The Organic Trade Association says the Domestic Organic Investment Act (DOIA) recently introduced in the U.S. Senate and House seeks to create competitive grants for organic producers and manufacturers to invest in increased storage, processing, aggregation and distribution capacity.
Organics, valued at $71 billion, grew at double the pace of conventional agriculture in 2025, according to the OTA.
In a recent supplier survey by Organically Grown Co., 32% of respondents cited market access as a barrier to growth, more than 33% pointed to logistics and infrastructure challenges and 27% reported limited access to capital.
“Organic produce represents 15% of the total fresh produce market, yet many of the small and mid-sized farmers in our supply chain are constrained by infrastructure as much as by demand,” says Brenna Davis, CEO of Organically Grown Co. “The DOIA directly addresses these real-world barriers and will help unlock the full production potential of U.S. organic agriculture.”
OTA says the proposed legislation would make essential improvements to expand U.S. farmers’ and manufacturers’ capacity to meet the demands of the growing organic marketplace and ensures the continued expansion of the organic sector in the U.S. The legislation was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, with Andrea Salinas, D-Ore., and Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., sponsoring the House bill.
“We are deeply grateful to the sponsoring lawmakers for introducing this important and timely legislation,” says OTA co-CEO Matthew Dillon. “These infrastructure investments will remove long-standing barriers from the farmgate through the supply chain to give organic producers and manufacturers the capacity they need to meet the rapidly growing consumer demand for the benefits of organic.”
OTA says this legislation builds on the strength of the Organic Market Development Grant (OMDG) program introduced in 2023 and administered by USDA that helps solve supply chain gaps and drive organic growth through grants to organic farmers and businesses.
The DOIA legislation would direct USDA to set annual priorities that reduce dependence on imports and reflect input from organic farmers, businesses and other stakeholders. Additionally, it supports U.S.-based farmers and businesses who apply including producers, producer cooperatives, and commercial entities (including tribal governments) who handle certified organic products. All grants will require matching funds from the farm or business recipient.
OTA says a past OMDG recipient, Puris, leveraged the investment and provided an additional four times the capital to expand processing capacity at an existing facility that created agricultural jobs, built new product lines and added 45,000 acres of domestic organic pea production.
“We believe DOIA will catalyze the next chapter of U.S. organic growth by expanding infrastructure, elevating integrity, and reducing reliance on imports,” says Puris CEO Nicole Atchison. “We are proud to stand with OTA and policymakers to grow a stronger, more resilient domestic organic ecosystem.”
