Meet Our Mentors | Organic Agriculture

Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) Mentors

The Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) offers a unique opportunity to receive personalized guidance from seasoned organic farmers and producers. Through the TOPP Mentorship Program, you can connect with experienced mentors who can help you learn best practices tailored to your farming operation, prepare your farm for organic certification, and navigate the challenges of organic farming. Meet some of the mentors currently active in the program, and take advantage of this 1-on-1 guidance to move your organic farm forward with confidence.

Laura Cullip

Status: Not taking on more mentees

Location: Hutchinson, MN

Crops: Vegetables

Laura began her career working on organic farms across the U.S. and Brazil before co-founding Loon Organics with her partner, Adam, in 2005. They started by growing certified organic vegetables on one acre of rented land. After four years of renting, Laura and Adam were able to purchase their 40-acre farm in Hutchinson, where they transitioned to full-time farming. With a combined 20 years of experience in organic certification—both on rented land and their own 40-acre organic farm—Laura has extensive expertise in this area. For the past 15 years, she has also worked as a farm educator and mentor. Currently, Laura serves as a Farm Advocate for emerging farmers with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and as a Land Access Navigator with Renewing the Countryside. Additionally, she is the Vice-Chair of the Land Stewardship Project's Board of Directors

Caroline Hegstrom

Status: Available to Mentor

Location: Duluth, MN

Crops: Fruit, vegetables, cut flowers, and pastured poultry

Caroline Hegstrom began her organic farming journey with container gardening in the inner city and, over the years, progressed to managing a 25-acre certified organic and diversified farm, The Boreal Farm, in northeastern Minnesota. The farm produces vegetables, flowers, broilers, berries, and orchard fruit. For the past eight years, she has focused on growing certified organic produce for CSA programs and alternative food markets, such as farmer collaborative CSAs and the Twin Ports REKO Ring, where she was both a founding farmer and an administrator for several years. Caroline has also consulted on urban farming projects and served as a resource for others exploring market farming and organic growing. She currently serves on the board of the Sustaining Farming Association at both the chapter and executive levels and on the Minnesota Organic Advisory Task Force, where she advocates for the interests and views of organic farmers. Her current project focuses on creating a year-round income model for market farmers through high tunnel/in-ground growing and root cellaring.

Ariel Pressman

Status: Available to Mentor

Location: Balsam Lake, WI

Crops: fruits and vegetables

Ariel Pressman spent three seasons working on organic vegetable operations before starting his own farm, Seed to Seed. Ariel spent seven years operating Seed to Seed, a 15 acre certified organic vegetable farm in Balsam Lake, WI that specialized in exclusively working with wholesale accounts. After selling his farm Ariel spent 5 years as the Director of Certification for Real Organic Project, a farmer run add-on certification for certified organic farms. Ariel currently wears a number of hats in the upper Midwest farming community, including wholesale vegetable production education with the University of Minnesota Extension.

Melany Thomas

Status: Available to Mentor

Location: Moorhead, MN

Crops: Small grains and pulses crops

Melony has been producing certified organic crops, particularly small grains and soybeans, for the past 5 years. Melany has recent experience with transitioning new land, as well as dealing with land that has been certified since early 2000's. She is now producing organic hay.

Noreen Thomas

Status: Not taking on more mentees

Location: Moorhead, MN

Crops: Processing, handling, and/or manufactured foods, Grains/corn, pulses

Noreen grew up in western ND and Montana. Since 1997, Noreen and her husband, Lee, have been certified-organic producers, farming 1,200 acres of grains, feed and beans for domestic as well as foreign markets. Noreen, holds a bachelor's of science in Food and Nutrition from North Dakota State University, shows her ongoing commitment to agricultural education through the countless volunteer hours she spends working with children and youth on projects throughout Missouri, Minnesota and Montana. Noreen also has developed learning tools for New Americans and underserved populations, including visual learners and children and adults with physical and learning disabilities. You can find Noreen's Organic oat products at the Manna Food Co-op in Detroit Lakes as well as many stores in the cities.

Courtney Tchida

Status: Available to mentor

Location: St. Paul, MN

Crops: Cut flowers, herbs, fruits, vegetables, and speciality crops (ginger, jelly melons, etc.)

Courtney brings over 20 years of experience as an organic farmer, community organizer, educator, researcher and collaborator. She helped found and managed Cornercopia Student Organic Farm at the University of Minnesota, a 6-acre certified organic farm growing vegetables, fruits, herbs and broiler chickens. She also co-created the MN SEED Project to help connect people to free, locally adapted, native seeds. Courtney is based in St. Paul, MN and joined Wild Farm Alliance in 2024 to help farmers bring nature back to their farms.

Aaron Wills

Status: Available to mentor

Location: Northfield, MN

Crops: Organic berries

Aaron Wills farms with his wife and family at Little Hill Berry Farm, a 15 acre organic berry farm in Northfield, MN that they started in 2011. They raise certified organic blueberries, strawberries and other fruits and market their fruit through U-pick and on-farm sales in their farm store. Aaron enjoys sharing his experiences and expertise around the financial aspects of running a farm, connecting and communicating with customers, and efficient production systems.