Organic farmers use many different practices to work with nature and mirror ecological systems. A close look at the practice standards most often used by organic producers in FY2024 also reveals many that are being underutilized in organic systems (Table 2), and should be considered by NRCS planners while doing farm assessments, given the practice standards’ fit with organic practices and principles.

The practices listed below represent untapped opportunities for organic farmers and their NRCS partners. These practices are well-suited to organic management and are already available on NRCS’s menu of conservation practices. Investing in NRCS staff training and outreach on organic systems, and in stronger outreach to organic communities, could help address this gap and underutilization.

State Level Trends & Outreach

Several states have organic industries that are currently underserved by CSP and EQIP organic contracts. When comparing the size of the organic acreage in a state to the NRCS organic contract acreage, thirteen states show a particularly large gap (Figure 4).

Colorado and Wyoming both have organic acreage that places them in the top one-third of all states, but NRCS organic contract acreage that is in the bottom one-third of all states (USDA NASS, 2021). Organic producers in these two Western states are particularly underserved by NRCS organic contracts. 

Montana, North Dakota, and Ohio all have organic acreage in their states that places them in the top one-third of all states, but NRCS organic contract acreage is only in the middle one-third of all states, meaning their organic producers are also poorly covered by NRCS organic contracts, although to a slightly lesser degree. 

Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, and Virginia all have organic acreage that places them in the middle one-third of all states, but NRCS organic contract acreage that is in the lowest one-third of all states, again demonstrating a significant gap between the extent of the organic farming in a state and organic participation in NRCS CSP and EQIP contracts. 

The map in Figure 4 shows the extent of organic acreage in a state (the background color) and the total NRCS obligations to organic contracts in that state (the circles). The thirteen underserved states described above are highlighted with red borders.In the Midwest and Plains regions, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Nebraska, and Montana produce a significant amount of organic corn, soybeans, wheat, hay, livestock, and poultry, but have relatively few organic contracts with CSP and EQIP.