The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday announced a grant of $817,000 to MAD Agriculture, a Boulder-based project of the conservation-focused Vermilion Sea Institute, to help farmers transition their land to organic growing.

“We’ve grown from one to seven staff members and our work is affecting over 35,000 acres,” said MAD in its newsletter, adding that it is “moving fluidly between poetry and science, head and heart, radical ideals and practical solutions.”

The program receiving the money, known as the Perennial Fund, loans money to farmers, allowing them to repay the fund only after their organic operations are profitable. It then forgives any debt remaining after the 10th year.

In a congratulatory message, U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet said that “transitioning acreage from conventional farming can be difficult and costly. This funding will help lower barriers to entry, so that farmers and ranchers across Colorado pursue organic and regenerative agriculture systems.”

According to Oregon Tilth, a sustainable foods organization based in Corvallis, Ore., organic food sales have grown at double digit rates, but prices and imports remain high because of the time-consuming nature of transitioning to organic growing.

By USDA definition, organic produce is “certified to have grown on soil that had no prohibited substances applied for three years prior to harvest.”

The federal money, known as a Conservation Innovation Grant, totaled $12.5 million across 19 projects. The awards are designed to improve soil health and water quality, and also “inspire creative problem-solving that boosts production on farms, ranches, and private forests.”