Grants to Help Organic Farmers

With organic gardening and farming of great interest to many in New Mexico, I thought it important to reprint this Public News Service article regarding an availability of grants, even to small and start-up farmers. If you know anyone to whom this may apply, please pass along.

Government grants available for organic farmers. Photo by Aysha Griffin.

by Sharon Rolenc, Public News Service – MN  (May 10, 2011)

ST. PAUL, Minn. – While the busy planting season is in full swing, Minnesota farmers interested in growing organic are encouraged to take time out and apply for federal USDA grants to support their efforts. The funding is available through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Organic Initiative.

Traci Bruckner, assistant director of the Rural Policy Program at the Center for Rural Affairs, says this unique program is offered across the country for those who are either already growing organic, or considering making the transition.

“They’re going to get assistance with making that leap. So for those farmers or ranchers who’ve ever considered organic, this is really their opportunity to make it happen.”

Bruckner says farmers can apply for funds through their local Natural Resources Conservation Service office, work with staff to develop a plan, and decide which conservation practices they want to utilize.

“And the more practices that they can undertake as part of this, the higher they’re going to score. So it is a ranking process; whoever scores the highest will be funded first, and then they’ll go on down the line until they run out of funds.”

Bruckner says established organic farmers can receive funds to cover 75 percent of the cost to implement organic conservation measures. For beginning, limited-resource, and socially-disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, the funding coverage jumps to 90 percent.

She also advises anyone new to organic farming to get in touch with an organic certifier.

“They’re going to have to develop an organic conservation plan. And if they’re doing this on a farm where they’re going to generate more than $5,000 worth of income, they need to be certified at the end of the third year.”

Bruckner says the Center for Rural Affairs has a “Farm Bill Helpline” that offers farmers and ranchers assistance in accessing programs like EQIP, as well as a host of other beginning farmer programs.

In 2010, Minnesota producers received over $1 million from the program. This year’s deadline to apply is May 20.

The Farm Bill Helpline number is 402-687-2100.

A fact sheet is online at: www.cfra.org

This article and audio can be found at: http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?/content/article/19943-1