The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that it is to make US$50m available to encourage greater production of organic food in the country.
The funding, which will be divided up for every state, will be allocated based on a sign-up under the Environmental Quality Incentives Programme, with producers qualifying through National Organic Programme certification or through transitioning to organic production.
Contracts are to be allocated for six core practices, including conservation crop rotation, cover crops, nutrition management, pest management, prescribed grazing and forage harvest management.
'The Organic Trade Association is pleased to see this support and recognition from USDA that organic farming practices represent positive environmental practices,' said OTA executive director Christine Bushway. 'OTA believes that this funding will further encourage farmers to use such practices and help increase the US production of organic food to meet growing consumer demand.'
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