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What August Recess means for Organic Ag Advocacy

This month’s Policy Corner has a guest author, OFRF Policy and Communications Intern, Adam Bagul.

Almost as if chased away by the potent combination of heat and humidity that has descended upon the District of Columbia, our Senators and Representatives have returned back home to their districts for the August recess. Congress Members usually use this time to hold town hall meetings or to be available for in-district meetings. This break from the hustle and bustle of Capitol Hill presents a golden opportunity

Photo credit: Adam Bagul

for constituents to connect with their policymakers. Since 2023 is a Farm Bill year, let’s take a moment to delve into the Farm Bill process, a linchpin of agricultural policy, and use this recess to mobilize support for bills that will ensure a robust future for organic and sustainable agriculture in the United States.

The Farm Bill is a comprehensive piece of legislation that shapes agricultural policy, nutrition programs, and rural development initiatives for the next five years. My internship with the Organic Farming Research Foundation has provided me with a front-row seat to this intricate process. I’ve witnessed various organic and sustainable agriculture advocacy organizations, all working towards a common goal – a resilient and sustainable agricultural future. I’ve worked to promote different marker bills, legislation used to signal positions on issues within our legislative bodies. This work has helped me to see that the Farm Bill isn’t just an obscure collection of irrelevant policies; it’s about our farmers, our land, our health, and our food security. The bills that make up this Farm Bill will dictate the immediate future of agriculture, nutrition, conservation, and forestry of the US.

The August recess allows Congress to step back into their home districts, reconnect with their roots, listen to their constituents’ concerns, and gain a better understanding of local issues. Showing legislators that farms and organic businesses are part of your community, how they make an impact in their districts, and communicating what support they need to be successful are important actions to take during this period. As citizens passionate about agriculture and rural development, this is our moment to be heard. Meeting with policymakers might seem daunting, but it’s an avenue that holds immense potential to create change. Here are a few tips to make the most of your interaction:

  1. Plan Ahead: Reach out to your Congressperson’s local office to schedule a meeting. Be clear about the topic you wish to discuss and your objectives for the conversation.
  2. Do Your Homework: Familiarize yourself with the Congressperson’s stance on agricultural issues and the Farm Bill. This shows your commitment and helps tailor your conversation. Additionally, familiarize yourself with the marker bills being considered this year. OFRF has great resources for you to do so.
  3. Bring Data: Numbers and statistics can be persuasive. If you’re discussing the impact of a certain policy, back it up with relevant data. Another piece of information to bring could be lists of organizations within your legislator’s district that are in support of initiatives or bills that you support.
  4. Be Concise and Clear: Time is often limited. Clearly articulate your main points and concerns. Provide real-life examples to illustrate your arguments. Constructing a rough road map of how you’d like to share information with your legislator is a helpful way to ensure every point that you’d like to make is included.
  5. Engage Emotionally: Share personal stories that highlight the real-world implications of agricultural policies. Emotionally compelling narratives can leave a lasting impression.

These principles for successful conversations with our elected legislative officials are a part of my daily work as an intern at OFRF. Amidst this bustling realm of policy and legislation, my internship experience has been informative and rewarding. From diving into research on agricultural sustainability to participating in policy discussions, I’ve gained invaluable insights into the complexities of policy advocacy in the United States. At OFRF, much of my work consists of drafting and sending communications to congressional staffers, conveying the significance of marker bills centered around organic farming research for the impending Farm Bill, such as the Organic Science Research Investment (OSRI) Act and the Strengthening Organic Agriculture Research (SOAR) Act. Similarly, sitting in on meetings between various organic and sustainable agriculture advocacy organizations has been edifying. Witnessing the behind the scenes work and shared determination to drive positive agricultural reform has been nothing short of inspiring. 

One particular initiative that I have been working with is the Safeguarding Agricultural Research (SARF) letter. This letter is a call for legislators to prioritize and protect agricultural research funding, written by OFRF, signed by organizations, businesses, and farmers from all over the US. The purpose of SARF advocacy isn’t just for Universities to receive more money for research; it’s about ensuring that our farmers have access to the knowledge and tools they need to overcome challenges. It’s about fostering innovation that leads to more resilient crops, sustainable practices, and a brighter agricultural future. My internship with OFRF has illuminated the necessity of agricultural advocacy: as engaged citizens we have a duty to communicate our priorities to our legislators and secure our commitment to the land and crops that sustain us. The August recess is an occasion for us to advocate for policies that bolster initiatives like SARF, in turn advocating for the resilience and vitality of American agriculture. Our voices, together, have the power to shape the future of our fields and farms.

