Tell the Senate Agriculture Committee to
Invest in Organic Farmers in the 2012 Farm Bill

In June, you let the House Agriculture Committee how important it is to support organic in the 2012 Farm Bill. Now it's time for Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, to hear from you. Tell Senator Lincoln that organic farming must be a top priority in the 2012 Farm Bill and all future agriculture policy.

To submit comments, visit Senator Lincoln’s contact webpage and fill out the web form. Please choose “agriculture” from the topic drop-down menu.

Suggested Talking Points

• Organic farming and ranching is one of the fastest growing segments of U.S. agricultural production and organic food is one of the fastest growing sectors of the U.S. food retail market.
• Organic agriculture provides economic vitality for rural areas.
• Organic farming systems have the potential to conserve water, improve air quality, and build soil quality while providing high quality food and fiber for consumers here and abroad.
• For the U.S. organic sector continue to grow and thrive, we need to invest in programs that support organic farmers, including:

Research and Extension Programs that expand the breadth of knowledge about organic farming systems and provide that knowledge to organic farmers.
Conservation Programs that reward organic farmers for the conservation benefits of organic farming systems and provide technical support for organic farmers who want to improve on-farm conservation.
Transition Programs that provide technical support to farmers who want to transition to organic farming practices but don’t know how.
Crop Insurance Programs that work for organic farmers and reimburse them for any losses based on the organic market value of the crop, not average conventional prices.

Please include any other points you think are relevant.

Let us know if you submitted comments – contact Tracy Lerman, OFRF Policy Organizer: tracy@ofrf.org.

Background

Preparations for the 2012 Farm Bill are underway, and Congress is beginning to gather initial public feedback on the direction the bill should take. Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Blanche Lincoln is accepting comments on her website. The House Agriculture Committee has been holding farm bill hearings to gather input from the public since May and was accepting comments on the direction of the next farm bill on their website until July 28.

Compared to previous farm bills, organic farmers made significant gains in the 2008 Farm Bill. Organic agriculture research funding increased nearly five-fold, Congress created a new program to support farmers transitioning to organic, and funding for the Organic Certification Cost Share Program increased from $5 million to $22 million over five years. But this is nowhere close to what is needed to support American organic farmers. Even with these wins, the amount of federal dollars currently supporting organic agriculture still represents a tiny fraction of all federal agricultural spending. For example, the organic share of the federal agricultural research budget still stands at less than 2 percent.

OFRF will continue to advocate on behalf of organic farmers in the 2012 Farm Bill, and we need your help. We encourage you to reach out to your Members of Congress (especially if they sit on the House and Senate Agriculture Committees) and urge them to support organic farmers in the 2012 Farm Bill and all future agriculture policy.

More Information

Testimony delivered by organic farmers during House Agriculture Committee's 2012 Farm Bill hearings:

John Teixeira, California produce grower and OFRF Board Member
Fred Brossy, Idaho bean, grain and seed farmer
Margaret Smith, Iowa farmer and extension agent

"Organic Farmers Urge House Agriculture Committee to Prioritize Organic in the 2012 Farm Bill" - OFRF Policy Pages, 8/6/10

"Specialty Crop and Organic Producers Testify" - Something to Crow About, 7/22/10

Join the Organic Farmers Action Network today!