How growers can get beer-fueled organic transition grants

Now that the Super Bowl commercial has run, how do growers actually get some of those organic farm transition funds raised by Anheuser-Busch and the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) Foundation?

In partnership with CCOF, Anheuser-Busch’s Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold is funding $500,000 in grants to help farmers transition to organic agriculture. Growers may be eligible for a $5,000 grant to transition to production methods certified by the U.S. National Organic Program.

CCOF has more details about eligibility and its funding priorities. Farms outside California, and farms growing quite a variety of crops – everything but hemp or cannabis – are eligible. Applications opened Jan. 30 and will be accepted until April 30, 2020. Priority will be given to farmers with at least five years of production experience.

More details about eligibility and funding priorities – including a link to the online grant application – are available on the CCOF website.

Michelob rolled out the grant program and a related promotion for its organic beer, Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold with a commercial that aired during the Super Bowl.

A portion of sales from each Pure Gold 6-pack will go directly to farmers looking to transition to organic, allowing consumers to help drive change, according to the press release. Less than 1% of U.S. Farmland is organic and farmers hoping to transition their fields from conventional face challenges.

“There’s an imbalance between consumer preference for organic products and the amount of organic farmland we currently have in the U.S. to support this need,” Azania Andrews, Vice President of Marketing, Michelob ULTRA, said in a press release before the Super Bowl. “The future of organic beer relies on more farmers converting to organic; we feel a responsibility to help provide choice and support to those who want to transition, so that together we can help farmers sustain and grow their business and provide consumers the products they want.”

Super Bowl beer promotion to support organic farming