Farm Bill Victories, Coalition Building, and Fighting USDA Restructuring

By Vinnie Trometter

With the Senate Farm Bill now taking shape and USDA restructuring moving forward, there is a lot at stake for organic farmers and researchers right now.

OFRF remains on the frontlines of organic research policy in Washington, D.C. On April 30th, the House of Representatives passed its version of the Farm Bill. We published a blog post shortly after explaining the victories for organic research that we fought for, including reauthorization of the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) and the first-time authorization of the Organic Transitions Program (ORG), which would be renamed the Researching the Transition to Organic Program (RTOP).

With eyes now on the Senate, we spearheaded a coalition letter, co-led by the Organic Farmers Association, Organic Trade Association, International Fresh Produce Association, and the National Organic Coalition, urging the Senate to increase funding for OREI and RTOP in its version of the Farm Bill. This was one of the strongest letters we have ever led, bringing together nontraditional organic allies from the specialty crop, livestock, and research communities to make the case that increased funding for both programs is essential to meeting the research demands of a rapidly growing organic market.