Farmers who decide to “go organic” with their crops can get $750 in incentives from a revamped U.S. Department of Agriculture program.
Federal officials hope that by making it easier for organic farmers to do business, more will decide to make the switch. They say they’re streamlining program paperwork and making it easier for farmers to access federal funding.
“Every operation is different, but $750 could mean quite a bit to some small operations,” said Jeff Wilson, executive director of Weld County’s Farm Service Agency in Greeley, where farmers can apply for the funding.
But two farmers in the region who already run organic growing operations say they do it more to satisfy customers and to be environmentally conscious than for the money.
Tim Ferrell, co-owner of Berry Patch Farms in Brighton, said he pays about $1,200 per year to be “USDA-certified organic.” Berry Patch has grown only organic fruits and vegetables since it started in 1983, he said.
Ferrell said organic farming includes unique costs, such as hand-weeding fields and creating specialized storage areas. Only approved farmers can label their products with the “USDA-certified organic” label, which is important to Ferrell.
“The customers are looking for that assurance, for the safety of their food,” Ferrell said.
For Petrocco Farms in Brighton, $750 is a drop in the bucket when it comes to the expensive undertaking of organic farming, said Joe Petrocco, its owner and namesake. The company plans to increase its organic acreage this year, he said.
“We need more than that to make a difference. The only thing you are saving is the environment (with organic farming). You’re not saving anything else. You’re not making any money,” Petrocco said.
Rising consumer demand has driven Petrocco’s plans, he said. The farm operation is known regionally for its lettuces and other vegetables. But increases in operational costs may also change the way the company delivers its products, he said.
“Minimum wage is going up, taxes are going up, everything is going up except the price of vegetables. The people are going to have to come to us for fresh vegetables instead of us going to them,” Petrocco said.
Wilson said that farmers switching to certified organic practices face an involved process. But there has been a noticeable upswing in the number of farmers in the region making the switch, he said.
“I know many of the farms that are currently being farmed, maybe they wouldn’t meet the requirements of organic for a number of years and converting over to organic might not be beneficial to them in the near term, however in the long-term it could be,” Wilson said.
U.S. organic industry sales were $43.3 billion in 2015, and continue to rise, according to the Organic Trade Association, a national trade group.
“It’s such a complex but easy world, agriculture, it really is. It’s just amazing,” Wilson said.
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The new version of the USDA program starts Monday, March 20, when organic growers can apply for cost-share help at farm agency offices around the state. Only about half of the country’s organic farmers currently participate in the program, according to Val Dolcini, a Farm Service Agency administrator.
To be eligible for federal funding, farmers must be certified organic by a USDA-accredited certifying agent and must maintain their organic status annually.
Farmers can get money toward certification for crops and livestock as well as proper handling of product.
The restructured 2017 program also covers expenses related to transitioning products to organic status as well as fees in the state program.