Newspaper Page Text
Page 6A, The Lee County Ledger, Wednesday, May 25,2022
USD A Accepting Applications to Help Cover Costs of Organic, Transitioning Producers
Special to the Ledger
Athens, GA, May 16,
2022 - Agricultural
producers and han
dlers who are certified
organic, along with
producers and handlers
who are transitioning to
organic production, can
now apply for the U.S.
Department of Agricul
ture’s (USDA) Organic
and Transitional Ed
ucation Certification
Program (OTECP) and
Organic Certification
Cost Share Program
(OCCSP), which help
producers and handlers
cover the cost of organic
certification, along with
other related expenses.
Applications for OTECP
and OCCSP are both due
October 31, 2022.
“By helping with
organic certification
costs - long identified
as a barrier to certifica
tion - USDA has helped
producers participate in
new markets while in
vesting in the long-term
health of their opera
tions,” said Farm Service
Agency State Executive
Director Arthur Tripp.
“We launched the Or
ganic and Transitional
Education Certification
Program to build on the
support offered through
the Organic Certification
Cost Share Program
and provide additional
assistance to organic and
transitioning producers
weathering the contin
ued market impacts of
the COVID-19 pandem
ic. This year, in response
to stakeholder feedback,
we have aligned the sig
nup dates for these two
organic programs and
encourage Georgia
producers to work with
the local USDA Ser
vice Centers and State
agencies to complete
the applications. We’re
committed to making
sure our Nation’s organic
producers and handlers
have the tools they need
to continue positively
shaping our local and
regional food systems.”
Cost Share for 2022
OTECP covers:
• Certification costs
for organic producers
and handlers (25% up to
$250 per category).
• Eligible expenses
for transitional produc
ers, including fees for
pre-certification inspec
tions and development
of an organic system
plan (75% up to $750).
• Registration fees for
educational events (75%
up to $200).
• Soil testing (75% up
to $100).
Meanwhile, OCCSP
covers 50% or up to
$500 per category of
certification costs in
2022.
This cost share for
certification is available
for each of these catego
ries: crops, wild crops,
livestock, processing/
handling and State or
ganic program fees.
Producers can receive
cost share through both
OTECP and OCCSP.
Both OTECP and
OCCSP cover costs in
curred from October 1,
2021, to September 30,
2022. Producers have
until October 31, 2022
to file applications, and
FSA will make pay
ments as applications
are received.
How to Apply
To apply, producers
and handlers should
contact the Farm Ser
vice Agency (FSA) at
their local USDA Ser
vice Center. As part of
completing the OCCSP
applications, producers
and handlers will need
to provide documen
tation of their organic
certification and eligi
ble expenses. Organic
producers and handlers
may also apply for OC
CSP through participat
ing State agencies.
Additional details can
be found on the OTECP
and OCCSP webpages.
Opportunity for State
Agencies
FSA is accepting
applications for State
agencies to administer
OCCSP through July 18,
2022. If a State depart
ment of agriculture
chooses to participate in
OCCSP, both the State
department of agricul
ture and FSA County
Offices in that State
will accept OCCSP
applications and make
payments to eligible
certified operations.
However, the producer
or handler may only
receive OCCSP assis
tance by either FSA or
the participating State
department of agricul
ture.
More Information
OTECP builds upon
OCCSP, providing
additional relief to help
producers during the
pandemic. OTECP uses
funds from the Coro-
navirus Aid, Relief,
and Economic Security
(CARES) Act; OCCSP
is funded through the
Farm Bill.
USDA has made other
strides to assist organ
ic producers. In 2022,
USDA’s Risk Manage
ment Agency (RMA)
increased expansion
limits for organic pro
ducers with coverage
through Whole-Farm
Revenue Protection
(WFRP). RMA also
updated the insurance
option to allow produc
ers to report acreage
as certified organic or
transitioning, as long as
organic certification was
requested by the acreage
reporting date. Also, this
year, RMA introduced
a new option - Micro
Farm - through WFRP
designed for producers
with small-scale oper
ations that sell locally,
which includes organic
producers.
USDA touches the
lives of all Americans
each day in so many
positive ways. Under the
Biden-Harris adminis
tration, USDA is trans
forming America’s food
system with a greater
focus on more resilient
local and regional food
production, fairer mar
kets for all producers,
ensuring access to safe,
healthy and nutritious
food in all communities,
building new markets
and streams of income
for farmers and produc
ers using climate smart
food and forestry prac
tices, making historic in
vestments in infrastruc
ture and clean energy
capabilities in rural
America, and commit
ting to equity across the
Department by remov
ing systemic barriers
and building a workforce
more representative of
America. To learn more,
visit usda.gov.
Barbara Jackson
229-869-1530
bjackson31701@gmail.com
freshandtidycleaningllc.com
Commercial and Residential
FARM
BUREAU
INSURANCE
Let the fireworks
light up the sky like
the 4 th of July!
Call to enter our Freedom Fourth
Drawing for a change to win a
32" Roku Smart TV!
*No puchase necessary*
Lee County Farm Bureau
229-759-2329
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Call Today! (229) 815-1138, (229) 815-1140
Bessie Faye Potter - Birthday May 16,2022
Happy 80th birthday to our sweet, kind, and caring mother! We
love you so very much! Wishingyou many, many more beautiful
birthdays!
With love and adoration
Your Children
UNG confers degrees for
spring 2022 graduates
Special to the Ledger
For the spring 2022
semester, the University
of North Georgia (UNG)
awarded about 1,700
degrees and 25 certifi
cates to graduates. About
1,300 graduates partici
pated in the spring 2022
commencement ceremo
nies held May 6-7 at the
Convocation Center on
UNG’s Dahlonega Cam
pus. Graduates included:
Casey Gregors of Lees
burg, GA, graduated
Magna Cum Laude with
a Bachelor of Science in
Biology.
Keshundra Wright of
Albany, GA, graduated
with a Master of Science
in Human Services De
livery & Administration.
Positioned in the
fastest-growing region
of the state, the Univer
sity of North Georgia
comprises five campus
es united by a single
mission focused on
academic excellence and
academic and co-cur
ricular programs that
develop students into
leaders for a diverse and
global society. The Uni
versity of North Georgia
is a University System of
Georgia leadership insti
tution and is The Mili
tary College of Georgia.
With almost 19,000 stu
dents, the University of
North Georgia is one of
the state’s largest public
universities.
Kristina Marlowe Named
to SNHU Dean’s List
Edward Jones Salutes
the courage and loyalty of our troops, now and in the past.
Thank you.
Greg Parrish Jr
Financial Advisor
190 Oakland Pkwy Ste C
Leesburg, GA 31763
229-883-0416
edwardjones.com
Member SIPC
Edward Jo lies
MAKING SENSE OF INVESTING
Special to the Ledger
Kristina Marlowe
of Leesburg has been
named to Southern New
Hampshire University’s
Winter 2022 Dean’s List.
Full-time undergrad
uate students who have
earned a minimum
grade-point average of
3.500 to 3.699 are named
to the Dean’s List.
Southern New Hamp
shire University (SNHU)
is a private, nonprofit
institution with an 89-
year history of educating
traditional-aged students
and working adults.
Now serving more than
165,000 learners world
wide.