ADVOCACY
Policy Priorities
OFRF recognizes the organic method as the leading form of agriculture and a vital solution to many challenges facing U.S. agriculture. However, USDA support has not kept pace with the sector’s rapid growth and increasing importance. We have developed a new set of Policy Priorities designed to align research investments with market opportunities, enhance technical and financial assistance for organic farmers and farmworkers, and strengthen the incentive structures that reward sustainable stewardship of our natural, social, and economic resources.
Our three priority areas are:
- Investing in Organic Research: USDA research investments into organic agriculture topics proportionally reflect the industry’s growing market share.
- Amplifying Economic Benefit of Organic: Rural communities and economies benefit from the organic economic engine.
- Increasing Technical Support: USDA and State Technical and Financial Support Agencies continue to work to increase Organic Producers’ utilization of their resources.
Investing in Organic Research
Amplifying Economic Benefit of Organic
Increasing Technical Support
Organic Research State-by-State
OFRF has developed state-by-state “leave behinds” that are meant to communicate the size of the organic market, the importance of organic research investments, and regional research priorities.
Explore the map by hovering over states names to discover some high-level facts about organic agriculture research in those regions. To learn more, click the state name to access a PDF with more details. Download, save, print, and share these!
These state-by-state resources were created using data from various sources, including the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service’s latest organic survey from 2021, the Agricultural Marketing Service’s Organic Integrity Database, and the Organic Trade Association’s Organic Industry Surveys. If you have a question about data in your state or region, contact OFRF’s Senior Policy & Programs Manager Gordon Merrick: gordon@ofrf.org
#GetActive – A Step-by-Step Guide to Engaging in Advocacy
Our goal is to provide you with the best information to sustain powerful organic advocacy in your community.
This Step-by-Step Guide will walk you through how to familiarize yourself with who your legislators are, where they stand on critical ag policy issues, and how to reach out to them to share your story. Grab a notebook, click through the buttons below, and get ready to #GetActive. You can always contact us if you need additional support, we’ll do our best to assist you in raising the voice of organic farmers and researchers.
Ready to do more?
Use the links below to share your story with us, or watch the short video about Communicating with Legislators to learn how to share your story directly with decision-makers in your area.
SHARE YOUR STORY
We Want You to Hear From YOU
Farmers and Researchers, we need your help to deepen the impact of our advocacy work! Facts, figures, and statistical breakdowns of the effects of increased public investment in agricultural research are important, but the lived experiences and stories of researchers and farmers communicate more than a report ever can. This is why we are beginning to implement a new strategy in our policy advocacy: story banking. This means collecting and amplifying stories of researchers and farmers around the U.S. who have effectively shared their work with decision-makers.
SPEAK UP FOR ORGANIC
Communicating with Legislators Email Course
Looking for a simple way to speak up for organic? Our Communicating with Legislators email course gives farmers, researchers, and advocates the tools to share their stories confidently.
Delivered by email, this free, self-paced course includes short videos from OFRF’s Senior Policy & Programs Manager, Gordon Merrick, plus easy action steps and support from our team. You’ll learn how Congress works, why your voice matters, and how to make it heard—no policy degree required.
OFRF’S STATEMENTS
As an organization committed to the improvement and widespread adoption of organic farming systems, OFRF is deeply involved in both the farm bill and the appropriations processes. We are working hard to advocate for organics at every turn.
OFRF is an active participant in both the legislative and regulatory systems. Below are the actions we have taken in those processes: Organizational Sign-On Letters we have both sponsored and endorsed, Congressional Testimony on Farm Bill and Appropriations priorities, and comments we have submitted to USDA and other regulatory agencies.

- Organic Science and Research Investment (OSRI) Act Sign-On Letter (April 2025, OFRF led)
- FY26 Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Community Support (March 2025, OFRF endorsed)
- Packard and Stockyards Act, Contract Grower Rule (February 2025, OFRF endorsed)
- Organic Research in the Next Farm Bill Sign-on Letter (June 2024)
- Safeguarding Agricultural Research Funding Sign-on Letter (July 2023)
- Organic Science and Research Investment Act (OSRI Act) Sign-on Letter (July 2023)
- Strengthening Organic Agriculture Research (SOAR) Act Sign-on Letter (May 2023)
- Building Resilience Through Agricultural Research in the Upcoming Farm Bill (November 2022)
- Group Support of Climate Solutions in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (August 2022)

- Written Comments for NOSB Spring Meeting (April 2025)
- OFRF Comments on AMS’s Specialty Crop Competitiveness Initiative (SCCI) (March 2024)
- OFRF Comments on NRCS Conservation Practice Standards (CPS) (March 2024)
- Written Comments for NOSB Meetings (April 2022)
- Letter to USDA National Organic Program to Protect Native Ecosystems (March 2022)

- Testimony Submitted by Gordon N. Merrick, FY 2025 Appropriations for United States Department of Agriculture (May 2024)
- Testimony Submitted by Gordon N. Merrick, FY 2025 Appropriations for United States Department of Agriculture (April 2024)
- Testimony Submitted by Gordon N. Merrick, FY 2024 Appropriations for United States Department of Agriculture (April 2023)
- Testimony Submitted by Gordon N. Merrick, FY 2024 Appropriations for United States Department of Agriculture (March 2023)
- Submitted Statement of Thelma Velez to the House Committee on Agriculture in Climate Research Hearing (June 2022)
GORDON’S POLICY CORNER
We share the latest policy updates and action alerts each month in Gordon’s Policy Corner. Sign up for OFRF’s newsletter to make sure you never miss one, and feel free to reach out to Gordon with any policy or advocacy questions: gordon@ofrf.org
Keeping it Real: How OFRF groundtruths our policy priorities, and why that matters
In today’s political environment, defined by complexity, shifting political winds, and consistently competing interests, clarity and consistency matter more than ever. That’s why it is all the more important that OFRF stays grounded by always adhering to one simple principle: our work must be rooted in the real needs of the organic farming and research community.
Spring Storms in Policymaking: How Organic Research is Affected by Reconciliation
Reconciliation is a fast-track budget process that allows Congress to adjust spending, revenue, and debt limits. For advocates of organic farming and publicly-funded agricultural research, reconciliation can have profound implications on the future of important programs. Learn what’s happening right now, and what’s at stake for organic agriculture.
Why the Trade War Increases the Need for More Organic Farming Research
OFRF’s new Policy Fellow addresses the elephant in the room–tariffs. How will new tariffs impact organic agriculture and farmers' livelihoods? What does research have to do with it? And what can we do about it? Read more.
Action Alert! Tell Congress: Don’t Fail Our Farmers
The USDA funding freeze is leaving farmers in limbo. Learn how you can take action right now to help protect farmers from the damaging effects of the federal funding freeze and government layoffs.