Amber Lippon

Spring 2024 OFA Oral Comments to NOSB

Click here for OFA Submitted Written Comments: Spring 2024

Below: OFA Oral Comments to the NOSB: Spring 2024

Lily Hawkins, Policy Director

Spring 2024 NOSB Oral Comment

Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today.  My name is Lily Hawkins, I am the Policy Director of the Organic Farmers Association. Today I’ll be speaking on a few big-picture issues and suggested agenda items that have been raised by our farmer-members.

First - RACIAL EQUITY 

OFA is grateful for the board’s efforts to address racial equity within organic.  We encourage the board to keep thinking about how the USDA Equity Commission’s report findings can become part of the NOSB and NOP’s processes, possibly by making this a work agenda item. Institutionalizing equity through strategic outreach, board trainings, and a racial equity lens incorporated into all committee work is necessary for organic to move forward.

Second - GLOBAL ORGANIC MOVEMENT CONSISTENCY

Organic is a global movement, and organic farmers deserve to be operating in an equitable marketplace under the organic label. OFA supports the idea of testing imports to verify organic integrity - covered in depth by other speakers today. Furthermore, as the U.S. organic regulatory system benefits from consistency of interpretation and application, the international organic movement benefits from increased consistency across national organic programs. There are a few materials in which there is a lack of consistent practice in the U.S. system, which conflicts with our trade partners, organic neighbors, IFOAM interpretations, and CODEX regulations. 

We appreciate the Board’s attention to this matter when reviewing each material, and OFA agrees that we should bring our standards into greater alignment with the global organic movement.  

Third - STRENGTHENING ORGANIC ENFORCEMENT IMPLEMENTATION

OFA is very grateful for the effort it took to bring the SOE rule to the point of implementation.  At the same time, we have concerns about low-risk organic operations being burdened by the increased scrutiny and oversight, and certifiers implementing the rule inconsistently across the nation. Our NOSB workgroup noted that the paperwork for feedstock for livestock, and for mixed vegetables were more burdensome this year.  In some cases, we have heard of the OSP length doubling from 2023 to 2024.  

We understand that the intention of the SOE was not to increase the paperwork burden for low-risk organic operations, and we request that the NOP, during their certifier accreditation audits, review the changes made to the OSP, with a critical eye to the enhanced paperwork and activities required of low-risk, small and mid-scale short supply chain operations.  We want SOE to focus where it was intended.

We also encourage the NOP to support dialogue amongst certifiers to define low-risk and high-risk, and provide guidance so that certifiers can administer the standards with the security of NOP alignment on risk assessment.  And put the increased scrutiny where it is most needed and reducing burden on low-risk operations. 

Lastly - AGROFORESTRY AND 90/120 DAY RULE

In OFA’s annual policy survey, farmers noted the need for NOSB to review the 90/120 day rule as it applies to agroforestry production systems in which livestock graze under fruit and nut trees. Please consider creating an agenda item to address this request.

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OFA In-Person Oral Comments

NOSB Meeting in Milwaukee, WI

April 29, 2024

Harriet Behar, Farmer Services Consultant, Organic Farmers Association

My name is Harriet Behar and I am the Farmer Services Consultant with the Organic Farmers Association.  My vegetable, herb and poultry farm has been certified organic since 1989.

SOE & Import Fraud- During the public comment webinars, farmers, buyers, and processors all spoke to the dire situation for domestic organic grain producers.  Jenny’s extensive overview of SOE was very encouraging, with a robust roll-out and a strong commitment.  U.S. farmers need oversight before the imported ships leave their ports, and at our own ports of entry, including overland shipments from Canada and Mexico. OFA asks the NOSB to show support for our domestic producers with a resolution to the NOP, asking for a speedy expansion of the residue testing pilot program to a much larger program.  We are playing a game of whack a mole, when we stop one source of fraudulent grain, a different one appears.   We need stronger enforcement to lessen this overwhelming flow of questionable organic products.  A special imported grain hot-line should be implemented and promoted by the NOP, offering a place for fraud concerns, broker activities denying entry and for those finding issues once they receive product, to report their findings.

Inerts- The National Organic Coalition has a workable proposal for dealing with this long unsolved issue.  With the changes coming to the NOSB next year, it is imperative this board come forward with a final proposal that addresses both the mandate that the board review all synthetics used in organic production, and provide a way forward to allow for future innovation in formulations, and provide certainty for those using current inerts. 

