Monthly Archives: January 2022

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide pandemic assistance to cover certification and education expenses to agricultural producers who are certified organic or transitioning to organic. USDA will make $20 million available through the new Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program (OTECP) as part of USDA’s broader Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative, which provides new, broader and more equitable opportunities for farmers, ranchers and producers. 

Applying for Assistance

Signup for 2020 and 2021 OTECP began on Nov. 8, 2021 and ends February 4, 2022. Producers apply through their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office and can also obtain one-on-one support with applications by calling 877-508-8364. Visit farmers.gov/otecp to learn more.

Eligible Expenses 

OTECP funding is provided through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). Certified operations and transitional operations may apply for OTECP for eligible expenses paid during the 2020, 2021 and 2022 fiscal years. For each year, OTECP covers 25% of a certified operation’s eligible certification expenses, up to $250 per certification category (crop, livestock, wild crop, handling and State Organic Program fee). This includes application fees, inspection fees, USDA organic certification costs, state organic program fees and more.

Crop and livestock operations transitioning to organic production may be eligible for 75% of a transitional operation’s eligible expenses, up to $750, for each year. This includes fees charged by a certifying agent or consultant for pre-certification inspections and development of an organic system plan. 

For both certified operations and transitional operations, OTECP covers 75% of the registration fees, up to $200, per year, for educational events that include content related to organic production and handling in order to assist operations in increasing their knowledge of production and marketing practices that can improve their operations, increase resilience and expand available marketing opportunities. Additionally, both certified and transitional operations may be eligible for 75% of the expense of soil testing required under the National Organic Program (NOP) to document micronutrient deficiency, not to exceed $100 per year. 

Haley Baron (she/her/hers) is OFRF’s Partnership & Development Manager. Haley joined the organization’s Research & Education program in 2019 before stepping into her current role in early 2020. She is based in San Francisco and has over a decade of experience championing sustainable and equitable food systems.

When Haley isn’t building strong collaborative relationships with OFRF partners, she enjoys visiting farms and farmers markets, cooking, gardening, and recently took up ceramics. Haley enjoys exploring her home state of California, from hiking to “walking on Ocean Beach and in Golden Gate Park, both just a few blocks from my house,” she says.

Tell us about yourself.

I grew up in the Sunset neighborhood of San Francisco with my parents and older sister. I loved everything about food from a young age and was passionate about supporting San Franciscans who didn’t have the same access to food that I did so I began volunteering at a local community dining room when I was 10. This was the beginning of my dedication to food justice and agriculture.

Why do you care about organic farming and/or organic research?

I’m passionate about building a healthier and more just food system, where all ecosystems and people are supported and can thrive. To do so, we must change the way we grow food and what we prioritize. Organic agriculture removes toxic chemicals from the system, builds more resilient farms and supply chains, can help mitigate climate change, and provides a safer environment for farm staff.

Who is your farming, research and/or food hero – and why?

All organic farmers and ranchers! They are the true heroes as they have chosen a path that isn’t always easy and requires wearing 25 hats at once, but one that is hugely beneficial to our environment and society.

What are you excited about working on at OFRF?

There is a huge gap in the resources, financial and educational, that go to organic farming systems compared to conventional agriculture. Therefore, we have to fight for that support and it’s exciting to be part of an organization that is doing just that!

By Trevor Findley, OFRF Senior Policy Associate

The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) had a busy year advocating for policies that benefit organic farmers. The following are excerpts from several policy articles that highlight the breadth of issues that OFRF worked on this year. They demonstrate the progress we’ve made, the relationships we’ve established, and ongoing work advancing OFRF’s mission to foster the improvement and widespread adoption of organic farming systems.

1.  OFRF Attends USDA Briefing with Under Secretary Moffitt and Rep. Panetta

In October, OFRF attended a USDA press briefing with USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt and Congressman Jimmy Panetta (CA-20). The event discussed two federal pandemic assistance programs, the USDA’s Pandemic Response and Safety Grant and the Farm and Food Worker Relief Grant, which total over $1 billion for affected workers and businesses.