If you have questions about OFRF’s policy advocacy work, or want to know how to get involved, please reach out: gordon[at]ofrf.org. As Gordon says:

Eat well,

Adam

By |2024-06-18T18:13:40+00:00August 10th, 2023|Gordon's Policy Corner, News|
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Heather Estrada (she/her/hers)

Research & Education Senior Scientist

email: heather[at]ofrf.org

Heather Estrada has been a part of the organic farming community for the past 20 years, as a scientist, professor, grower, and advocate. She has worked with transitioning and certified organic farmers in the field, conducted organic crop and weed research, and has spent much of her career educating students in regenerative organic farming principles and practices. 

Heather started her organic agriculture career in Edmonton, Canada, studying and researching organic wheat breeding and agronomy. She graduated from the University of Alberta (BS, Crop Science; PhD, Plant Science) and then moved to Kalispell, Montana to work as a cropping systems research agronomist with Montana State University. Heather switched her career focus to education in 2012, taking on the role of college professor and Agriculture program director at Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell. While there, she created degree programs and curriculum, started a working educational vegetable farm on the college campus, and taught classes such as plant science, soil nutrient management, integrated pest management, practical farm production, and building community food systems.

Heather is looking forward to bringing her experience and passion for research and education to OFRF, and hopes to make a meaningful contribution to the lives of farmers through her work.

By |2024-06-18T18:13:47+00:00August 1st, 2023|Staff|
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Frog Song Organics

Frog Song Organics

Frog Song Farm is a highly diversified farm producing vegetables, herbs, flowers, orchard crops, pork and poultry products, and legumes. John Bitter was one of the farmers that OFRF spoke to in a series of interviews about Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems, the practice of raising livestock and crops on the same farm, overlapping on the same ground in ways that can benefit the animals and the plants, as well as the whole farm ecosystem.

Farm name: Frog Song Organics
Farmer name: John Bitter
Location: Eastern Alachua County, near Gainesville, Florida, (traditional homelands of the Seminole Tribes, the Republic of Timucua, the Miccosukee Tribe, and Mascogo).
Products: Diversified mixed vegetables, flowers, herbs, pastured pork, eggs.
ICLS practices: Grazing & terminating cover crop, cleaning up crop residue, breaking pest cycles.
Years certified organic: Since 2012.
Acreage: Manage 62 acres, mix of leased and owned with 20-40 acres in production at a time.
Type of livestock: Pigs, chickens.
Markets: Farmers Markets, CSA, wholesale distribution, and home delivery/custom boxes.
Years in operation: Since 2011.
Farm crew size: Employ ~30 people. Half the team is directly involved in daily crop production.

Balancing Act: How Frog Song Organics Integrates Livestock and Crops

When John Bitter and his wife Amy started Frog Song Organics on 5 acres in 2011, a vision of how to carefully scale-up the farm was long in the works. They both had several years’ experience working with farms in the area, and each knew nearby markets well enough to know they had opportunities to grow. Looking ahead, they had also spoken with the owner of neighboring land about leasing additional acreage in the future. 

Fast-forward 12 years, and Frog Song Organics is a 62-acre operation with about 30 full-time employees and 20-40 acres in production at any one time. Located less than a 2 hour’s drive from several markets, Frog Song provides organic products year-round to four farmers markets and wholesale accounts in Gainesville, Orlando, St. Augustine, and Tampa, and through an online-order, customizable-box CSA program. 

At this stage, John is happy with the size of the operation, and focused on improvements to the overall farm. “Now we’re just trying to fill in the efficiency of what we are doing. We don’t really want to get a lot bigger but we want to get more efficient and more profitable, being able to do more with less resources, essentially,” he said. 

Frog Song is a highly diversified farm producing vegetables, herbs, flowers, orchard crops, pork and poultry products, and legumes. For John, balancing the livestock and crop enterprises is key. “Something to think about is how all this scales,” he said. From his perspective, scaling “needs to match the fertility, the planting, and the marketing…and if one of those is way out of whack, the business might fail.” So while Frog Song could produce a lot more pork and eggs, keeping a system that is balanced, where the amount of livestock fits the crop systems, is John’s recommended strategy. “People are looking at one way or the other, like ‘I’m going to be a pig farmer or a chicken farmer’, well, that’s 1/8th of what you do, or 1/12th of what you do, and you base the rest on what grows really well in your area and what resources you already have available rather than trying to bring in too much of the resources that will end up driving you out of business. If you depend too much on other resources, eventually, when the prices of those resources change, your business model will have to change, very rapidly, or else you won’t stay in business.” 

