Goni Ronen is a 2024 CCOF Foundation Future Organic Farmer.
The CCOF Foundation’s Future Organic Farmer Goni Ronen studied Sustainable Agriculture at Central Carolina Community College and completed his Permaculture Foundation certificate. For the past year, he has been the field manager at Timberwood Organics in Efland, North Carolina.
“I want to be a part of a sustainable organic farm that values the health of the ecosystem and the consumer over profit,” Ronen says. “My main interest is in community supported agriculture and providing fresh produce to the local community, but I also envision the farm as being a place where people can come to learn. I’d like it to be a place that hosts workshops, internships, and volunteers. Although the main product of the farm may be vegetables, I want to include perennial beds and berries, as well as a small orchard. I also want to keep livestock and incorporate them into the farm organism. Not just for production, but also as biological controls for insects and weeds, as well as providing fertility.”
Ronen pays special attention to record-keeping, which is an essential part of organic certification. As a field manager, one of his duties was to keep all required logs for the certification. “In one of the classes I took at Central Carolina Community College called Advanced Crop Production, we discussed and executed precisely this at the certified organic, on-campus farm,” he says.
Ronen says this year has been a big leap for him. “I have taken a step towards my goal in accepting a position as a field manager at Timberwood, one of the farms that I worked at over the years. I worked closely with the owners, but for the most part I was running the show! The lessons I learned and the experiences I gained will stay with me through my agricultural career. This year I am moving to another farm and taking a step back in terms of responsibilities to make way for my studies of Agricultural Education through the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro NC.”
The CCOF Foundation is proud to support students like Goni Ronen who seek to support their community with fresh produce as well as fostering an inclusive place of learning.
Applications for the Future Organic Farmers grant open March 17 – April 18, 2025.
If you would like to contribute to the success of Future Organic Farmers like Goni Romen, the CCOF Foundation accepts donations including donor advised funds and gifts of stock. Please reach out to the CCOF Foundation’s Donor Relations Manager Shawna Rodgers, srodgers@ccof.org, to learn more.