Advocacy2024-12-11T13:53:53+00:00

ADVOCACY

OFRF’S STANCES

Policy Priorities

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.

At the core, OFRF is concerned with:

  • Building resiliency to both climate and supply chain disruption through organic management and more localized food systems.
  • Investing in research in organic agriculture. Research has significant benefits to public good and return on investment, with each dollar of investment into public research providing over $20 in economic benefit.
  • Supporting the expansion of organic production to meet increasing market demand for organic products through additional investments in research relevant to organic producers.
  • Making sure organic producers, and those interested in transitioning to organic production, have the research tools and opportunities needed to thrive.

GORDON’S POLICY CORNER

Organic Research Funding

April 29th, 2024|Gordon's Policy Corner, News|

Recent developments in the Presidential Budget Request for fiscal year 2025 (PBR25) reveal a concerning decrease in funding specifically allocated for organic-dedicated competitive grant programs. In this blog, we look at the justifications given for these policy changes, and discuss the impacts that will follow if these changes are made and why the role of organic agriculture has never been more crucial.

Growing Together, one year with the USDA Transition to Organic Partnership Program

April 4th, 2024|Gordon's Policy Corner, News|

This month Gordon’s Policy Corner reflects on a year of achievements with the USDA Transition to Organic Partnership Program in the West/Southwest region (TOPP-W/SW, including toolkits for accessing farmer support funding, and other resources to empower farmers transitioning to organic practices.

OFRF’S ACTIONS

ADVOCATE FOR ORGANIC

Submit Your Researcher Story

Why We Want You to Share Your Story

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. We are collecting and amplifying stories of researchers around the U.S. who have effectively shared their research with decision-makers.

Communicating with Legislators

In this jam-packed workshop, OFRF’s Senior Policy and Programs Manager Gordon Merrick explains how and why farmers and researchers might communicate with their legislators. Learn how the legislative process works, in a nutshell, as Gordon packs semesters of legislative law courses into a few minutes of plain-spoken presentation for the rest of us. You’ll also see examples of effective farmer and researcher engagement with policy makers, and hear why directly engaging with representatives can have a huge impact on advancing organic farming and food systems. If you are a farmer or researcher who wants know more about getting involved with advocacy, this presentation is for you.

Farm Bill 2023 Toolkits

Thank you for your interest in the work that the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) is doing advocating for continued public investment in organic agriculture research programs by encouraging cosponsorship of the SOAR Act in the House and the OSRI Act in the Senate. We are so excited to get you involved in making sure this Farm Bill supports farm-centered, action-oriented research programs like the Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI). These toolkits provides background information about the bills and templates you can use to mobilize your organization’s members or yourself to contact legislators. These are meant to be starting points. For more significant impact, tailoring the materials using personal stories is an important next step in this work!

Find Your Representative

Our goal is to provide you with the best information to sustain powerful organic advocacy in your community.
Please feel free to use the following Organic Advocacy Tools. You may always contact us if you need additonal items, we’ll do our best to support you in raising the voice of organic farmers.

Find out who represents you in Congress by searching a database by your zipcode or state.

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