U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is allocating 300 million dollars from the USDA budget to promote organic farming. Part of the subsidy will be used for income support, and another part to boost the demand for organic products.
The new organic subsidy is part of President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan. Organic farming production enables farmers to take a unique position in the market and thus bring home a larger share of the food dollar, according to a USDA press release.
The number of not-yet-certified organic farms actively transitioning to full organic production has declined sharply in recent years. Through the extensive support of this new initiative, the USDA hopes to reverse this trend.
The organic incentive plan will include technical assistance, including peer-to-peer mentoring from farmer to farmer. Financial support will also be provided for 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 years after their organic certification,” said Secretary Vilsack. With this initiative, the USDA wants to ensure that farmers switching to organic get the support they need to navigate that transition,” he stated.
In six regions of the United States, driving projects with trusted local organizations will offer training and education to farmers.