Many of the best brands in the marketplace belong to community-scale farms that have chosen to invest in the organic label. And eaters rely on this label for the cleanest and most nutritious food.
Unfortunately, crucial and hard-won improvements to USDA organic integrity are now at risk! We implore Congress to restore these essential organic programs:
- Cost Share This program reimburses farmers for part of their organic certification costs, which can total thousands of dollars. As costs have risen, this program is essential for the survival of many small, ethical organic farms.
- Organic Certification Trade and Tracking Program This program is the core of the new Strengthening Organic Enforcement Rule, allowing certifiers and regulators to more quickly identify and deter organic fraud. Defunding this program will increase the likelihood of organic fraud on a global scale.
- Organic Data Initiative This program addresses some of the unique challenges faced by organic operations. Without this data, organic farmers and regulators will be forced to rely on chemical agriculture data to make decisions for organics – it simply makes no sense.
Learn more about what the defunding means from our allies at the National Organic Coalition (NOC).
Two other important programs for small and mid-scale producers, originally funded through the Partnerships for Climate-Safe Commodities, have gone unfunded by the Trump administration: Organic Market Development Grant and Transition to the Organic Partnership Program. Farm businesses will shutter without immediate relief.
Our collective voice is stronger than any one of us alone. Please contact your Senators and Representative today to ask them to restore funding for core organic programs that were omitted from the Farm Bill extension.
You can easily send a message to your Members of Congress using NOC’s action alert form.
Calls to your Members of Congress will have the greatest impact.
First, find your representatives:
Next, find your representatives’ home office numbers. Members of Congress typically note contact info for several locations via their official webpages. Consider contacting an office outside DC, which is reportedly receiving a very high volume of calls. You will most likely be talking with one of their staffers.
Below is some suggested language for use on the call:
I’m very concerned about recent funding cuts that threaten the future of organic agriculture. This lack of funding burdens farmers, jeopardizes the USDA’s ability to enforce organic standards and stop fraud, and will negatively impact thousands of farmers, families, and rural communities.
The lapse in funding for the organic certification cost-share program will mean higher certification costs for farmers. In addition, without a properly funded Organic Data Initiative, farmers are unable to make informed decisions about farm investments and planting. Lack of funding for the Organic Trade and Tracking Program will further weaken organic enforcement by the USDA’s National Organic Program and increase organic fraud.
Please restore and maintain full funding for these critical programs and for the USDA National Organic Program itself.
These funding shortfalls directly impact our state’s agricultural economy. [Add personal details as a farmer or an eater about the importance of organic agriculture in your state.]
Thank you for your time.
Let us know you made the call! Cornucopia would love to hear from you and learn how it went. Send us an email at [email protected].
