On Monday, December 20, USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced $50 million in available funding for the 2011 sign-up of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Organic Initiative.

The EQIP Organic Initiative, administered by USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), provides financial and technical assistance to certified organic producers and producers transitioning to organic to help plan and implement conservation practices on their operations. In FY 2010, NRCS obligated nearly $24 million through the Organic Initiative.

Under Organic Initiative contracts, producers are paid 75 percent of the cost for the conservation measures they implement. Beginning, limited resource, and socially disadvantaged producers are paid 90 percent. The program provides up to $20,000 per year per person or legal entity, with a maximum total of $80,000 over six years.

The 2011 sign-up ends March 4, 2011.  Applications are accepted on a continuous basis through your local NRCS office.

For more information, visit our Organic Initiative page here, or the NRCS Organic Initiative page here.