The Dry Farming Institute

What it reported doing in 2025

Our farm: a living laboratory for dry farming innovation our farm sites serve as a living laboratory for hands-on experimentation and educational demonstration. From crop variety trials and seed stewardship to soil health and water conservation strategies, our land-based work generates practical insights that ground and inform all we do . Our work: technical assistance for exploring water resilience we partner with growers, agricultural advisors, and researchers, primarily in the maritime pacific northwest, to co-create low-input, water-resilient solutions that fit local contexts and challenges. Flexible, collaborative projects dfi is operating through a flexible, project-by-project model. This nimble approach allows us to test ideas and work with highly motivated partners on initiatives ranging from educational storytelling and workshops to technical support for demonstration farms. Each project is tailored to meet growers where they are and share whats learned with broader networks. 2025 projects storytelling for impact: case studies were capturing the stories of growers who are navigating water uncertainty with creativity and building resilience in the face of water uncertainty. These case studies help translate innovation into action and foster connection across regions. Well be sharing these stories online, in community-centered presentations, and alongside partners who are helping to spread the word. Virtual water resilience workshops these interactive sessions bring together ag professionals and growers across the west coast to explore tailored water strategies, share knowledge, and build peer-to-peer networks. A water resilience toolkit the dry farming institute (dfi) is developing a practical, grower-centered toolkit that provides clear, actionable steps for exploring and implementing water-resilient strategies on farms. This toolkit is based off of a decade plus of collaborative participatory research started at Oregon state university and continued exploratory trials with dfi.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 29.5%; rating input score 29
• Program expense ratio: 67.2%; rating input score 67
• Fundraising efficiency: $242.53 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 56.7%; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.41; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 44.9%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: Limited
• Revenue growth: 82.6% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 159.2% per year; rating input score 100; 100th percentile among comparable filings