By Clare Boland
Chris Barnett: Finding a Path into Organic Farming
Chris Barnett describes himself as “a second-generation rancher and first-generation farmer.” He is the owner and operator of Christopher Organic Farm, a 1,600-acre livestock and organic row-crop farm in Fort Scott, Kansas. His family has been stewarding their land in Southeast Kansas for over 40 years, all without chemical inputs.
Returning to his family’s ranch as an adult, Chris took a leap into pursuing organic row crops in addition to ranching. In 2025, he began growing organic wheat, obtaining organic certification through OCIA.
After years of careful stewardship, Chris is beginning to see the results of his hard work: the native prairie is flourishing, wildlife is returning, and the health of his 300-head cow-calf herd is improving.
“It’s a whole ecosystem boost,” Chris says. “Everything is just flourishing out there. It’s been a beautiful process.”
As a first-generation farmer, and an organic farmer at that, mentorship was pivotal for Chris. Diving into certification, Chris said that the administrative side was daunting. He decided to enroll in the Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) to ease the process.
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