The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA, NRCS) in New Hampshire has announced today the dates for a special signup under the Organic Transition Initiative (OTI) in the Granite State.
Under this initiative, the 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.
New Hampshire producers must submit their applications by June 15, 2023, to be considered under this initiative.
While applications are accepted year-round, applications submitted by June 15 will be considered for the next available funding. Applications received after June 15 will be considered during the next funding cycle.
Under the OTI, NRCS will dedicate $70 million nationally to assist producers with a new organic management standard under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) as outlined in the USDA’s national press release April 10, 2023.
The investment, which includes funds from the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), aims to help build new and better markets and income streams, strengthen local and regional food systems, and increase affordable food supply for more Americans, while promoting climate-smart agriculture and ensuring equity for all producers.
The OTI-specific practices included under EQIP in this sign-up are:
- Organic Management (Practice Code 823)
- Conservation Plan Supporting Organic Transition (Practice Code 138)
- Transition to Organic Design (Practice Code 140)
- Conservation Cover (Practice Code 327)
- Conservation Crop Rotation (Practice Code 328)
- Cover Crops (Practice Code 340)
- Field Borders (Practice Code 386)
- Nutrient Management (Practice Code 590)
Original source can be found here.