USDA Offers Financial Aid To Organic Producers To Implement Resource Conservation Practices

Small and mid-sized organic producers and farmers transitioning to organic food production are getting financial help from the USDA to implement resource conservation practices, the agency announced. The assistance – this year totaling $50 million – was authorized in the 2008 Farm Bill to help organic farmers protect natural resources “and create conditions that help foster organic production,” according to USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan. Producers eligible for the assistance include those certified through USDA's National Organic Program, those transitioning to certified organic production, and those who meet organic standards but are exempt from certification because annual organic sales are less than $5,000, the agency said. Appropriate use of the aid money would be, for example, to plant cover crops, create pest management plans or put in place organic nutrient management systems.