USDA to Invest Up to $300M to Promote ‘Healthy’ Growing of Healthy Food
WASHINGTON — For years, organic farming was touted as the right way to grow safe, healthy and nutritious food while opening new markets and opportunities to farmers.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service reported the number of non-certified organic farms actively transitioning to organic production has dropped nearly 71% since 2008.
Now, the USDA is taking steps to reverse that trend.
On Monday, the department announced it is investing $300 million in a new Organic Transition Initiative to build new and better markets and streams of income for farmers and producers while expanding consumer access to organic foods.
“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,” said Agriculture Sec. Tom Vilsack in a written statement.
The plan is to focus on three primary areas:
Transition to Organic Partnership Program
The USDA is providing $100 million to help farmers navigate the transition to organic and ensure they have the supply chain necessary to get their products to American consumers.
Direct Farmer Assistance
The Natural Resources Conservation Service will develop a new Organic Management conservation practice standard and offer financial and technical assistance to producers who implement the practice. Payments will be modeled on those already available to producers meeting the existing nutrient and pest management conservation practice standards. USDA will provide $75 million for this effort.
Another $25 million will support transitioning and certain certified organic producers’ participation in crop insurance, including a portion of their insurance premium.
Organic Pinpointed Market Development Support
USDA will invest up to $100 million to help improve organic supply chains in pinpointed markets. The department will seek stakeholder input on these pinpointed initiatives beginning in September.