2.  OFRF Asks Congress to Increase Funding for Organic Research

Throughout Congressional budget reconciliation discussions, the OFRF policy team has worked with both the House and Senate to advocate for more federally funded organic agriculture research. Currently, the House-passed version of the bill is unlikely to move forward in the Senate, but President Biden has committed to continuing his efforts to pass a bill in the new year. As Congress continues its discussions, OFRF will continue to work with members of the House and Senate to support an increase in funding for the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) and other agricultural research investments. OREI funds research, education, and extension programs that help organic producers and processors to grow and market organic products.

3.  OFRF Meets with Under Secretary Lester Moffitt to Ask USDA to Prioritize Support for Producers Transitioning to Organic

In August, OFRF and its advisors met with organic farmer and the then newly-confirmed USDA Under Secretary Jenny Lester Moffitt and Senior Advisor Mike Schimdt to discuss the department’s plans to help producers transition to organic production. USDA Secretary Vilsack has previously announced that the department will spend a couple hundred million dollars to help farmers and ranchers transition to organic. Given OFRF’s research focus and in-depth analysis in the National Organic Research Agenda, OFRF was well-equipped to provide the department with the following recommendations that will help producers transition to organic farming:

• Allocating $50 million for training, education, and outreach.
• Increasing the Organic Transitions Program grant funding from $7 million to $20 million. The program currently has a 20 percent success rate—meaning only one in five grants receives funding—and the amount requested is about three times the funds available.
• Changes to conservation programs currently offered by USDA to increase their appeal for organic farmers. These changes include increasing the incentive rates for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to more accurately reflect foregone income during the three-year organic transition period, and reinstating the popular organic field border buffer initiative under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).

4. OFRF Tours USDA Agricultural Research Service, Rep. Jimmy Panetta to Co-Sponsor ARA

Also in August, OFRF hosted Representative Jimmy Panetta’s (CA-20) congressional staffers at the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Salinas, Calif. The site visit focused on the importance of increased investment in organic research and was instrumental in Rep. Panetta’s decision to co-sponsor the Agricultural Resilience Act (ARA).

OFRF organized the tour of the organic fields at the ARS led by Dr. Eric Brennan, USDA Research Horticulturist and the ARS’ only dedicated organic researcher in the country. California organic farmers in attendance shared their firsthand experience in applying organic research to their farming practices, including composting and cover cropping. Attendees emphasized the importance of investing more research dollars to organic farming practices at the Salinas facility and other ARS locations.

Rep. Panetta’s decision to co-sponsor the ARA was informed by his careful review of the bill text as well as the work and education provided by OFRF.

5.  OFRF Staff Participates in Virtual Fly-In to Ask Congress to Bolster Organic

In July, OFRF participated in the Organic Trade Association’s (OTA) virtual fly-in, where organic supporters asked members of Congress to support a bill to increase accountability in organic standards.

The bill proposed by OTA, HR 2918 – Continuous Improvement and Accountability in Organic Standards Act, would require USDA to do three things: (1) clear the backlog of recommendations from the NOSB that have not been implemented, (2) issue a final rule to implement all new recommendations within one year of the NOSB approving the recommendation, and (3) report to Congress on an annual basis whether certifiers have implemented the new rules and whether any inconsistencies exist.

6. The Agriculture Resilience Act – Good for the Climate, Good for Organic

OFRF, along with many other groups, endorsed the introduction of the Agriculture Resilience Act of 2021 (ARA) when the bill was introduced in April by Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME), herself an organic farmer, and Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM).

The ARA is a farmer-focused, research-driven path to net zero agriculture. The legislation establishes ambitious yet achievable goals for the agriculture sector to reach net zero by 2040. The bill improves and expands upon many existing programs while creating a few new grant programs to support its six programmatic building blocks:

• Increasing investments in agricultural research
• Improving soil health
• Supporting the transition to pasture-based livestock
• Ensuring farmland preservation and viability
• Promoting on-farm renewable energy
• Reducing food waste