Use of organic seeds- In the EU, each country has developed a list of specific seed varieties that are available as organic.  If an organic grower does not use these organic varieties, they cannot sell that crop as organic.  OFA asks the NOSB to work with the NOP, to have either the NOP do the research or fund an outside organization to develop a list of equivalent varieties, so we can require organic seed use when available.  The stagnant nature of organic seed purchases in the U.S., affects the availability of organic seed, seed breeders will not continue to innovate and produce organic seed varieties when there are warehouses full of unsold organic seed.  The lack of transparency for gene-edited seed, makes the use of organic seed even more important.

Compost- The current definition produces high quality compost without the risk of unwanted and dangerous synthetics.  High nitrogen compost is immature compost, since nitrogen tends to leach easily. There is no reason to change our current definition.

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Julia Barton, OFA

Spring 2024 NOSB Oral Comments

12:15 on 4/23/24

Good afternoon, my name is Julia Barton with the Organic Farmers Association. I’d like to share comments today on 3 topics.  

First: Farmer Participation in NOSB

Thank you for including both virtual and in-person comments in this meeting.  You have already heard from some OFA farmer members and you will continue to hear from more.  This way of handling comments offers an opportunity for various types of interactions, stakeholder input, and community building.  OFA farmers are very clear that we need both types of commenting.  More opportunities for communication are better.  Thank you for holding time and space for this important part of the public process.

I also wanted to note that Linda Halley, long-time organic farmer was going to be with you to comment in Milwaukee on Monday.  Linda was the most active member of our NOSB workgroup.  She has had some health issues come up that will prevent her from being with you that day, but we will get her comments to Michelle via email and will be sharing them on OFA social media, so please follow OFA to hear from Linda, organic farmer of over 30 years.  This will be her first comment to the board.

Next: Hydroponics and Containers

OFA is part of a working group of certification, education, and policy organizations who agree that soil is the foundation of organic agriculture.

OFA farmer members are very clear that hydroponics is not settled issue.  We urge the board to call for a moratorium on the certification of new hydroponic operations, and crops grown to maturity in containers until we can utilize our existing NOSB and rulemaking process to move forward with greater consistency.  Please activate the latent agenda item “Field and Greenhouse Container Production.”

Finally: Crop Insurance 

OFA appreciates the board’s work on this important topic. OFA farmer-members have a wide range of experiences with crop insurance and are eager to make crop insurance more fair, functional, and informed for organic farmers and all farmers.  You’ve heard from two of our working group’s very active members and you’ll meet Noah Wendt, if you don’t already know him, in Milwaukee.  If you have any specific items our group can workshop, we’d be happy to help in that way, and we’d also be happy to respond to any questions you have on our comments.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment, for your time, and for your service.

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April 29, 2024

Kate Mendenhall, Executive Director

RE: General Comments to the NOSB via In-Person Testimony

Thank you, NOSB members, for the opportunity to speak before you today.  My name is Kate Mendenhall, I am the Executive Director of the Organic Farmers Association.

OFA was created by farmers, for farmers.  They are the backbone of the organic movement and we owe today's strong market to their hard work and continued innovation.  Making sure that organic farmers have an equitable playing field has always been a top priority of OFA.  In fact in the 7 years we have been established, stopping import fraud has been a consistent #1 priority of organic farmers.  SOE has provided many new tools to certifiers and authorities to the NOP--together they must implement risk-based and sound & sensible decision making that will curb fraud in the marketplace. 

1. Having continued guidance from NOP around high-risk protocols that would support targeted increased scrutiny is incredibly important.  It’s important so low-risk operations are not overburdened with paperwork and processes and so that operations that present higher-risk to the market bear the appropriate enforcement and documentation to prove integrity is solid. Continued clarity and support from NOP is important so certifiers implement risk consistently and appropriately.  We appreciate NOP’s leadership on this and know this is an ongoing need for attention.
2. Hearing import grain fraud back at the top of the farmer testimony breaks my heart.  U.S. farmers do a great job, organic farming is hard, and they deserve an equitable market.  We also cannot encourage farmers to transition to organic if the market is not secure and stablized. The NOP has the authority to require testing of high-risk imports now, we are excited to hear about the pilot with Federal Grain Inspection Service and innovations like this should expand to secure organic integrity in the marketplace.  We all know it’s a problem-we need work together to fix it quickly. 

USDA programs play an important role in supporting farmer success and improvement. NRCS 823 has a lot of potential and rollout has been discouraging.  OFA encourages the NOSB to pass a resolution calling on the Secretary to fix the national roll-out of NRCS 823 so it is consistent among states and transparent in its process, so that the farmers who want it can easily apply and keep farming.  OFA will be starting a farmer work group on this topic in the fall- any farmers interested in working to improve 823 should get in contact with us.

Farmers need adequate safety nets so that they can survive to farm another season when they are consistently placed in the nexus of consolidation and climate change.  Dairy farmers continue to struggle, crop insurance continues to need significant improvements, and consolidation threatens to break fragile supply chains and infrastructure.  While the draft farm bill may offer some improvements, this is a moving target we need to stay on top of.  OFA has farmer-work groups on this topic as well and we’re always looking for more farmer experts.  

Diversity is a central tenet of organic and prioritizing equity at NOSB & NOP provides collective improvement for all farmers. OFA urges the NOP and NOSB to apply the USDA’s 2023 Equity Commission recommendations, and embed racial equity in NOSB processes, discussion documents, and public meetings. 

Thank you so much for the opportunity to speak before you today.

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by Amber Lippon

April 2024 Policy Update

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by Amber Lippon

March 2024 Policy Update

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by Amber Lippon

February 2024 Policy Update

February 2024

By Lily Hawkins, Policy Director

Agriculture Appropriations Deadline Postponed Again

Last fall, Congress passed a resolution to extend a short-term government funding patch through the new year, and to extend the Farm Bill until September of 2024. But last month, lawmakers were again unable to reach agreement on the annual appropriations process and passed another extension for funding bills. The new deadline for the agriculture bill is March 1—just days before OFA’s annual Farmer Fly-in to D.C. It’s too soon to say if they will be able to make a deal by then.

Either way, OFA will be advocating for increased funding for organic programs in the Fiscal Year 2025 funding process which kicks off in March. We are currently working with allies like NOC and OTA to coordinate our requests.  

House Still Aims for Spring Farm Bill

Congress’s extension of the 2018 Farm Bill until September of 2024 still stands. House Agriculture Chair G.T. Thompson has continued to indicate that he aims to pass a farm bill in the springtime, citing March as the first window when this could be possible, but with the delays in the appropriations process that will be more challenging than ever.

This week House Democrats met to plan a push back against Republican proposals to cut nutrition spending and use Inflation Reduction Act funds to top up some programs that Democrats would like to see funded separately.

The delay in writing a new bill means that marker bills are still being introduced and there is still opportunity for farmers to advocate for their needs. Bookmark our Farm Bill Marker Bill Tracker to stay up to date.

Organic Market Development Grants Awarded

The Organic Market Development Grant (OMDG) program supports the development of new and expanded organic markets to help increase the consumption of domestic organic agricultural commodities. The program focuses on building and expanding capacity for certified organic production, aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, distribution, and development of consumer markets.

OMDG offers both 24-month Simplified Equipment-Only grants with funding between $10,000 and $100,000 and 3-year Market Development and Processing Capacity Expansion grants with funding ranging between $100,000 and $3,000,000.

Congratulations to Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, and other groups that received funding. You can read the full list of grantees here.

Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Representative Ann Kuster (D-NH-2) are working to make this grant program permanent through the Organic Market Development Act (S. 2936/H.R. 5763).

Spring NOSB Meeting in Milwaukee

The spring NOSB meeting will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with a Public Comment Webinar the week prior. 

NOSB Spring 2024 Meeting Dates:

Public Comment Webinars

• Day 1: Tuesday, April 23 from 11 am - 5:00 pm Eastern
• Day 2: Thursday, April 25 from 11 am - 5:00 pm Eastern

Public Meeting

• Day 1: Monday, April 29 from 9:00 am - 6:00 pm Central
• Day 2: Tuesday, April 30 from 9:00 am - 6:00 pm Central
• Day 3: Wednesday, May 1 from 9:00 am - 6:00 pm Central

The full meeting materials and the link to register to provide oral comment should be posted in early March. Be sure to sign up promptly as the number of speakers is limited. If you are interested in participating you can reach out to OFA Policy Director Lily Hawkins at lily@organicfarmersassociation.org or OFA Farmer Services Director Julia Barton at julia@organicfarmersassociation.org.

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by Amber Lippon

January 2024 Policy Update

January 2024

By Lily Hawkins, Policy Director

Agriculture Appropriations Deadline Looms

Last fall, Congress passed a resolution to extend a short-term government funding patch through the new year, and to extend the Farm Bill until September of 2024.

With the holidays behind them lawmakers are yet again working to pass 2024 funding bills. The large package of bills has been divided into two tranches with different deadlines. Agriculture spending is in the earlier group with a deadline of January 19th. With the Republican controlled House yet to pass their version of the bill, there is a risk of a partial-government shutdown.

It is possible that Congress could pass a full-year continuing resolution to extend FY 2023 spending bills until Sept. 30th of 2024. However, this approach would trigger spending cuts agreed to in the debt ceiling deal, and the Senate has indicated that they will oppose this move.

House Aims for Spring Farm Bill

Congress has extended the 2018 Farm Bill until September of 2024 and neither chamber of Congress has yet published bill text. House Agriculture Chair G.T. Thompson has indicated that he aims to pass a farm bill in the springtime, citing March as the first window when this could be possible.

The delay in writing a new bill means that marker bills are still being introduced and there is still opportunity for farmers to advocate for their needs. Bookmark our Farm Bill Marker Bill Tracker to stay up to date.

Historic Funding for Conservation Practices

Thanks to USDA’s $300 million Organic Transition Initiative, NRCS has a historic amount of funding for producers to adopt conservation practices in fiscal year 2024. While NRCS has set a national application deadline of March 1, deadlines vary by state. Find your state's ranking date and apply by contacting your local NRCS office here.

OFA is available to help in navigating the application process via our Farmer Helpline at (833) 724-3834, and will circulate more resources in the coming weeks.

Public comment requested on National Organic Program Information Collection Renewal

USDA is requesting public comment on reporting and recordkeeping burdens in the organic certification system. 

USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) has published in the Federal Register a notice announcing its intent to revise and update forms included in the previously approved information collection package. It also requests changes to eliminate the collection of redundant information and to account for paperwork burden estimates related to the USDA Transition to Organic Partnership Program and public use of the NOP Online Complaint Portal.

NOP is seeking public comment on the proposed revisions, including the burdens, costs, and other effects of the information collection required by the USDA organic regulations. Online comments are encouraged. Information on how to submit comments can be found on Regulations.gov and by clicking here. The comment period closes January 22, 2024.

Reminder: Fill Out OFA’s Annual Policy Survey

Each year, the Organic Farmers Association asks ALL CERTIFIED ORGANIC FARMERS and ORGANIC FARM ORGANIZATIONS to share their top policy priorities and policy positions. 

The OFA farmer-elected Policy Committee reviews the results, identifies the top priorities, and drafts policy statements from this broad-based solicitation to submit to OFA members for comment. The Policy Committee uses the member comments to finalize the proposed policies, then OFA Farm Members vote on the final policies. Policies that pass the national vote by 60% AND two-thirds of the regional vote by 60% become official OFA policies. 

Please take the survey to submit policy proposals, then share this survey with certified organic farmers in your network!!

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by Amber Lippon

December 2023 Policy Update

December 2023

By Lily Hawkins, Policy Director

Appropriations Package Delayed Again

Last month, Congress passed a resolution to extend a short-term government funding patch through the new year, and to extend the Farm Bill until September of 2024. The Farm Bill extension includes funding for all programs, including organic certification cost-share and other programs that were at risk due to a lack of baseline funding. 

Now, lawmakers must pass 2024 funding bills. This large package of bills has been divided into two tranches with different deadlines. Agriculture spending is in the earlier group with a deadline of January 18. The Republican-controlled House has yet to pass their version of the bill, and it’s possible that they’ll go straight to conference with the Democratically controlled Senate to work towards a compromise.

Farm Bill Extended

Congress has extended the 2018 Farm Bill until September of 2024 and neither chamber of Congress has yet published bill text. House Agriculture Chair G.T. Thompson recently disclosed his diagnosis with prostate cancer, but has stated he will continue to lead work on the huge package of food and farm legislation. 

The delay in writing a new bill means that marker bills are still being introduced and there is still an opportunity for farmers to advocate for their needs. Bookmark our Farm Bill Marker Bill Tracker to stay up to date.

New Report Shows Inequities in Crop Insurance Subsidies 

This week the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report detailing opportunities to reduce government spending on crop insurance programs. The report shows large proportions of program costs going to private insurance companies and agencies that write policies. The GOA goes on to recommend that millions of taxpayer dollars could be saved or repurposed by reducing subsidies for the highest income farmers, and urges Congress to repeal a 2014 provision that any revision to agreements with insurance companies not reduce their expected underwriting gains. 

Senator Welch Introduces the WEATHER Act

OFA has endorsed the Withstanding Extreme Agricultural Threats by Harvesting Economic Resilience (WEATHER) Act, legislation that calls for the development of an index-based insurance policy that is more responsive to crop and income losses faced by farmers as a result of extreme weather. The bill was introduced by Senators Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) 

The legislation would direct the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to research the possibility of developing an index-based insurance program that:

• Creates a multi-peril index insurance product for farmers based on weather indices correlated to agricultural income losses using data from NOAA, satellites, climate models, and other data sources. 
• Pays out within 30 days in the event of indices exceeding any of the pre-determined county-level thresholds for the following events: High winds, excessive moisture and flooding, extreme heat, abnormal freeze conditions, hail, wildfires, drought, and other perils the Secretary determines appropriate. 

Read more about the WEATHER Act here, and the full text of the bill here. 

Please Fill Out OFA’s Annual Policy Survey

Each year, the Organic Farmers Association asks ALL CERTIFIED ORGANIC FARMERS and ORGANIC FARM ORGANIZATIONS to share their top policy priorities and policy positions. 

The OFA farmer-elected Policy Committee reviews the results, identifies the top priorities, and drafts policy statements from this broad-based solicitation to submit to OFA members for comment. The Policy Committee uses the member comments to finalize the proposed policies, then OFA Farm Members vote on the final policies. Policies that pass the national vote by 60% AND two-thirds of the regional vote by 60% become official OFA policies. 

Please take the survey to submit policy proposals, then share this survey with certified organic farmers in your network!!

 

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by Amber Lippon

November 2023 Policy Update

November 2023

By Lily Hawkins, Policy Director

Win for Organic!

For years, Organic Farmers Association and others in the organic community have advocated for more clear and stringent standards for organic livestock and poultry production, sending over 3000 messages to USDA and Congress advocating for finalization of a strong rule. This October, the new Organic Livestock and Poultry Standards (OLPS) Rule was filed in the Federal Register! OFA applauds the release of this long-awaited rule, which we have advocated for before Congress and the USDA for years. 

OLPS clarifies the production standards of avian and ruminant livestock to support consistent enforcement across producers and re-establish a strong organic label that assures consumers that USDA-certified organic livestock products meet a robust and uniform standard valuing both environmental and animal welfare.

Farm Bill Extension possible this week

On September 30, the 2018 Farm Bill and the 2023 federal spending bills expired. Congress narrowly averted a government shutdown to pass a last minute government funding patch to keep the federal government open until November 17. This week they are working to pass another Continuing Resolution to allow current funding levels to continue through the holidays while they negotiate funding for fiscal year 2024.

Congress hopes to include a provision to extend the current Farm Bill in that resolution. This weekend they reached an agreement to extend funding levels for the last year of 2018 Farm Bill for another year. Senate Agriculture Committee staff has indicated that this will include funding for Organic Certification Cost Share. This is great news, but remains to be seen if new House Speaker Johnson has the votes to pass the Continuing Resolution the farm bill extension is tied to. 

OFA Endorses Newly Introduced Marker Bills

OFA is proud to endorse several recently introduced marker bills intended for inclusion in the upcoming Farm Bill. For a full list of bills we’re supporting and information on how to contact your lawmakers and ask for their support, visit our Farm Bill Tracker.

The Organic Dairy Assistance, Investment, and Reporting Yields Act

The Organic Dairy Assistance, Investment, and Reporting Yields Act (O DAIRY Act) was recently introduced by Senator Welch (D-VT) and is cosponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ).  It aims to provide long-needed support for organic dairy producers. The O DAIRY Act will provide improved data collection, support to help cover dramatically increased input costs, and key investments in infrastructure. 

For more information on the bill, please read our factsheet or the full text of the O DAIRY Act here.   

Organic Market Development Act

Last month, U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Angus King (I-ME) and Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-ME-01) and Annie Kuster (D-NH-02) introduced the Organic Market Development Act to codify and increase support for the USDA Organic Market Development Grant Program. The act aims to build and expand organic markets and address the need for additional market paths for organic farmers and producers through simplified grants for equipment and larger grants aimed at market development and processing capacity expansion.

You can view a one-page summary of the bill from Senator Baldwin’s office here, and full text of the legislation here.

Continuous Improvement and Accountability in Organic Standards Act

The Continuous Improvement and Accountability in Organic Standards Act (CIAO) 2023 H.R. 5973 was introduced on October 17, 2023, by Representatives. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), David Valadao (R-CA) Chellie Pingree (D-ME). The bill proposes a two-step transparent and predictable process to prioritize and carry out updates to the organic standards.

OFA worked in coalition with the Organic Trade Association, the National Organic Coalition, the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance and the Organic Produce Alliance to advocate for the inclusion of this bill in the next Farm Bill.

Click here to read the full text of the bill.

If you haven’t already, please use our Take Action tool to tell your elected officials you want their support for organic priorities in the farm bill. There’s still time for them to give their support and hearing from their constituents is what moves the needle!

 

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by Amber Lippon

October 2023 Policy Update

October 2023

By Lily Hawkins, Policy Director

Farm Bill Delays

On September 30th, the 2018 Farm Bill expired, and congress narrowly averted a government shutdown. Since-ousted Speaker of the House McCarthy compromised with Democrats to pass a last minute government funding patch, keeping the federal government open until November 17th. QUickly thereafter members of his own party adn democrats voted to remove him from the position of speaker. Efforts to elect his successor are expected to be messy, and distract from efforts to pass a new farm bill.

Expired Farm Bill Threatens Organic Certification Cost Share Program

The organic certification cost-share program is authorized every 5 years through the Farm Bill. 

After reductions in 2020, this spring, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced that they will be restoring reimbursement rates for the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP) to 75% of the certified organic operation’s eligible expenses, up to a maximum of $750 per scope. This brings the amount of funding back up to the maximum allowed by the 2018 Farm Bill. 

Now that Congress has allowed the 2018 Farm Bill to expire, the cost share program is at risk. If a new Farm Bill is passed in the next few months with adequate funding for the cost share program, reimbursement will continue without disruption in 2024. But as a very small program cost-share does not have ‘permanent baseline’ funding status. This means that if the current Farm Bill is extended without a special provision, cost share will expire, leaving organic farmers who use the program with large increases to their certification expenses.

Take action: Please visit usa.gov to find contact information for your members of Congress and urge them to renew funding for the organic certification cost share program and modernize cost-share by supporting the Opportunities in Organic Act.

Congress introduces a Marker Bill to Support Organic Market Development

Last month, U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Angus King (I-ME) and Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-ME-01) and Annie Kuster (D-NH-02) introduced the Organic Market Development Act to codify and increase support for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Organic Market Development Grant Program, which aims to build and expand organic markets and address the need for additional market paths for organic farmers and producers through simplified grants for equipment and larger grants aimed at market development and processing capacity expansion.

The Organic Market Development Act aims to:

• increase the capacity of the domestic organic product supply chain for producers, handlers, suppliers, and processors of certified organic products;
• modernize manufacturing, tracking, storage, and information technology systems;
• improve the capacity of eligible entities to comply with applicable regulatory requirements or quality standards required to access markets;
• expand capacity for processing, aggregation, and distribution of certified organic products to create more and better markets for producers of certified organic products; facilitate market development for domestically produced certified organic products;
• conduct feasibility studies and market viability assessments to inform organic transition strategies and opportunities;
• address barriers to entry to organic product certification for historically underserved entities; and
• support market and promotional activities that help build commercial markets for certified organic products in the United States.

You can view a one-page summary of the bill from Senator Baldwin’s office here, and full text of the legislation here.

USDA Expands Crop Insurance Options for Specialty and Organic Crops

Last week USDA announced new and improved crop insurance tools for organic and specialty crop growers. These changes have been announced on the heels of a two-year outreach and engagement effort from USDA’s Risk Management Agency. In addition to numerous changes for specific crops, organic growers will note the following updates:

New Insurance Options:

• Transitional and Organic Grower Assistance Program (TOGA): For 2022, RMA offered this new program reduce a producer’s overall crop insurance premium bill allowing them to continue using organic agricultural systems. Premium benefits for TOGA included: 10 percentage points of premium subsidy for all crops in transition, $5 per acre premium benefit for certified organic grain and feed crops, and 10 percentage points of premium subsidy for all Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) policies covering any number of crops in transition to organic or crops with the certified organic practice.
• Tropical Storm Coverage: For crop year 2023 and succeeding years, RMA added a new option to Hurricane Insurance Protection – Wind Index (HIP-WI) for named tropical storm weather events. The Tropical Storm Option covers damage caused by strong weather systems not categorized as hurricanes. Both a wind and precipitation trigger must occur for an indemnity to be paid. This new option helped many producers recover after Hurricane Idalia this year. About 60% of eligible policies elected this option.

Improved Insurance Options:

• Whole-Farm Revenue Protection Program (WFRP): Several improvements will begin in the 2024 policy year including: allowing all eligible producers to qualify for 80% and 85% coverage levels; allowing producers to purchase catastrophic coverage level policies for individual crops with WFRP; expanding yield history to a 10-year maximum (from four years) for all crops not covered by another federal crop insurance policy; making the policy more affordable for single commodity producers; and allowing producers to customize their coverage by choosing whether WFRP will consider other federal crop insurance policies as primary insurance when calculating premium and revenue to count during claim time.
• Micro Farm: Several updates were made to Micro Farm including: moving the sales closing date to a less busy time of year to help agents dedicate time to marketing the program, allowing producers to purchase other federal crop insurance with Micro Farm, allowing vertically integrated entities to be eligible and making the Expanding Operations feature available.
• Quality Loss Option (QLO): RMA is making the QLO available to several initial specialty crops, including avocados (California only), blueberries, cranberries, grapes, peaches, stone fruit, and table grapes. RMA plans to make the option available to additional specialty crops in the upcoming months after further review.

Read the full announcement from USDA here.

More Funding for Organic Dairy Farmers

On September 20, USDA announced a second round of payments for the Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program (ODMAP), which provides certified organic dairy producers with funding to help cover projected marketing costs in 2023.

The program originally covered 75% of estimated marketing costs at a rate of $0.825 per hundredweight, capped at the first 5 million pounds of estimated production. This second round of payments will cover the remaining 25% of estimated 2023 marketing costs, bringing payments up to $1.10 per hundredweight for eligible applicants.

The second ODMAP payment is automatic, producers who successfully applied for the first round of funding do not need to take further action.

This round of payments will bring total funds distributed through the program up to $20 million. The ODMAP program was allocated $104 million.

Since there is a significant lack of available data on the production and utilization of organic milk and in the absence of reliable independent data, USDA had to use the data from the conventional marketing of milk to calculate the producers’ cost of marketing milk for the ODMAP. Organic producers say that the cost of producing organic milk is significantly higher than that of conventional milk, and OFA will continue to advocate for more funding to reflect the difference. 

Take action: Please visit usa.gov to find contact information for your members of Congress and urge them to call on the USDA to provide another round of disbursements to reflect the higher cost of marketing for organic milk, and to support improved data collection and other support for organic dairy producers in the 2023 Farm Bill.

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by Amber Lippon

September 2023 Policy Update

September 2023

By Lily Hawkins, Policy Director

New OFA Farm Bill Marker Bill Tracker

In the lead up to drafting the massive omnibus bill that is the Farm Bill, smaller marker bills are introduced to promote policy ideas in the hope that they will be included in the final Farm Bill.

Marker bills are not intended to pass as standalone bills, but rather they’re introduced to show collective interest in an idea and build momentum. Marker bills with more congressional support have a better chance of making it into the final version of the Farm Bill.

OFA has introduced a tracker to help you learn more about the marker bills we are supporting that may impact organic farming. Check back regularly for updates as Farm Bill conversations continue in D.C.

Click here to view the tracker! 

Please visit https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials to find contact information for your members of Congress, and call or email to ask them to support organic-friendly marker bills in the Farm Bill. 

Don’t see a bill you think OFA should be tracking? Feel free to reach out to OFA Policy Director Lily Hawkins lily@organicfarmersassociation.org) to flag it for us!

Farm Bill Timeline

September 30th is the date when both the annual federal spending bills and the Farm Bill (last passed in 2018) are set to expire. With the Republicans pushing spending bills with no Democratic support it’s increasingly unlikely that they will avoid needing to pass a continuing resolution (an emergency funding patch) to keep federal agencies running. 

With efforts to finalize spending bills ongoing, efforts to complete the 2023 Farm Bill will almost certainly continue into the fall. Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (MI) has indicated that there are currently no plans to include a farm bill extension in a continuing resolution for government spending. Passing the deadline with no extension will impact different programs in different ways. 

Some programs, like SNAP and crop insurance, will keep running even after the deadline is passed. Other programs, usually smaller or newer ones, will stop running if the Farm Bill is allowed to expire. Organic Certification Cost Share is one of these. Fortunately, funds are already secured for 2023 reimbursements, so there is time for the Farm Bill negotiations to run their course before cost-share funding for 2024 is at risk. At this time, OFA is communicating with Congress about the importance of preserving and modernizing the cost share program in the Farm Bill and, if needed, will advocate for a Farm Bill extension that covers all Farm Bill programs.

Cost Share Application Deadline is October 31

This spring, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced that they will be restoring reimbursement rates for the OCCSP to 75 percent of the certified organic operation’s eligible expenses, up to a maximum of $750 per scope. This brings the amount of funding back up to the maximum allowed by the 2018 Farm Bill, after a 2020 reduction to 50 percent of the certified organic operation’s eligible expenses, and a maximum of $500 per scope.

Producers can apply for certification cost share through FSA at their local USDA Service Center. The deadline for producers to apply for reimbursement for 2023 certification costs is October 31. 

Organic certification provides producers with a way to validate the valuable ecosystem services they provide, but the associated fees can be burdensome, especially for small and beginning farmers. The Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP) provides reimbursements to organic farms and handling operations to help cover certification costs, and is crucial for farmers transitioning to and maintaining organic certification. 

Ask your members of congress to protect and build upon OCCSP by supporting the Opportunities in Organic Act (S. 1582, H.R. 3650). You can find your legislator’s contact information here. When you call or email them, be sure to share details on why the cost share program is important to you, how long you’ve used it, and urge lawmakers to stabilize and modernize the program through the Farm Bill.

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by Amber Lippon

August 2023 Policy Update

August 2023

By Lily Hawkins, Policy Director

Time-crunch on Appropriations and Farm Bill

By September 30, Congress needs to pass both the annual Appropriations Package that will provide funding for the federal government, and pass the 2023 Farm Bill—a huge package of federal legislation that influences most aspects of the food system.

Congress left for their August recess with much work remaining to be done on both packages of legislation. When they return in September they will need to hurry to pass these bills or extensions in order to avoid a government shutdown and keep essential programs funded.

Meanwhile, OFA is continuing to work for an organic-friendly Farm Bill. Our priorities include supporting organic certification cost share, protecting organic dairy, increasing organic research, and improving organic integrity. Read our full Farm Bill priorities here.

Long-Awaited OLPS Rule in Final Review

The Organic Livestock and Poultry Standards (OLPS) is a long-awaited animal welfare rule that will  allow the NOP to consistently enforce stronger animal welfare standards on organic farms and close loopholes being taken advantage of by some large operations.

OLPS was sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget for final regulatory review on August 2. This is the last step before this long-overdue rule is finally released. Animal welfare is an issue of critical importance to organic consumers, and tightening these standards will help increase consumer confidence in the organic label.

Cost Share Updates

This spring, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced that they will be restoring reimbursement rates for the OCCSP to 75 percent of the certified organic operation’s eligible expenses, up to a maximum of $750 per scope. This brings the amount of funding back up to the maximum allowed by the 2018 Farm Bill, after a 2020 reduction to 50 percent of the certified organic operation’s eligible expenses, and a maximum of $500 per scope.

Producers can apply for certification cost share through FSA at their local USDA Service Center. The deadline for producers to apply for reimbursement for 2023 certification costs is October 31.

Organic certification provides producers with a way to validate the valuable ecosystem services they provide, but the associated fees can be burdensome, especially for small and beginning farmers. The Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP) provides reimbursements to organic farms and handling operations to help cover certification costs, and is crucial for farmers transitioning to and maintaining organic certification. Ask your members of congress to protect and build upon OCCSP by supporting the Opportunities in Organic Act (S. 1582, H.R. 3650). You can find your legislator’s contact information here. When you call or email them, be sure to share details on why the cost share program is important to you, how long you’ve used it, and urge lawmakers to stabilize and modernize the program through the Farm Bill.

Summer Farm Bill Listening Sessions 

House Agriculture Committee Chair GT Thompson’s official Farm Bill listening tour has concluded, with recent stops in Maine and Minnesota. OFA members and staff testified in favor of policies to support organic farmers at both sessions. You can view the recordings here.

This month, two more Farm Bill listening sessions are scheduled in the Midwest. If you can attend one of these meetings, feel free to email OFA Policy Director Lily Hawkins at lily@organicfarmersassociation for help with talking points!

August 16 - Congressman Derrick Van Orden will host a Farm Bill Listening Session featuring House Agriculture Committee Chair GT Thompson and Senator Ron Johnson in La Crosse Wisconsin.  RSVP here.

August 18 - Senator Stabenow’s staff will join Organic Seed Alliance for a Farm Bill Town Hall in Dexter Michigan. RSVP here.

Going forward into the fall, OFA will work to notify members of any Farm Bill listening sessions in their area.

Get Involved! Invite Your Legislators to Farm Visit in October

Inviting your members of Congress to visit your farm is a great way to build support for organic by showing off the hard work you do on your farm!

This year, members of the House of Representatives will be working in their home districts the first two weeks of October, and Senators will be in their home districts the week of October 9. This can be an easier time to host a farm tour than the busy summer months! 

If you’d like help inviting lawmakers to visit your farm, email OFA Policy Director Lily Hawkins at lily@organicfarmersassociation.org.

 

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by Amber Lippon