Organic Trade Association shares top 7 priorities for organic agriculture in the 2023 farm bill

Change is in the air. With the current farm bill expiring Sept. 30, 2023, congressional lawmakers are working to draft a new farm bill that, once it becomes law, will guide agriculture and food programs for the next five years.

“Those of us who work in ag and food know that the reality is that the farm bill touches our food system from seed to plate,” Matt Dillon, owner of organic consulting company Risk to Resilience Strategy, said in a recent press call.

In part because the omnibus package of legislation is so far-reaching, the Washington, D.C.-based Organic Trade Association — which represents 10,000 businesses across the organic supply chain — wants to ensure that organic policy priorities support the $63 billion organic industry and get the attention they deserve in the upcoming farm bill.

“Organic is one of the country’s fastest-growing food production and processing categories, but despite the organic sector’s strengths and marketplace success, the industry faces core challenges that Congress must address in the next farm bill,” Organic Trade Association CEO Tom Chapman said in a statement. “The benefits of organic go far beyond the farm gate. To sustain organic’s growth and expand its positive impacts, we’ve developed a set of priorities that will build off the progress made in the 2018 farm bill.”  

Related news: USDA’s new organic rule tackles fraud

Farmers Advisory Council co-Chair and Director of Government and Industry Affairs for Organic Valley Adam Warthesen agrees, emphasizing the broad impact the farm bill can have for farmers and organic agriculture.

“Our hard work in the 2018 farm bill resulted in historic gains in organic oversight and led to the Agriculture Department’s action to advance the Strengthening Organic [Enforcement] (SOE) rulemaking, the most significant changes to organic regulations since the creation of the National Organic Program,” Warthesen said in the release. “Farm bills fundamentally impact organic farmers and our agriculture system. We need to be present to safeguard and advance the organic policy and funding priorities we have outlined as Congress starts deliberating the next farm bill.”  

So, what makes the 2023 organic agenda according to the OTA? It basically comes down to equipping responsive organic standards, supporting American farmers and empowering organic supply chains.

The Organic Trade Association’s top 7 priorities for the 2023 farm bill include: 

1. Update the Organic Foods Production Act to establish a preplanned, predictable timeline — at least once every five years — to review and update the organic standards so they continue to meet consumer expectations in an evolving marketplace.

2. Strengthen the National Organic Program’s enforcement authority against false or misleading organic claims.

3. Increase funding for core organic programs authorized in the farm bill including:

• The Organic Research and Education Initiative.

• Organic Data Initiative.

• Organic Certification Cost-Share Program.

• National Organic Program.

4. Expand organic market data collection and improve risk management tools for organic farmers.

5. Prioritize and increase funding for conservation practices that build soil health.

6. Acknowledge certified organic agriculture’s contributions to protecting natural resources in USDA conservation and climate-smart programs.

7. Authorize and invest in new programs to increase technical assistance for organic and transitioning farmers; facilitate market development and infrastructure grants to expand domestic organic production and processing capacity as piloted by the USDA’s Organic Transition Initiative. 

“The farm bill has a huge impact on the future of organic agriculture, and we need to capitalize on the important gains that organic achieved in the 2018 farm bill,” Farmers Advisory Council co-Chair and Montana organic farmer Doug Crabtree said in a release. “While still not funded to the proportion of food spending by consumers, organic research funding did receive a big boost in the last farm bill.”

Updates to crop insurance rules, along with support and technical assistance, would go a long way to support organic and transitioning farmers, Crabtree said.

“A healthy organic marketplace cannot be fully realized without critical support for farmers who are the backbone of organic,” Crabtree added.   

The next farm bill should ensure that there is government-funded organic research, that organic farmers are provided fair risk management strategies and crop insurance, and that organic is a part of the climate-change solution, reiterated OTA’s Chapman, emphasizing that organic standards must continue to evolve and adapt.

“Congress should not only continue to protect the integrity of the USDA Organic label but ensure that organic standards continuously improve over time,” Chapman said.

Learn more about the OTA's 2023 farm bill priorities.