the ever-growing organic sector in our state,” says Anne Pfeiffer, Crops and Soils Program Manager at the UW-Madison Division of Extension. She goes on to say that “we’re excited to have Ari get to work creating resources, building networks, and creating programs that address the specific needs of the organic community in Wisconsin.”

Abbrescia is coming to the position with a heavy organic toolbelt. As a recent graduate from the Agroecology M.S. Program at UW-Madison, she brings lessons learned while studying disease management in organic vegetable crops. During her studies at UW-Madison, she created organic-specific resources for growers throughout the state. She’s interested in continuing to offer direct support to farmers. “I’m just coming out of a program where I was able to do a lot of outreach work”, she explains. “I’m excited to use the skills that I’ve gained over the past few years to support producers, and to be able to devote my time and energy to listening, connecting, and ultimately helping farmers find success in organics.” 

Beyond Abbrescia’s degree and output, she also came to play an important role in the organic community at UW-Madison. “Ari was one of the first graduate students who we were able to fund through a generous donor gift that supports organics in Wisconsin through investment in our University,” says Erin Silva, Clif Bar Endowed Chair in Organic Agriculture and Director of the UW Organic Collaborative. “I think that Ari’s new position is just one of many ways in which that investment continues to bear fruit, and we couldn’t be more proud of her and more confident that she’ll bring skill, confidence, and care to everything that she does.” 

Abbrescia recognizes that supporting growers isn’t a top-down activity. Instead, she emphasizes the importance of sitting down with farmers to identify their most pressing needs and goals, then co-creating resources and tools to meet those objectives. “There can never be too many opportunities for discussion and feedback” she says. Wanting her contributions to be relevant and useful is her primary goal as she takes on her new role this winter, visiting organic conferences and connecting with farmers and educators around the state.

To that end, she has a simple message: “Reach out! I would love to connect and hear your thoughts on how I can best support you in this role.”