New farming program takes off in North Dakota, Minnesota
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North Dakota and Minnesota are helping farmers with the three-year transition from traditional crops to organic production, an effort that the industry鈥檚 main trade group says could boost the acreage of organically grown crops in the US if it takes root beyond the upper Midwest.
Minnesota started its grant program first, in 2013, and North Dakota followed suit this year.
Both programs assist with the transition costs 鈥 everything from soil testing to education. Minnesota farmers can get up to US$750 annually and North Dakota farmers up to US$1,000.
The expense of the transition, which bans farmers from using mainstream chemicals and likely leads to lower yields, is not prohibitive, but 鈥渢here鈥檚 a learning curve there that the farmer needs to go through,鈥 said Lowell Kaul, an organic farmer near Harvey, North Dakota, who serves on a board that advises the state agriculture commissioner. During the conversion, farmers can鈥檛 sell their crops into the organic market until they are certified organic by a government-approved agency.
The Organic Trade Association is pushing for an industry-led, government-administered certification program for organic farmers who are still in the transition phase, to give them better support and possibly even premium prices for their crops, according to Nathaniel Lewis, the association鈥檚 senior crops and livestock specialist.
The aid programs launched by Minnesota and North Dakota 鈥渄ovetail really well with what we鈥檙e working on,鈥 he said. 鈥淭his is one tool that can assist farmers with transition. It鈥檚 not a silver bullet (but) it鈥檚 an appropriate role for agriculture departments to play.鈥
Organic crops account for less than 1 percent of US farmland, the association said, and federal Agriculture Department data shows there are only about 14,000 organic farms 鈥 a fraction of the 2 million total farms in the US. But the demand is high for organic products: Sales have increased from US$3.6 billion in 1997 to nearly US$40 billion in 2014, association figures show.
The gap is being made up for through imports, Lewis said, adding, 鈥淭his is an opportunity and we don鈥檛 want American farmers to miss out on it.鈥
Jaime Good, a marketing specialist with North Dakota鈥檚 Agriculture Department, said his department saw the grants as a 鈥済reat opportunity for us to show our support to the organic industry and help people get started.鈥
The two states鈥 programs could potentially serve as a model for other states. If the organic industry gets a national transitional certification program established, it could 鈥渋n turn fuel demand for cost-share help through the states, and help other states create programs,鈥 Lewis said.
Both state programs have limited money 鈥 US$20,000 annually in Minnesota and US$5,000 per year in North Dakota. Minnesota鈥檚 program provided funding to only 10 farmers in its first two years.
鈥淚t really is a challenge to find and communicate with farmers while they鈥檙e in transition. A lot of them do it quietly,鈥 said Meg Moynihan, administrator of Minnesota鈥檚 program. 鈥淭hat is beginning to change. We鈥檙e hearing from more and more farmers.鈥
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