New Jersey NRCS Accepting Applications for Organic Transition Initiative

HAMILTON SQUARE, N.J., Jan. 16, 2024 - The USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in New Jersey has announced an additional Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) signup for the Organic Transition Initiative (OTI). Under this initiative, NRCS will dedicate financial and technical assistance to a new organic management standard and partner with new organic technical experts to increase staff capacity and expertise. Producers must submit their applications by February 16, 2024, to be considered for FY24 funding.

While applications are accepted year-round, applications submitted after February 16, 2024, will be considered for the next available funding. 

NRCS will help producers adopt the new organic management standard, which allows flexibility for producers to get the assistance and education they need such as attending workshops or requesting help from experts or mentors. It supports conservation practices required for organic certification and may provide foregone income reimbursement for dips in production during the transition period. 

Applying for Assistance

Eligible producers include farmers, ranchers, forest landowners, and other producers beginning or in the process of transitioning to organic certification. For more information or to sign up for this opportunity, producers should contact NRCS through their local USDA Service Center. Local NRCS Field Offices and FSA County Offices can be located using the USDA Service Center Locator.

Producers can also apply for NRCS programs, manage conservation plans and contracts, and view and print conservation maps by logging into their farmers.gov account. If you don’t have an account, sign up today.