WASHINGTON — The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $300 million in a new Organic Transition Initiative, announced Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Aug. 22. The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Risk Management Agency (RMA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) are the main agencies supporting the initiative, which is partly funded by the American Rescue Plan funds.

The USDA hopes to reverse the current trend of a decrease in non-certified organic farms transitioning to organic production. According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistical Service, the number of farms transitioning has dropped by 71% since 2008.

Through the initiative, farmers looking to transition to organic production will receive technical assistance, financial assistance and crop insurance assistance.

“Farmers face challenging technical, cultural and market shifts while transitioning to organic production, and even during the first years after successful organic certification,” Vilsack said. “Through this multi-phased, multi-agency initiative, we are expanding USDA’s support of organic farmers to help them with every step of their transition as they work to become certified and secure markets for their products.”

A third of the funds will go toward AMS’s Organic Partnership Program, where farmers will receive regional mentorship as well as workshops and other technical support.

NRCS will develop a new Organic Management conservation practice standard. Farmers who adopt the practice will receive financial and technical assistance, for which the USDA will finance up to $75 million.

An additional $25 million will fund RMA’s new Transitional and Organic Grower Assistance Program (TOGA), which will support transitioning and certain certified organic producers’ participation in crop insurance.

The final third of the investment will be allocated to market development support for pinpointed markets. The USDA said it will seek stakeholder input on these pinpointed initiatives beginning in September, and specific policy initiatives will be announced later this year.