October 31, 2022, is the last day to sign up for the USDA’s new Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program (OTECP) as part of USDA’s broader Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, certified organic and transitional operations faced challenges due to loss of markets, and increased costs and labor shortages, in addition to costs related to obtaining or renewing their organic certification, which producers and handlers of conventionally grown commodities do not incur. Transitional operations also faced the financial challenge of implementing practices required to obtain organic certification without being able to obtain the premium prices normally received for certified organic commodities.
Eligible Expenses
OTECP funding is provided through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). Certified operations and transitional operations may apply for OTECP for eligible expenses paid during the 2020, 2021 and 2022 fiscal years. For each year, OTECP covers 25% of a certified operation’s eligible certification expenses, up to $250 per certification category (crop, livestock, wild crop, handling and State Organic Program fee). This includes application fees, inspection fees, USDA organic certification costs, state organic program fees and more.
Crop and livestock operations transitioning to organic production may be eligible for 75% of a transitional operation’s eligible expenses, up to $750, for each year. This includes fees charged by a certifying agent or consultant for pre-certification inspections and development of an organic system plan.
For both certified operations and transitional operations, OTECP covers 75% of the registration fees, up to $200, per year, for educational events that include content related to organic production and handling in order to assist operations in increasing their knowledge of production and marketing practices that can improve their operations, increase resilience and expand available marketing opportunities. Additionally, both certified and transitional operations may be eligible for 75% of the expense of soil testing required under the National Organic Program (NOP) to document micronutrient deficiency, not to exceed $100 per year.
Applying for Assistance
Program Year 2022 covers expenses paid from October 1, 2021, through September 30, 2022. The application period for program year 2022 is May 16, 2022 to October 31, 2022. Producers apply through their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office and can also obtain one-on-one support with applications by calling 877-508-8364. Visit farmers.gov/otecp to learn more.
Additional Organic Support
OTECP builds upon USDA’s Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP) which provides cost share assistance of 50%, up to a maximum of $500 per scope, to producers and handlers of agricultural products who are obtaining or renewing their certification under the NOP. This year’s application period for OCCSP ended Nov. 1, 2021.
Additionally, USDA’s Risk Management Agency announced improvements to the Whole-Farm Revenue Program including increasing expansion limits for organic producers to the higher of $500,000 or 35%. Previously, small and medium size organic operations were held to the same 35% limit to expansion as conventional practice producers. Also, producers can now report acreage as certified organic, or as acreage in transition to organic, when the producer has requested an organic certification by the acreage reporting date.
To learn more about USDA’s assistance for organic producers, visit usda.gov/organic.
For more information or to apply, visit the program webpage, or contact Kimberly Graham by email or phone (202-720-7641).
October 31, 2022, is the last day to sign up for the USDA’s Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP).
OCCSP provides cost share assistance to producers and handlers of agricultural products who are obtaining or renewing their certification under the National Organic Program (NOP). Certified operations may receive up to 50 percent of their certification costs paid during the program year, not to exceed $500 per certification scope.
To learn more about USDA’s assistance for organic producers, visit usda.gov/organic.
For more information or to apply, visit the program webpage, or contact Kay Niner by email or phone (202-205-9354).
Free virtual training workshops will be offered this fall for both new and experienced users of OK-FIRE, the statewide weather-based decision support system of the Oklahoma Mesonet for wildland fire management with applications to wildfire, prescribed fire, and smoke. Dr. J. D. Carlson, OK-FIRE program manager and fire meteorologist in OSU’s Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, will conduct the training. Workshops will be held in a virtual format over Zoom from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., spanning two consecutive afternoons in November and December:
- November 9 (Part 1), November 10 (Part 2)
- December 14 (Part 1), December 15 (Part 2)
Information on the specific content of Part 1 and Part 2 of the workshops can be found on the online registration form. If you can only make one of the two consecutive days, feel free to sign up for the other half of the workshop in another month. It would also be better, if possible, to attend a Part 1 workshop first and a Part 2 workshop in a later month. You also have the option to only sign up for either Part 1 or Part 2. Part 1 will be useful to all wildland fire managers (those who work with wildfires or conduct prescribed burns), while Part 2 will be of most help to those who work with wildfires. Note that the registration deadline for each afternoon workshop is the Friday before the workshop date. Several days before each workshop, an email reminder containing more information as well as the workshop Zoom link will be sent out to those registered.
Workshops will consist of a combination of presentations, website demos, and question/answer periods. Participants will learn about the available fire weather, fire danger, and smoke products on OK-FIRE, as well as their application to wildfire, prescribed fire, and smoke management. In addition to past/current conditions based on Oklahoma Mesonet data, OK-FIRE also includes a 3-day forecast component, useful for anticipating periods of high fire danger as well as identifying windows for prescribed burning. If possible, attendees are encouraged to use either tablets or computers, as the larger screens will make for easier viewing and learning. Please note that these workshops are designed for those who work directly (or indirectly) with wildland fire (wildfire and/or prescribed fire). Finally, for those who attended any OK-FIRE virtual workshops last fall, please note that the workshops this fall will be similar to those of last year.
