Washington, DC, June 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced its intention to invest $300 million into a new Organic Transition Initiative program as part of the USDA Food System Transformation Framework. According to USDA:
“Organic has grown from a niche industry to a $63 billion plus market – but for the industry to continue meeting demand and providing economic opportunity to U.S. farmers, production must be scaled up,” says Organic Trade Association CEO and Executive Director Tom Chapman. “USDA's new Organic Transition Initiative will jumpstart that growth by making the organic transition process more accessible and impactful; particularly for beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, who experience unique challenges to accessing resources and support programs. This historic investment in food production, which increases options for American farmers to ‘adopt practices that are both good for their businesses and the climate,’ is a significant win for our industry.”
In response, the Organic Trade Association issued the following statement.
“Organic has grown from a niche industry to a $63 billion plus market – but for the industry to continue meeting demand and providing economic opportunity to U.S. farmers, production must be scaled up,” says Organic Trade Association CEO and Executive Director Tom Chapman. “USDA's new Organic Transition Initiative will jumpstart that growth by making the organic transition process more accessible and impactful. This historic investment in food production, which increases options for American farmers to ‘adopt practices that are both good for their businesses and the climate,’ is a win for our entire industry. The new Organic Transition Initiative will help make organic production more accessible to more producers, particularly beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers who experience unique challenges to accessing resources and support programs.”
The new transition program will include core components for which OTA has consistently advocated: organic-specific technical assistance, market development, and updates to USDA farm programs for conservation, crop insurance, and certification cost-share programs. Trade association members emphasized the importance of these critical components in listening sessions and working groups that took place over the course of the last year, culminating in an in-person transition listening session with USDA at Organic Week 2022.
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About the Organic Trade Association
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. OTA is the leading voice for the organic trade in the United States, representing over 9,500 organic businesses across 50 states. Its members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers' associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. OTA's Board of Directors is democratically elected by its members. OTA's mission is to promote and protect ORGANIC with a unifying voice that serves and engages its diverse members from farm to marketplace.
Online versions of OTA news and press releases can be found at: ota.com/news-center
