The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a new program last week for organic farmers that will help cover the annual costs of certification.
The program designates $20 million from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act, to new and existing organic operations throughout the country.
It aims to help the producers overcome financial setbacks brought on by the pandemic, such as loss of markets, increased costs and labor shortages.
Conventional farmers who transitioned to organic have had to implement more expensive organic practices, and in some cases, they haven’t had access to the higher organic prices. All of those costs come in addition to the expense of renewing or obtaining organic certifications.
The Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program covers expenses incurred during the 2020, 2021 and 2022 fiscal years.
“Producers and handlers of organic commodities incur significant costs to obtain or renew organic certification each year,” U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a press release. “The economic challenges that arose due to the pandemic made obtaining and renewing organic certification financially challenging for many operations.”
Vermont has 783 organic producers and 159,505 acres of organic farmland, according to 2020 statistics from the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont. Gross sales from the state’s organic producers totaled $122.5 million last year.
Doug Flack, who operates the organic Flack Family Farm in Fairfield, sells fermented farm-grown vegetables in the form of products like organic kimchi and sauerkraut to local health food stores. The farm’s website notes that the operation is raising its prices “to reflect the cost of living and our cost of production.” While the state already subsidizes the farm’s certification costs, more help wouldn’t hurt, he said.
“Our costs are around $1,000 a year just to be certified,” Flack said. “Every bit is helpful.”
Under the program, farmers can apply for assistance to cover a variety of costs associated with certification. It funds up to $250 for each certification category, such as crops, livestock and handling, along with state and federal fees.
Farmers who recently transitioned to organic can receive up to 75% of costs associated with their transition. That covers fees from certifying agents, for example, or the expense of developing an organic system plan. Farmers who attend educational events focused on organic production can also apply to have the registration costs covered.
Applications for coverage of 2020 and 2021 expenses from Nov. 8, 2021, through Jan. 7, 2022, are available through local Farm Service Agency offices.
Correction: Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this story gave an incorrect date for the announcement of the program.
