Monthly Archives: November 2021

On October 28, 2021, President Joe Biden announced the Build Back Better framework, which includes a historical push to address climate change and a $555 billion investment in a clean energy economy. The framework proposes a 50-52% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in 2030, amounting to roughly over one gigaton. Funding for research and research facilities, including organic research, has been designated in the framework. Increasing resilience and natural solutions by investing in soil conservation is also specifically addressed in a White House statement. 

”OFRF is very pleased that Congress and the White House acknowledge the climate-friendly benefits of organic agriculture,” said OFRF Senior Policy Associate Trevor Findley. “A number of conservation programs used by organic farmers and ranchers, such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation Stewardship Program, are set to receive substantial increases in funding. These programs, combined with organic farming, will go a long way towards mitigating agriculture’s impact on the environment.”

Biden’s Build Back Better framework sets up the U.S. to meet its climate targets of reducing an estimated billion metric tons to meet below 2005 levels. According to a White House statement, the framework “represents the largest single investment in…history, across buildings, transportation, industry, electricity, agriculture, and climate-smart practices across land and waters.” 

Of the $555 billion investment, more than $90 billion will go toward agriculture, nutrition, and forestry provisions. “With significant investments in resources for farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners, this bill provides a host of new tools to deploy important conservation practices and the research essential to inform them,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

Agricultural climate research and ag facilities will receive a $2 billion investment. Half of that funding will go to research facilities for 1890 and 1994 Land-Grant and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSI). The remaining investment is designated for research and cooperative extension programs for farmers and rural communities, and to fund scholarship programs at 1890 and 1994 Land-Grant universities and other MSIs. Approximately $60 million will go to the Organic Agriculture Research & Extension Initiative (OREI), which OFRF has continued to advocate for throughout the reconciliation process. OFRF successfully advocated for the creation of OREI in the 2002 Farm Bill with then Iowa Senator Tom Harkin.

”Since the program’s inception, OREI has provided organic farmers and ranchers with vital research that has allowed them to farm in harmony with the environment,” said OFRF Executive Director Brise Tencer. “This additional funding for OREI acknowledges the climate-friendly benefits of organic agriculture and will continue to help organic farmers operate in a way that mitigates greenhouse gas emissions, sequesters carbon, and ensures resilience to a changing climate.”

An estimated $28 billion investment in climate-smart agriculture could affect approximately 130 million cropland acres per year or 240,000 farms. This funding would help producers implement conservation methods to build resilience and sequester carbon in soil and trees and expand practices such as cover cropping. Programs focused on whole-farm conservation systems and crop insurance will also be funded. “Producers who want to help sequester carbon or reduce greenhouse gas emissions will be able to carry out those practices with the funding provided in this bill,” said Congressman and Co-Chair and Founder of the Agriculture Research Caucus Jimmy Panetta (CA-20).

Debt relief for economically distressed farmers is also proposed in the Build Back Better framework. Approximately $6 billion will go to agricultural credit and outreach. This would include investments in USDA programming to support new and existing farmers through outreach, technical assistance, and education.

To learn more about the Build Back Better framework and information on additional clean energy initiatives and consumer rebates included in the bill, visit the White House website.

Organic Farming Research Foundation created a 5-minute reel of highlights from this past year. Watch this video for updates from its Research, Education, and Policy and Advocacy departments. Program successes include:

• The soon-to-be released National Organic Research Agenda (NORA) report;
• The 2021-22 organic research grant cycle that focuses on climate mitigation and resilience and prioritizes early career and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color researchers, farmers and ranchers;
• Educational materials addressing the challenges of Southern US farmers;
• A multi-year partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS); and
• Advocacy efforts for the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA) in the new Biden-Harris Administration.

OFRF also expanded their staff in 2021 and have evaluated its strategic plan to focus on racial equity in all programming.

Subscribe to the OFRF YouTube Channel to watch this 2021 Year in Review and other videos.

Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) has entered into a 3-year cooperative agreement with USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). OFRF will be tasked with analyzing investments in organic made through two key programs: the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) and Organic Transitions (ORG) grant program by commodity, region and research topics.



As part of the 3-year agreement, OFRF will compare priorities identified in 2016 and 2021 National Organic Research Agenda (NORA), a report OFRF conducts and releases every five years. NORA contains comprehensive recommendations for future organic agricultural research investment based on surveys and listening sessions with organic farmers, and is used to inform recommendations OFRF puts forth to USDA when prioritizing their programs.


“I am very excited about our partnership with this agency, which is an excellent complement to the many years of advocacy we have done on behalf of programs like OREI and ORG,” said Brise Tencer, Executive Director for OFRF.

OFRF has a long-standing history with the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative. The organization worked closely with former Senator Tom Harkin (IA-5) to advocate for the creation of the OREI in the 2002 Farm Bill, and supplied detailed administrative recommendations on how the program should be set up and implemented. As stated in its recommendations report delivered to USDA and Congress, the OREI program is a “remarkable opportunity to provide practical support to the growing organic industry, and to complement institutionalization of organic standards under the National Organic Program.”

As part of the current 3-year agreement commencing 2021, OFRF will examine findings with the previous OREI-funded Taking Stock report (2002-2014) and analyze investment against National Organic Standards Board research recommendation priorities. An equity review of how well OREI and ORG are serving 1890 historically Black land-grants, 1994 Tribal land-grants, Hispanic-serving institutions, and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color NGOs will also be conducted.

OFRF will summarize research findings on top challenges for farmers and assess the effectiveness of involvement with producers and the dissemination of information to stakeholders. Research assessment will be conducted as it relates to climate mitigation, resilience and adaptation. The organization will identify gaps and provide recommendations for organic research priorities which reflect the greatest benefit of producers, communities and the environment.

Additional activities, including the creation and dissemination of info sheets, webinars and public-facing social communications, will be completed as part of a comprehensive external review of OREI and ORG projects.