New USDA program offers help to organic farmers

Organic farmers can apply until May 29 for part of a $50 million initiative recently created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Resources Conservation Services.

The department is offering payments and technical assistance to both transitioning and existing organic farmers who adopt its conservation practices.

"This is a substantial pool of money and any farmer in New York who is interested should get in line for funding as soon as possible," said Sen. Darrel J. Aubertine, D-Cape Vincent, who chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee. "Organic farming may not be for every farmer, but it has proven to be a profitable opportunity for many of our farmers as more and more consumers look for organic products."

For more information, including eligibility requirements, call the USDA's Watertown office at 782-7289 or its Canton office at 386-2401 extension 4.