USDA has administered the new Organic Initiative under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program in 2009 and 2010. See how much money has been available in your state by clicking here.

The 2010 sign-up is past. It included farmers in the process of converting to organic, producers expanding their organic production, or existing organic farms increasing their environmental performance even more.
 
Eligible Conservation Practices and Payments

Farmers can receive compensation for six core conservation practices. Payment rates for practices are established by each state. Under this special Organic Initiative, these practices will be paid at higher rates than regular state EQIP contract rates.

• Conservation Crop Rotation (34% higher payment rate) – growing several different crops in a planned sequence on the same field.
• Cover Cropping (46% higher payment rate) – crops such as grasses, legumes and forbs planted for seasonal cover to prevent erosion and build soil health.
• Integrated Pest Management (60% higher payment rate) - environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on a combination of common-sense practices.
• Nutrient Management (30% higher payment rate) – developing and implementing a plan to ensure proper application and utilization of soil amendments such as manure.
• Rotational Grazing (2% higher payment rate) – managing grazing herds by rotating them through a paddock systems rather than allowing them to graze an entire pasture continuously.
• Forage Harvest Management (2% higher payment rate) – properly managing the cutting and removal of forage crops to optimize quality and promote vigorous plant re-growth.

The more practices you are willing to implement, the higher you will rank. Those farmers applying to do at least three of the six core practices will rank the highest. Please see the National Ranking Criteria on page 10 of the document available here.

Conservation Activity Plan and Payment - Farmers who are transitioning to organic production are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to develop a conservation activity plan (CAP).  This will provide financial assistance to pay for the conservation planning portion of the Organic Systems Plan required for organic certification.  The CAP option does not apply to existing certified organic producers.

How to Apply

All farmers and ranchers wishing to apply must contact their local Natural Resource Conservation Service Office. Use the following link to find your local office http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app by clicking on your state and then your county.

All farmers and ranchers will be required to fill out a “screening worksheet” that determines basic eligibility. In addition,

Transitioning farmers must:

• provide a “written self-certification”, which states your intent to transition to organic production (you can find an example in Attachment D of the NRCS memo here);
• develop an Organic Systems Plan (OSP); and
• implement one or more of the six core practices and/or facilitating practices

Certified organic farmers must:

• provide a copy of their current Organic System Plan (OSP); and
• agree to implement conservation practices.

For Additional Assistance

Please contact our Farm Bill Helpline here at the Center with questions. You can reach the Helpline by calling (402) 687-2100 or by emailing tracib@cfra.org.

Please remember that this is a relatively new effort and many NRCS offices have limited experience working with organic farmers. Please be patient with them and remember we all need to work together to make this program work effectively. And please, share your experience with us so that if there are some kinks and problems in the program we can work to fix them.

MOSES Factsheet (and a PDF of the same)
Organic Farming Research Foundation Resource Page