Reintroduced legislation helps farmers transition to organic

WASHINGTON, D.C. | U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) joined 14 lawmakers in reintroducing the Opportunities in Organic Act, legislation designed to help farmers and other agricultural producers transition to organic practices and build successful and sustainable businesses. The senators' legislation would help eliminate steep barriers farmers often face to enter the industry, including high certification costs and insufficient technical assistance from existing United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs. The bill is led in the House of Representatives by Reps. Alma Adams (D-NC-12) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19). "American farmers are the backbone of our Upstate economy. It is vital that the federal government continues to invest in their critical contributions as they deliver fresh, healthy food to our communities," said Sen. Gillibrand. "Our Opportunities in Organic Act will promote sustainable farming and help eliminate the steep barriers that farmers face when transitioning to organic methods. I will continue fighting to ensure organic farmers in New York and across the nation have the resources they need to thrive for generations to come." In addition to Sen. Gillibrand, the bill is cosponsored in the Senate by Senators Peter Welch (D-VT), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Cory Booker (D-NJ), John Fetterman (D-PA), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Angus King (I-ME), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Tina Smith (D-MN). "Organic production has huge benefits for our rural economies and our environment. But farmers can't make the switch to organic practices without help," said Sen. Welch. "We need to make changes that better support folks looking to make the transition to organic—and thrive while they do so. This bill is a win for Vermont's rural farmers and communities." "Organically grown food has many benefits, including no use of toxic pesticides, no antibiotics given to farm animals, and increased soil health. However, farmers need more support to transition to organic and maintain those beneficial practices," said Sen. Booker. "The Opportunities in Organic Act helps organic farmers, which in turn will make organic groceries more affordable for Americans." "Pennsylvania has always been a leader in organic farming. Our small farms deserve the support to keep up with the growing industry demands," said Sen. Fetterman. "I am proud to support The Opportunities in Organic Act that will help more Pennsylvania farmers go organic and ensure our commonwealth remains a leader in this kind of agriculture." "While organic practices have tremendous health, environmental and economic benefits, producers face inefficient financial and logistical barriers to establishing organic farming practices," said Sen. King. "The Opportunities in Organic Act helps farmers with the high costs and hurdles associated with entering the organic business—a win-win for rural producers and consumers." "For years, America's farmers have wanted to expand domestic organic food production and help our country reap the benefits of cleaner air, higher crop yields, and a more resilient, sustainable food supply," said Sen. Murphy. "This bill would cut red tape and give our farmers the support and investment they need to meet our country's growing demand for organic food - and provide a real boost to rural communities in the process." Organic agriculture has a wide array of environmental and health benefits, including enhancing soil fertility and structure, which can boost crop yield and help reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. By reducing the use of fossil fuel-based fertilizers and toxic pesticides, organic farms further reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the health of farmers, farmworkers, and consumers who might otherwise be exposed to dangerous pesticides. Organic practices also make farms more resilient to extreme weather patterns and climate change, helping farms to simultaneously fight future climate change and increase their own resilience to the climate impacts we are already experiencing. The Opportunities in Organic Act helps mitigate challenges farmers and producers face when transitioning to organics by modernizing USDA's reimbursements for organic certification and expanding the department's available expertise for organic agriculture. Specifically, the bill would expand the existing National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program into a comprehensive Opportunities in Organic Program by: Increasing USDA's technical assistance for producers to advance organic practices; Making organic practices more accessible for agricultural producers from socially disadvantaged groups and underserved regions by increasing cost-share payments for organic certification and granting USDA flexibility to exceed current cost-share caps; and Providing additional support for non-governmental organizations working to help producers transition to organic practices. The Opportunities in Organic Act of 2026 is endorsed by the Agriculture & Land-Based Training Association (ALBA); Beyond Pesticides; California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF); Carolina Farm Stewardship Association; Environmental Working Group; Dr. Bronner's; Family Farm Defenders; Farm Aid; Friends of the Earth; Greensward New Natives LLC; Green America; Kanalani Ohana Farm; Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association; Marbleseed; Michigan Organic Food & Farm Alliance; National Co+op Grocers; National Family Farm Coalition; National Organic Coalition; National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition; Natural Grocerse; New Entry Sustainable Farming Project; Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance; Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut (CT NOFA); Northeast Organic Farming Association of Massachusetts (NOFA-MA); Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Hampshire (NOFA-NH); Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY); Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT); Northeast Organic Farming Association - Interstate Council; Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Jersey (NOFA NJ); National Resources Defense Council (NRDC); Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association; OneCert, Inc.; Oregon Tilth; Organic Farmers Association; Organic Farming Research Foundation; Organic Seed Alliance; Organic Trade Association; Organically Grown Company; Quick Organics; Sierra Harvest; Slow Food USA; Strengthening Organic Systems, LLC; The Cornucopia Institute; The Land Connection; Union of Concerned Scientists; University of Minnesota Student Organic Farm; Virginia Association for Biological Farming; and the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

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Reintroduced legislation helps farmers transition to organic

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