US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack is making $300 million of his USDA budget available to promote organic farming. Part of the subsidy is used for income support, and another part to improve the demand for organic products.
The new bio grant is part of President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan. Organic agricultural production allows farmers to occupy a unique position in the market and thus take home a larger share of the food dollar, a USDA press release states.
The number of uncertified organic farms that are actively switching to full organic production has fallen sharply in recent years. With the extensive support of this new initiative, USDA hopes to reverse this trend.
The bio-incentive plan will include bieden technical assistance, including farm-to-farm mentoring advice. There will also be financial support for nature conservation, crop insurance and the development of targeted markets.
“Farmers face all kinds of shifts during their transition to organic production, even in the first few years after their organic certification,” said Minister Vilsack. With this initiative, USDA wants to ensure that farmers who switch to organic receive the support they need to navigate that transition, he said.
Booster projects with trusted local organizations that will provide training and education to farmers are underway in six regions of the United States.