On April 10, The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced details regarding conservation assistance for producers transitioning to organic production. As part of the multi-agency Organic Transition Initiative (OTI), USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) will dedicate financial and technical assistance to a new organic management standard and partner with new organic technical experts to increase staff capacity and expertise.
NRCS will help producers adopt the new organic management standard, which allows flexibility for producers to get the assistance and education they need such as attending workshops or requesting help from experts or mentors. It supports conservation practices required for organic certification and may provide foregone income reimbursement for dips in production during the transition period.
The USDA-NRCS of North Carolina is now accepting applications for enrollment for applications under the OTI. Applications are accepted on a continuous basis; however, N.C. NRCS establishes application "cut-off" or submission deadline dates for evaluation, ranking and approval of eligible applications. To be considered for current available funding for the OTI, applicants should have their applications into the local field office by June 9, 2023.
N.C. NRCS also provides other assistance through voluntary programs to eligible landowners and agricultural producers to provide financial and technical assistance to help manage natural resources in a sustainable manner. Through these programs, the agency approves contracts to implement conservation practices that addresses natural resource concerns or opportunities to help save energy, improve soil, water, plant, air, animal, and related resources on agricultural lands and non-industrial private forest land. To get started, please visit your local USDA Service Center.
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