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 FUNDS FOR FARMERS
$50 Million Available for
Transitioning and Organic Farmers.
NEW! NRCS has published a list of all organic initiative contacts in all 50 states. Go to the list! >>> DOWNLOAD a printable version (6 page PDF) 50 million dollars is available nationwide to organic farmers or those transitioning to organic agriculture, under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) of the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). *Deadline for applications is June 12th in Wisconsin and South Dakota, June 13th in Iowa, and June 30th in Minnesota, extended from its original May 29th deadline. Other states may extend their deadlines and producers should check with their state NRCS offices for more information.
The Midwest Organic Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) has been following the development of this organic initiative and can aid farmers to understand what would be funded and how best to apply for these funds. MOSES provides educational opportunities about organic farming including workshops, field days and hosts the largest organic farming conference in the US every February in La Crosse, WI. The NRCS EQIP Organic Initiative is a funding program for growers who wish to improve their conservation practices and expand their organic system. Enhancing environmental protection is the goal of EQIP. For those whose farming practices currently conserve and protect natural resources to a high degree, EQIP may not be the best program. (The new Conservation Stewardship program may be a better fit, with criteria for this program expected in the next few months.) Funds for this program focus on six core practices.
TABLE OF CONTENTS/FAQ
Who is eligible for EQIP Organic Initiative funds?
There is a requirement that the land is currently certified or in the process of becoming certified. Payments are related to resource conservation and are not SOLELY for production enhancement. If the producer does not maintain their adherence to the organic foods production act and could no longer be considered as pursuing organic certification, the EQIP contract would be terminated. If producers who sell less than $5,000 in agricultural products elect to pursue organic certification and voluntarily transition to organic certification, they are eligible to participate in this signup. Transitioning organic producers must sign a self certification form detailing their intention to develop and implement an approved organic system plan. The NRCS will evaluate transitioning farmers annually to verify they are following their plan as submitted in their application. If they do not complete their organic transition, some funding dollars may need to be repaid. Certified organic farmers are required to submit their approved organic system plan to the NRCS. The NRCS will verify current organic status with the National Organic Program on an annual basis. What if the eligibility requirements don’t seem to apply to my farm? Although EQIP is a program that offers conservation dollars as an incentive to install or adopt new practices, there are still ways for existing organic farmers to receive money under this program. If a farmer has been planting a rye cover crop on some of his fields, he may be eligible to receive a payment to plant rye on fields that he has not planted to rye before, or if he adds hairy vetch (or other legume) to the mix, then this is considered a new practice and he can receive dollars for this rye/vetch mix. He cannot receive dollars for doing the same practices that he has already been doing, and the new practice should show an enhanced environmental benefit based on NRCS conservation planning criteria. Adding a legume to a cereal cover crop adds this benefit. How much paperwork is required? The application is not long or difficult and should be fairly straight forward for all categories of farmers to apply within the time frame.
A more detailed workplan can be submitted AFTER the contract has been accepted by the NRCS. Can I apply after May 29, 2009? While there is no guarantee funds will be available after this cutoff date, farmers could still put in their applications in case more money becomes available from their state NRCS office. That said, if you’re serious, you can and should apply on or before May 29th! PLEASE NOTE: Some states have extended the deadline to apply for the EQIP Organic Initiative past May 29th. Call your state NRCS office or visit your state NRCS webpage to find out if your state extended their deadline. Find your state NRCS office. Why such a short window to apply? The short signup period for this organic initiative program is due to the late passage of the 2008 farm bill, and the need to disperse dollars by the end of the fiscal year. (Though some states have extended the deadline to apply for the EQIP Organic Initiative past May 29th. Call your state NRCS office or visit your state NRCS webpage to find out if your state extended their deadline. Find your state NRCS office.) Why applying is important. There is 50 million dollars available nationwide and if certain states do not use up their funds, those monies will become available to other states that have applications pending. What if I already applied to an earlier EQIP program? If the organic producer has already put in a funding application for transition to organic production with their state or local NRCS office under the earlier EQIP program NRCS will, with the producer’s concurrence, transfer the application to the organic sign up funding pool. While the six core practices offer more dollars to those enrolled in the organic initiative program than those who are in EQIP and not part of the organic initiative, farmers can work with their states and receive further funding for