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| Release For Immediate Release SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (May 17, 2002) - On May 13, 2002, after much debate, President Bush signed a farm bill, known as The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002. The bill, which has been highly criticized for placing the interests of corporate agriculture over interests of family farmers, nonetheless has some real wins for the organic agricultural community. Significant gains won by the organic agricultural industry include $15 million for research in organic agriculture, $5 million in organic certification cost-share, exemptions from federal marketing orders for growers of 100% organic products, and other initiatives facilitating research and public reports of organic marketing and production. "Business is not as usual," says Bob Scowcroft, Executive Director of the Organic Farming Research Foundation. "This initiative has created a framework for organic farmers to receive their fare share of America's agricultural research dollar."The Organic Research Initiative will provide $15 million of mandatory funding to be spent at $3 million a year for 5 years. It expands the organic agriculture research and extension initiative to include on-farm research and development for working organic farms, determination of desirable traits for organic commodities, and identification of marketing and policy constraints on the expansion of organic agriculture. The $15 million dollars is truly unprecedented for organic agriculture but pales in comparison to the $180 billion total estimated cost of the farm bill. "The $15 million isn't nearly enough money, but then again, it is more than what we have ever had before." says Ron Rosmann, an Iowa farmer and president of OFRF's board of directors.Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of the organic research initiative is the report language of the bill which OFRF and its colleagues helped draft. The language makes two significant points: that Congress's intent is that this not be considered the only funding vehicle for organic research, and that it is their intent that organic be considered a legitimate priority of all USDA REE programs. Other important wins are the exemption of the 100% organic farmers from federal marketing orders, an issue that has long been contentious. The Organic Certification Cost Share establishes and provides $5 million in funding, starting in 2002 and available until expended, to assist producers and handlers of agricultural products in obtaining certification under the National Organic Program established under the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990. The bill language allows a maximum federal cost share of 75% of certification costs up to a maximum of $500.Other programs which are not directly aimed at organic farmers but which could benefit them are the Conservation Security Program, which will give $2 billion in financial incentives for conservation and increased environmental stewardship on working lands. Another is Initiative for Future Agricultural and Food Systems (IFAFS), which will increase in funding from $120 million per year to $200 million by the last year of this farm bill totaling $1.3 billion in new mandatory funding. The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 is a six year bill that will spend more than $180 billion over the next decade. The funding includes an additional $82.5 billion over the previous farm program budget baseline. Conservation spending will get $17.1 billion over the next decade (an 80% increase), and $1.03 billion will go for rural development, including incentives to expand ethanol production, $1.1444 billion go to trade, $405 million for energy programs, and $1.3 billion in total for research. Payment limitations have been capped at $360,000. For more information on OFRF's policy program contact: Brise Tencer, Policy Program Assistant, Organic Farming Research Foundation, PO Box 440, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060. Phone: (831) 426-6606, brise@ofrf.org. # # #
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Copyright 2006 Organic Farming Research Foundation. All rights reserved.