Consolidation in Organic Agriculture - CCOF

PROGRAMSNRCS &ORGANIC FARMERSBy Jessica Hamburger,CCOF FoundationTH EY HELP FARMERS PAYfor controlling erosion, improvingirrigation efficiency and creatinghabitat for beneficial insects and wildlife.They are the staff of the USDA NaturalResource Conservation Service (NRCS), andseveral CCOF members have already benefitedfrom their grants.With cost-share money from the NRCSEnvironmental Quality Incentives Program(EQIP), Greg Massa of CGD Farms wasable to laser level his rice field, which resultedin improved water control, reduced weed andpest infestations, and increased production.He also doubled the size of his water recirculatingsystem. This reduced his farm’s relianceon groundwater and cut pumping costs byover 25%. He experimented with growingcover crops to reduce nitrogen needs andrepaired a leaky drainage ditch bank in orderto keep sediment and pollutants from flowinginto the river. He also got a 75% costshareto do habitat and revegetation workalong the edges of his ranch.“All of these projects were carried outwhen rice prices were very low, which meansthey probably would have been infeasible forus to do on our own,” said Massa. “However,the cost-share money and technical assistanceprovided by NRCS made them all possible,and I think everyone has benefited greatly.Our impact on the river has been reduced,our costs are lower, and our production hasincreased.”Of course, not every CCOF farmer whohas applied for an NRCS grant has been solucky. A respondent to a CCOF survey ofmember participation in conservation programsstated that after ten years of applyingto NRCS, she finally got $1,200, and feltthat the reward was not worth the effort.However, most of those who responded tothe survey and had experience with NRCSprograms felt they were worthwhile despitethe paperwork and delays.Organic farmers are natural partners forNRCS because they share many of the samegoals for land stewardship, but few NRCSstaff members are familiar with organic farmingpractices. To address this problem, AnnBaier of the National Center for AppropriateTechnology (and a CCOF inspector) is developinga training program on organic standardsfor NRCS staff in California.Patrick Troy of Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA) notedthat participation in NRCS cost share programsis easier for farmers who can afford topay for the cost of improvements and getreimbursed later. “In most cases, it’s not feasiblefor small farmers with uncertain cashflow, particularly those with limited Englishskills,” Troy said. For that reason, ALBA isworking with NRCS to make its programsmore accessible to these types of farmers.HOW TO GET INVOLVED1. Apply for a Grant. Info about NRCS programs,including EQIP, is available atwww.ca.nrcs.usda.gov/programs. If interestedin applying, contact your local USDAService Center. To find the one near you, goto www.ca.nrcs.usda.gov and click on “Finda Service Center.”2. Help Shape the Conservation SecurityProgram. Unlike NRCS programs that sharethe cost of fixing problems on a farm, theNRCS Conservation Security Program (CSP)is an entitlement program for farms that arealready operating in a way that conservesresources. This program has the potential toreward organic farmers for the good practicesthey have been following for years. At presstime, the draft rule for the CSP was awaitingapproval by the White House Office of Managementand Budget. CCOF members areencouraged to comment on the draft rulewhen it comes out.Once the rule is finalized, NRCS willrequest input from the public on the criteriathat it will use to evaluate conservationachievements on farms. CCOF Foundationstaff will be attending advisory committeemeetings to shape the process, and we welcomeinput from CCOF members.3. Become a Technical Service Provider.NRCS has a new program that enablesprivate consultants with expertise in areassuch as tillage and erosion, pest management,irrigation systems, and nutrient managementto serve as technical service providers (TSPs).After signing a contract with NRCS for acost-share project, a farmer can then requestfunds to hire a TSP to implement the project.Some experienced organic advisors havealready begun serving as TSPs. Moreinformation about the TSP registry is athttp://techreg.usda.gov.4. Get on the Board of your Local ResourceConservation District. Resource conservationdistricts play a role in setting localconservation priorities, which determineshow money gets spent.5. Join the CCOF Conservation E-mail List.If you would like to get periodic updates onthe status of NRCS and other conservationprograms and how you can get involved,please send an e-mail to CCOFconservationsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. This list will bemoderated by the CCOF Foundation and isnot expected to send out more than onemessage per week. You can remove yourselffrom the list at anytime.NRCS Grant Application Tips from Greg Massa, CGD Farms1) Have a good idea of what you want to do, and why. Your goal should be to reduce yourenvironmental impact, and improve your production system.2) Try to get a big bang out of just a few bucks.3) Think big—design a whole farm management plan that addresses as many problems aspossible.4) Add wildlife habitat wherever possible. It is a good conservation practice, and it scoreslots of points.5) Talk to NRCS staff throughout the process, and get their input! They know the programsand can help you tweak your proposal to qualify for more dollars.6) Apply early! Give yourself and NRCS time to think through your proposal and refine it.7) Use your labor and tractors as your portion of the cost-share. You don’t work for free.Winter 2003–2004 Page 13