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Organic Operations and Transitioning to Organic

Cart full of pruple and yellow bell peppersThrough the 2008 Farm Bill, producers who want to transition to organic agriculture can receive special assistance to meet their conservation goals. In addition, organic producers who are already certified can receive EQIP assistance to apply new conservation practices to their operation to treat natural resource concerns.

As a way to assist organic producers or producers transitioning from traditional farming into organic, NRCS offers a special pool of funding for organic producers and producers transitioning to organic farming. The special funding pool allows them to compete among themselves for financial assistance to pay for installation of needed conservation practices.

Under EQIP, the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) helps farmers apply needed conservation practices to optimize environmental benefits on working agricultural lands. These practices include, but are not limited to, cover crops, nutrient and pest management, prescribed grazing, waterways, terraces, grade stabilization structures, residue and tillage management, and seasonal high tunnel systems for crops (pilot).

Tomatoes and garlic piled high with basil leaves tossed on topApplicants with certified organic operations must submit a copy of their current Organic System Plan (OSP) to NRCS. Producers who apply for assistance to transition their operation to organic production will be required to submit a self-certification letter stating the applicant agrees to develop and implement conservation practices consistent with an OSP. All Organic Initiative applicants must provide the name and contact information of the USDA-accredited certifying agent who certified the organic operation.
 

The following documents require either Adobe Acrobat 6.0 or higher, and Microsoft WORD and PowerPoint

Organic Farming (PDF, 895KB)
Organic Fact Sheet (PDF, 219KB)
Organic EQIP (PPTX, 1,196KB)
Organic EQIP (PDF, 1,897KB)
Organic Producer Profiles (PDF, 3,938KB)


 

Additional Assistance

For help with the EQIP program in Illinois contact your local NRCS office. The State Contacts for the program are:
Paula Hingson, EQIP Organic Initiative Coordinator at 217-353-6605, or email: paula.hingson@il.usda.gov,
Brett Roberts, technical advisor at 217-353-6644, or email: brett.roberts@il.usda.gov

Updated 11/30/11