Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced yesterday the details of a $300 million investment in a new Organic Transition Initiative that will help build markets and income streams for farmers and producers.
The number of non-certified organic farms transitioning to organic production has decreased by almost 71 percent from 2008, according to data from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The USDA hopes that this new initiative will help counteract this fact, creating opportunities for farmers to expand direct-to-consumer access to organic items.
“Farmers face challenging technical, cultural, and market shifts while transitioning to organic production, and even during the first years after successful organic certification,” said Vilsack in a statement. “Through this multi-phased, multi-agency initiative, we are expanding USDA’s support of organic farmers to help them with every step of their transition as they work to become certified and secure markets for their products.”
The Organic Transition Initiative will provide technical assistance, provide direct support through conservation financial assistance and crop insurance assistance, as well as support market development programs.
Headed by the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, Risk Management Agency, and Natural Resources Conservation Service, the initiative will focus on the following:
• Support for farmers who wish to transition to organic by providing training, education, mentorship, and more.
• Direct financial and technical assistance to producers who implement organic management conservation practices
• Organic supply chain improvements in key vulnerable markets
The new program works with existing USDA-backed assistance for organic producers that help farmers transition to organic, pay organic certification fees, and more.
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