On Tuesday, September 4, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a series of resources as part of its new Organic Literacy Initiative, an effort to help connect current and prospective organic farmers, ranchers, and processors with the USDA resources available to them.

The purpose of the Organic Literacy Initiative is to provide USDA staff as well as organic producers and handlers with detailed information about organic agriculture and the programs and services USDA offers to support it.  One of the goals of the initiative is to help USDA staff around the U.S. be better equipped to help farmers, ranchers, and processors understand organic certification and access relevant USDA services.

As organic agriculture has grown, and as Congress has invested modest but increasing resources into organic enforcement, research, and cost-share programs, there has been a clear need for these types of resources.

The materials available include:

• An Organic 101 training about what the organic label means and how certification works;
• A brochure that contains information about organic standards and certification and a brief description of USDA resources;
• An Organic Resource Guide that outlines how each USDA agency supports organic agriculture and provides relevant USDA contact information; and
• A USDA blog that highlights organic topics.

More detailed guides about requirements for organic crops, livestock, and handling are coming soon.  To view all of the materials available, visit the Organic Literacy Initiative homepage.