Wyoming agriculture producers interested in going organic may now apply for grants to help offset the costs associated with certification. The Wyoming Business Council Agribusiness Division and the Wyoming Department of Agriculture administer the USDA Organic Certification Reimbursement program to help producers become organically certified.

Wyoming farms and ranches are eligible to apply for reimbursement if they are a Wyoming company or a Wyoming-based subsidiary company that is farming or ranching organic products in Wyoming; and document that they have achieved organic certification with a USDA-accredited agency.

Donn Randall, Crop and Forage program manager in the Business Council’s Agribusiness Division said being certified organic can give producers an edge in a niche market and this reimbursement grant may help those producers who have been hesitant to become organically certified due to the cost.

To qualify for the program a producer must become certified between Oct. 1, 2012 and Sept. 30, 2013. Invoices must show actual, not estimated, charges and payments incurred in the certification process. Certification must also be obtained before applying for the grant.

Approval of the application is at the discretion of the Wyoming Business Council Agribusiness Division and the Wyoming Department of Agriculture. Awards will be based upon a determination that activities are within the scope of the USDA Organic Cost Share program. The deadline to submit grant applications is Nov. 1, 2013, but applications are being accepted now.

 

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