For more information or to register, visit the OK-FIRE training webpage, or contact Dr. J. D. Carlson by email or phone (405-744-6353).
The Kansas Rural Center Farm and Food Conference begins Friday, November 11 at 1 pm with a free, public presentation by Dr. Dan Wildcat and Steve Lerner. Registration then covers the following break-out sessions, reception, and full day Saturday.
To register, visit the conference registration page. For more information, visit the conference webpage, or contact the Kansas Rural Center by email or phone (866-579-5469).
The proposal submission deadline for the Southern SARE Producer Grant Program is November 11, 2022 at 12 p.m. (NOON) EST. Announcement of funded proposals will take place in late February 2023.
The Call for Proposals for the Southern SARE Producer Grant Program, intended for farmers/ranchers and farmer/rancher organizations throughout the Southern region, is now available from the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (Southern SARE) program.
The maximum funding amount for a Producer Grant is $15,000 for individual farmers/ranchers and $20,000 for farmer/rancher organizations.
Producer Grants are used to conduct sustainable agriculture research projects that solve agricultural production challenges farmers face and to develop information on what works and what doesn’t so that other farmers and ranchers facing those same challenges can benefit from the results of the funded project.
Producer grants are not designed to pay a farmer to farm; buy livestock, equipment, or land; make permanent farm improvements, or support private enterprises through capital investments. Southern SARE Producer Grants are competitive research grants, designed to take some of the financial risk away from trying a solution to an agricultural production issue.
Projects are funded for two years. Producer organizations should be comprised primarily of farmers/ranchers and must have a majority farmer representation on their governing board.
The Producer Grant Call for Proposals includes all the information needed to apply for a grant. It includes information on what things Producer Grant funds can be used for, proposal submission instructions and contact information. Be sure to carefully follow the information in the Call for Proposals when submitting your proposal. Failure to follow the submission guidelines will result in your proposal being rejected.
Visit http://www.southernsare.org for more information.
The annual Emerging Farmers Conference (formerly the Immigrant & Minority Farmers Conference) serves to advance the success and sustainability of farmers who traditionally face barriers to the education and resources necessary to build profitable agricultural businesses, including immigrant farmers and farmers of color.
This innovative conference focuses primarily on the needs and interests of these farmers, and supports their contributions to local economic development and building healthy communities. It does so by connecting farmers, farm advocates, educators, professionals, experts, and agency officials.
The Emerging Farmers Conference (EFC) is FREE for all farmers and language interpretation is available in Spanish, Hmong, Karen, Bhutanese, Vietnamese, and Somali. Interpretation is based on registration.
For more information or to register, visit the conference website, or contact Marisa Benasutti by email or phone (651-433-3676).
November 12 is the deadline for applications to the SeedMoney garden grant program.
Each year, SeedMoney offers challenge grants to diverse food garden projects through a 30-day crowdfunding challenge running from Nov 15 to Dec 15. Our grants are open to all types of public food garden projects (youth gardens, community gardens, food bank gardens, etc.) regardless of their location.
The grants we offer are on a sliding scale. The size of a grant a project can receive depends on how much it is able to raise over the 30-day period compared to other projects participating in the challenge. This year, we will be offering a total of 370 grants ranging from $100 to $1000.
For more information or to apply, visit the program website, or contact SeedMoney by email or phone (207-956-0606).
‘Growing Together’ – The Farmer Veteran Stakeholders Conference is back for its first in-person conference at the national level since 2019.
Join in the 8th Farmer Veteran Stakeholders Conference from November 13 to 15 at the Sheraton Midwest City Hotel at the Reed Conference Center in Oklahoma City.
The Farmer Veteran Stakeholders Conference is the largest national gathering of the agriculture and military communities and features three days of education, distinguished speakers, guest panels, networking events, farm tours, camaraderie and much more.
For more information or to register, visit the conference webpage, or contact the Farmer Veteran Coalition by email or phone (530-756-1395).
The NCAT 8th Annual Latino Farmer Conference will take place November 17-18 in Escondido, CA.
For more information or to register, visit the conference website, or contact Omar Rodriguez by email or phone (406-533-6654).
The annual Eco-Ag Conference unites farmers, ranchers and ag professionals from every facet of eco-farming to share their experience and expertise. Beginning and generational farmers running sustainable farms – as well as those in transition from conventional to organic – will walk away with useful, practical information that they can apply to their operations right away.
For more information or to register, visit the conference website, or contact Acres U.S.A. by email or phone (970-392-4464).
