Agriculture policy
IMAGO / ZUMA Wire 
According to the USDA, organic production allows producers to hold a unique position in the marketplace and thus take home a greater share of the food dollar.
USA, Washington. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced details of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) $300 million investment in a new Organic Transition Initiative. The initiative is aimed at helping build new and better markets and streams of income for farmers and producers.
According to a USDA press release, the support provided by the initiative should reverse the trend of dropping numbers for farms actively transitioning to organic production. Since 2008, the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service have reported a decline of nearly 71%.
The initiative will deliver wrap-around technical assistance, including farmer-to-farmer mentoring; provide direct support through conservation financial assistance and additional crop insurance assistance, and support market development projects in targeted markets.
“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. “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.”
USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Risk Management Agency (RMA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) are the primary agencies supporting the Initiative, which will focus on three areas.
AMS will build partnership networks in six regions across the United States with trusted local organisations serving direct farmer training, education, and outreach activities.
NRCS will develop a new Organic Management conservation practice standard and offer financial and technical assistance to producers who implement the practice.
A pinpointed market development support will focus on key organic markets where the need for domestic supply is high or where additional processing and distribution capacity is needed for more robust organic supply chains.
This USDA initiative complements existing assistance for organic producers, including FSA’s Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP) and Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program (OTECP). OCCSP helps producers obtain or renew their organic certification, and OTECP provides additional funding to certified and transitioning producers during the pandemic.
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture
