By Lily Hawkins, Policy Director

Senate Farm Bill Fails Committee Vote

On August 6, the Senate Agriculture Committee met to discuss and vote on its latest version of a Farm Bill. However, due to a failure to reach a compromise over SNAP rules, the bill failed to secure Democratic votes and did not advance. Committee Chair Boozeman has stated they will reconvene and vote again after the 5-week August recess in mid-September. Passing the Republican-only bill will become more feasible if Senator McConnell has returned from medical leave by September.  There is still an opportunity to influence the next committee discussion and vote.

While the Senate bill eliminates some of the most harmful provisions proposed in the House bill and includes several key policies that the Organic Farmers Association (OFA) has advocated for, the bill still falls short of what is needed for organic producers.

Wins for Organic Farmers:

The Senate bill does a little better for organic farmers than the House version. OFA is pleased to see the following provisions included:

• Language from the Organic Imports Verification Act (OIVA): Restores a level playing field for domestic producers by requiring the USDA to test high-risk bulk imports of organic feedstuffs for prohibited residues. This prevents fraudulent imports from undercutting US organic farmers.
• Language from Risk-Based Oversight for Integrity Act (ROI): Modernizes organic inspections by aligning oversight intensity with actual risk. This reduces administrative burden on low-risk operations while strengthening enforcement where it is needed most.
• Conservation Funding: Slightly increases access to conservation programs for organic and transitioning producers by expanding the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) set-aside (the House bill provides a larger increase).
• National Organic Program (NOP) Funding: Provides small, stable, “stairstep” budget increases to support the long-term growth and oversight of the organic sector.
• Cost-Share Support: Authorizes an additional $8 million in discretionary funding annually, in addition to the existing $8 million mandatory allocation (subject to the annual appropriations process).

Missed Opportunities:

Despite these positive steps, the current draft misses a critical opportunity to invest in organic. Funding increases for existing programs and new policies to expand markets, infrastructure, and research are needed to support domestic organic production. Without these, the bill will leave American producers at a disadvantage during a time of growing consumer demand.

OFA supported a number of organic friendly-amendments that ultimately did not pass, but we will continue to advocate for them in September.  These amendments would:

• Include statutory language for Organic Dairy Data Collection.
• Increase funding and the maximum reimbursement rate for the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program (NOCCSP) to $1,500.
• Include provisions in the Opportunities in Organic Act.
• Provide parity for organic producers using EQIP by eliminating the separate lower payment cap.

• Include provisions from the Organic Science and Research Investment Act to provide funding for the Organic Agriculture Research Initiative (OREI) and the Research the Transition to Organic Program (RTOP), currently known as the Organic Transitions Program (ORG).
• Include the provisions in the Domestic Organic Investment Act to reduce dependence on foreign supply chains and keep organic production and businesses thriving in the U.S. by investing in domestic infrastructure.

See the full list of marker bills OFA is advocating for throughout the Farm Bill process here.

Contact your Senators today and urge them to fight for a Farm Bill that truly supports our organic farming communities!

What Comes Next?

If the bill is voted out of committee in September, it will still need to have a vote on the Senate floor, where more amendments could be introduced. From there, it must be reconciled with the House bill and returned to each chamber for a final vote before being sent to the White House for signature into law.