Member Spotlight: TOPP Mentorship

Originally published in the Spring 2026 edition of the OEFFA newsletter.

Renee Ramunni and Teresa Mitchell are surprisingly similar. They are both approaching their 70th birthdays, have families with biological and adopted children of similar ages, and come from caregiving backgrounds. In 2025, a post-retirement dream and a love of teaching would bring them together. 

After a long career as a nurse, Teresa finally had the time and energy to use her Euclid, Ohio, property to produce healthy food. She grew up on a farm in Alabama, but shied away from farm work, willingly letting her older sisters handle it instead. After working in healthcare, recognizing Earth’s innate ability to provide, and long dreaming of producing food, she decided to put her third of an acre to work. 

Teresa explored many opportunities to help turn her farming dreams into reality. She enrolled in a Cornell Small Farms Program course on mushroom cultivation, bought gardening books, and attended the BIPOC Food & Farm Network (BFFN) Conference. But what would really shape her learning is Central State University’s Fast Track Farming program. 

Available at six sites across Ohio, Teresa found a local offering at the historic Coit Road Farmers’ Market. Through the program, she learned about intensive urban vegetable production and started shaping her farm business plans. She also learned about OEFFA and our involvement in the Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP), which pairs folks interested in organic production with established organic mentors.  

About 45 minutes from Euclid in Wadsworth, Ohio, is County Line Family Farm. Like Teresa, owners Joe and Renee Ramunni turned to farming later in their lives. Leaving careers in HVAC consultancy and special-needs healthcare, the two began farming in 2014 to better meet the needs of their family. On a little more than three and a half acres, they began raising chickens and dairy goats and growing grapes, herbs, and multiple varieties of vegetables. Although they immediately dabbled in all areas at once, their suggestion would be, “slow and steady wins the race.”

The Ramunnis attended their first OEFFA Conference in 2015 and became certified organic with OEFFA in 2017. They fell in love with the organic community and the benefits of working with the earth. Throughout County Line Family Farm’s many interactions with consumers—their annual plant sale, former CSA, pizza parties, fundraisers, and egg pick-ups—Renee loved providing education. She was always quick to offer advice or lead impromptu workshops on the farm. Upon hearing about TOPP, Renee expressed interest in becoming a mentor in the fall of 2024 and awaited being paired with a mentee. 

In October 2025, just after Teresa completed the Fast Track Farming program, she was paired with her new TOPP mentor, Renee. The two quickly took to texting, diving into organic farming and the challenges and opportunities that come with it, while discovering their many similarities. 

“We’re two older women learning to do this with our age, and with younger children,” Renee said. 

As Teresa continued to learn how the system works and how she could fulfill her goals of growing, marketing, and selling organic heirloom tomatoes, she was quick to turn to Renee for guidance, through calls, texts, and shared photos.

Some of Teresa’s foundational learning included watching videos featuring OEFFA’s former Sustainable Agriculture Educator, Casey Brooks. “Oh my god, he makes me fall in love with organic,” Teresa said while reflecting on videos from our YouTube channel (youtube.com/OEFFAeducation)—many of which she watched more than once. 

“The role of the mentorship program is to take the person where they want to go, providing resources without overwhelming them,” said Renee. 

Theresa appreciates the hands-on learning that took place during her visit to County Line Family Farm as much as the impromptu advice she gets via text when looking at OMRI-listed potting soil at the store. Renee’s support, along with guidance from OEFFA, proved vital when Teresa recently began applying for an EQIP-funded high tunnel and arranging her first meeting with a Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) representative.

Teresa may not go through the certification process this year, but is confident in her ability to grow in accordance with the organic standards. “It’s something that resonates with me philosophically,” she shared. She maintains her idealistic, ambitious approach to her farm plans, which Renee assures her is essential to driving the momentum required in farming.

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Currently exploring market opportunities, you may soon find Teresa’s heirloom tomatoes at a market near Cleveland. You can visit County Line Family Farm for their annual plant sale, which starts on May 17. They’ll have established organic vegetables and herbs ready for transplant, and Renee may even teach you a thing or two. Learn more at facebook.com/countylinefamilyfarm.

Are you an OEFFA member with a food or farm story to share? Contact newsletter@oeffa.org for a chance to be featured!