AFFORDABLE & ACCESSIBLE ORGANIC CERTIFICATION

Overview: OFA supports eliminating the financial burden of organic certification on farmers by expanding cost-share programs to cover fees at 100% reimbursement, with a minimum of $1,500 per scope. Funding levels should be reviewed annually for inflation and maintained at mandatory baseline levels to meet demand. The overarching goal is removing cost as a barrier so more farms can enter and stay in organic certification.

ANIMAL WELFARE

Overview: OFA achieved animal welfare standards through the 2024 Organic Livestock & Poultry Standards Rule, though the 5-year implementation timeline was longer than the 0-3 years OFA had advocated for, along with clearer enforcement and continuous improvement mechanisms.

BEGINNING FARMER & TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Overview: OFA supports comprehensive assistance for beginning and underserved farmers through expanded land access programs, higher microloan limits, and targeted grants and loans for land purchase and farm operations. They advocate for technical, financial, and marketing support through USDA agencies, NGOs, land-grant universities, and cooperatives — with particular emphasis on reaching minority, small-scale, and historically underserved farmers. Additional priorities include funding for organic transition incentives, urban agriculture, public service loan forgiveness for organic farmers, and a dedicated Beginning Farmer & Rancher Development Program focused on organic technical assistance.

CLIMATE CHANGE & ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES

Overview: OFA supports payment programs and funding mechanisms that reward organic farmers for climate-beneficial practices like soil health and carbon sequestration, with accessible participation for small and diversified farms. They also advocate policies that recognize organic agriculture as a key climate solution and help farmers adapt to climate change impacts.

CONTAMINATION

Overview: OFA supports holding chemical manufacturers and applicators liable for contamination of organic farms, with stronger enforcement, a pesticide tax for drift damages, and a ban on Dicamba. They also support government assistance and compensation for farms affected by PFAS contamination of soil and water.

CORPORATE CONTROL/CONSOLIDATION

Overview: OFA supports enforcing antitrust laws, limiting mergers, and redirecting subsidies toward local producers to combat corporate consolidation in agriculture and build regional food system resilience. They also support dismantling concentration in seed and livestock genetics to protect farmers’ access to reliable, locally adapted crops and animals.

FARMER SAFETY NET PROGRAMS

Overview:  OFA supports overhauling crop insurance to better serve organic farmers, including fairer APH and T-Yield calculations for diversified rotations, improvements to Whole-Farm Revenue Protection, and extending Dairy Margin Protection to cover organic feed costs. They advocate for new insurance tools tailored to innovative practices like intercropping and relay cropping, streamlined transitional insurance, and an organic literacy requirement within RMA so agents can better serve organic clients. On pricing, OFA pushes to remove artificial caps on organic price elections and ensure organic prices are used consistently across all federal farm programs.

ECONOMIC VIABILITY

Overview: OFA supports a comprehensive National Organic Action Plan to build diverse local markets, improve production techniques, and increase domestic production. They advocate for $5 million in mandatory annual funding for the Organic Data Initiative to ensure accurate pricing and market data. Key investment priorities include promoting the environmental and health benefits of organic products to consumers, expanding access to organic foods through food assistance, and implementing mandatory plain-language GMO labeling. Additionally, OFA champions farmer-focused protections such as “right-to-repair” legislation, social equity in agricultural policy, and allowing organic farmers to opt out of conventional commodity checkoffs. To stabilize the market, they support federal Dairy Supply Management and legislation like the PRIME Act to reduce barriers to meat processing.

FOOD SAFETY

Overview: OFA supports ongoing improvements to the Food Safety Modernization Act to ensure that guidelines are science-based, practical, and remain fully compatible with existing organic standards and practices.

HYDROPONICS/CONTAINER GROWING

Overview: OFA advocates for a mandatory three-year transition period for any location producing organic crops, including the land beneath containers and greenhouses. They strictly support organic certification only for soil-based systems where plants grow in the ground and obtain nutrients from the soil; consequently, they oppose and urge the revocation of organic certification for hydroponic and other non-soil-based production systems.

IMMIGRATION

Overview: OFA supports multi-pronged immigration reform that legalizes the existing farm labor force while retaining the H-2A program. They also advocate for a new agricultural work visa program that provides a pathway to a green card after a specified period of at-will agricultural work.

NATIONAL ORGANIC PROGRAM

Overview: OFA supports rigorous, risk-based enforcement of NOP standards, targeting high-risk operations and complex supply chains while demanding greater transparency in enforcement actions. They advocate continuous improvement by requiring the NOP to update practice standards beyond the National List periodically. To protect market integrity, they support increased funding for the NOP and Department of Justice to deter fraud, as well as a dedicated Policy Advisory position to coordinate organic policy within the USDA. Regarding the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), OFA insists that an actual farm operator fill the farmer seat and strongly opposes any reduction in the Board’s authority or changes to its stakeholder balance.

NATURAL RESOURCE CONSERVATION SERVICE (NRCS) PROGRAMS

Overview: OFA supports updating all NRCS programs better to accommodate the unique activities of organic and transitioning producers. This includes establishing equitable payment thresholds and ensuring that agency staff receive specific training in organic production systems.

ORGANIC INTEGRITY

Overview: OFA advocates for a high-integrity organic supply chain and has achieved milestones in certifying non-retail handlers and implementing the “Origin of Livestock” rule. They support clear disclosure of gene-editing techniques like CRISPR and demand that the USDA recognize these as genetic modifications. To ensure consistent oversight, OFA supports funding for organic workforce development, including specialized training and qualification criteria for inspectors and certifiers. They also push for strict penalties for certifiers involved in fraud and advocate for maintaining rigorous pasture standards, including a minimum of 120 days on pasture for dairy herds. They also support transaction certificates and enhanced import tracking to prevent domestic and foreign fraud. Finally, OFA opposes highly soluble nutrients like ammonia extract and sodium nitrate, arguing they conflict with organic soil health practices.

ORGANIC RESEARCH

Overview: OFA supports increased federal funding for research, aiming for a percentage that matches the organic industry’s retail market share. Priority research areas include organic systems’ role in climate change mitigation, comparisons of carbon sequestration in organic versus conventional no-till systems, and the quantification of the economic impact of fraud. They also advocate for shifting research metrics from “yield-based” to assessments of nutrition, environmental benefits, and net dollars produced per acre.

SEEDS & BREEDS

Overview: OFA supports the total elimination of non-organic seed use in organic production by 2030 through uniform enforcement and oversight. They advocate for $50 million in annual federal funding dedicated to public plant and animal breeding programs, with a specific focus on developing regionally adapted organic cultivars and breeds.