From January 2002 to 2005, a new Organic Farming Program was initiated at the Humboldt County office of the University of California Cooperative Extension. The program was made possible by a three-year grant from the Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation. The grant was awarded to the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP). SAREP in turn made funds available to the Cooperative Extension offices of Humboldt, Marin, Stanislaus, and Ventura Counties to develop new programs in organic agriculture. 

The goals of the Humboldt County Organic Farming Program were to increase knowledge about organic and sustainable agricultural practices and to make this information easily accessible. UCCE worked with local farmers to set up on-farm research plots. Topics of research were selected from ideas generated by local farmers to address specific questions or areas of concern. Garden Symphylan, organic fertilizers, and corn earworm test plots were created.

Several workshops were held during these three years. The Organic Certification and Soil Fertility were well attended. A progress report is available on the link to the left under Articles of Interest.