any other NRCS practice standard that their state chooses to allow as “facilitating practice standards” to this program. There are not enhanced payments or “multipliers” for these facilitating practice standards, but these do offer farmers more options to receive increased payments under this program. How much funding could I qualify for annually? Each state or local NRCS office has specific dollars per acre offered for specific NRCS conservation practices. Under this program, organic producers can receive higher dollars than usually offered for the six core practices identified as being important to both organic agriculture and the NRCS. To determine their payments, the producer will need to obtain the dollars per acre offered for these practices in their region (either from their local NRCS office or the NRCS website http://www.nrcs.usda.gov) and then use the following information to multiply the locally set numbers by the multiplier listed to learn what they are eligible to receive as organic producers. This organic initiative funding is limited to $20,000 per farm per year, and up to $80,000 over six years. Usually funding is 75% of the cost of the practice. Some states list the full cost of the practice on their websites, and some list the 75% rate. If you qualify as a Beginning Farmer or Rancher or as a Limited Resource Farmer, you can receive an extra 15% above the money you would have otherwise received. Contact your local NRCS office to see if you qualify for these two special categories. How can I improve my chances of qualifying for funds? Each organic farmer can, and is highly encouraged, to institute as many of the six core conservation practices as possible, enabling them to both receive more dollars under this program as well as increasing their ranking in NRCS decision making of who receives these dollars, since this is a competitive program. Most organic farmers and transitioning to organic farmers should be able to obtain funds for at least two of these six core practices, and perhaps a few other facilitating practices. Short Summary of the six core practice standards for the organic initiative 2009
Must be done on land that is typically cropped, not for land that is typically hay or pasture, and it is just being renovated. Cropping system must improve organic matter, break pest and weed cycles and include enough residue to prevent erosion. Cover crops included in the rotation fit this practice standard.
Cover crops are not to be harvested and they are to have a positive impact on biodiversity and soil organic matter. Biological nitrogen fixation, weed suppression, erosion control and moisture management are some criteria to use when choosing cover crops to be planted. This is an excellent opportunity for existing organic farmers to experiment with new types or diverse mixes of cover crops, as well as aiding transitioning farmers to begin including this valuable practice in their cropping system.
Plant nutrients or soil amendments must be applied to a specific field, with the types and amounts determined by soil testing to determine a baseline concentration, crop yield goals to be achieved by using these inputs, and timing of the application of the nutrients/amendments. Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and others are to be tracked as well as starter fertilizers. The main purpose of this practice standard is to minimize nutrient losses to ground or surface waters or to the air. This is an excellent opportunity for farmers to obtain significant funding to help with the development and implementation of a nutrient management system, which in many states is becoming mandatory.
This practice standard funds environmentally sensitive management, prevention, monitoring and suppression strategies for weeds, insects, diseases and animals include invasive and noninvasive species that directly cause damage to crops. While equipment cannot be purchased, the time spent scouting can be paid, as well as the cost of monitoring traps and pheromone releases. This is most useful for the transitioning to organic producer where resource protection is the goal. For organic producers who are not currently using materials that are risky to the environment, this program would not offer any financial reimbursements.
Land where grazing or browsing animals are managed is covered by this standard, and includes the planning and implementation of a system that maintains or improves the quantity or quality of the forage, improves soil condition and lessens risk of soil erosion, and improves water quality.
The management of land where machine harvested forage crops are grown is covered by this standard. Planning for yield, quality, plant regrowth, maintenance of the stand over time and provision of wildlife habitat as appropriate would be funded. This includes hay, green chop or silage forages. Links to help you complete the application by May 29th:
APPLICATION FORM: NRCS CONTACT NUMBERS BY STATE Wisconsin NRCS – (608) 662-4422 Minnesota NRCS –(651) 602-7900 Iowa NRCS – (515) 284-6655 Illinois NRCS – (217) 353-6601 South Dakota NRCS – (605) 352-1200 North Dakota NRCS - (701) 530-2000 Michigan NRCS - (517) 324-5270 For other states go to: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/contact/ If you have additional questions NRCS can't answer, contact: WISCONSIN Basic Eligibility and FORMS
Other good sources of information Sustainable Agriculture Coalition ATTRA NEW! NEW! |
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Resources | Projects Resource Directory Production Information (organic fact sheets and more!) Certification Guidebook Broadcaster Newspaper Research and Studies Trainings | Field Days Funds for Farmers Mentoring Program Other Resources
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FUNDS FOR FARMERS |