Why integrate livestock with crop production?

Speaking about why John and Amy decided to include animals from the onset, John says, “The primary reason we integrate livestock is to turn a liability into a resource.” For Frog Song, that means pigs are brought into sweet potato fields following harvests to help clean up 

‘seconds’ and bits left behind that can otherwise harbor pests. In the warmth of the southeastern region where Frog Song is located, a sweet potato weevil thrives. The highly mobile bug can ruin inventories and crops in fields. Non-organic controls include herbicide applications to sweet potato fields following harvests, or soil fumigants. As an organic farm, Frog Song had to find other methods. “We decided pigs were the best way to plow over the land without using a lot of diesel. So the pigs will take sweet potato scraps and turn it into something that’s a very high-value product: organic bacon. Better than organic, it’s actually pasture-raised and on organic pasture!”

Another liability-turned-to-resource can be seen in the orchards. Chickens are ranged under established (2 years old or more) stone fruit trees after fruiting. As they scratch and peck around the trees, they effectively reduce plum curculio, millipedes, cutworms and other lepidoptera pests. To make the most of the benefits of the chickens’ manure, feed is concentrated around the base of fruit trees to maximize the time they spend scratching weeds and leaving behind manure. 

Cover crops and livestock integration

On farms with integrated systems of crops and livestock, cover crops can provide valuable forages. At Frog Song, cover crops are planted year-round, and almost always include a multi-species mix. From November to February, winter rye, coker oats, and wheat are planted. Buckwheat, 4 types of millet, and sorghum-Sudan grass go in from March to October. And from April through August, John plants Sunn Hemp as a stand-alone. All of these crops, in addition to certain cash crops like the sweet potatoes, are eventually grazed by animals. 

Sunn Hemp is planted as a stand-alone cover crop in a pear orchard. “This would be a good time to graze it down by pigs, if you needed to. Sunn Hemp is kind of our backup plan for pig grazing. We try to have enough millet and sorghum and buckwheat after the sweet potato crop, and if we fail at any time, then we have acres and acres of the Sunn Hemp that would be a decent forage for them.” John recommends grazing sunn hemp only until about 20 inches tall. At about waist-high, it becomes too tough, high in a particular acid, and the pigs “just won’t eat it,” he says.  Also of note: for grazing pigs in this area, the fence would be placed to exclude the pigs from the pear trees. 

The choice of which cover crops to plant for grazing centers around three questions for John. One, will the animals eat it, and at what stage is best to start grazing? Two, how much does it cost to establish, in both time and expenses, especially given that the cost of cover crop seeds can vary from year to year? And three, how does the crop fit in with the rotation? The answer to that third question, for Frog Song, has special implications for legume cover crops. Since one of Frog Song’s cash crops is legumes, they need at least 3 years in the rotations without legumes in order to avoid building up diseases like white rot. Sunn Hemp seems to be a distant enough relative that it remains in the cover-crop mix at Frog Song, and does not contribute to buildup of diseases affecting legume cash crops

The switch to on-farm breeding

For years at Frog Song, piglets were purchased off-farm, but after some time, John decided it was best to breed their own pigs on-farm. “After being in business for some years,” he explains, “sometimes the piglets aren’t there when you need them to be there, in your cycle.” Since beginning on-farm breeding with Red Wattle Hogs, the animals are bred and available at times that suit the farm, and the animals “stayed in good health and stayed productive.” 

To maintain healthy genetics, a few sires from different lines are brought in to live on site. A few sows cycle through the “Honeymoon Suite” to breed with them, and then are introduced to farrowing pens, which are “good spots on the farm…basically giving the sow the best of what there is in that moment of the year,” with plenty of shade and quality forage. Within 7-14 days, the piglets have begun to graze the forage and are learning the cycles and systems of Frog Song. 

“Certain animals can be pretty much addicted to grain,” John explained. “They won’t go forage for themselves, they’ll just wait for when the grain comes, then they get really nasty to have to battle out their siblings or bunkmates for that grain. In our system, we’re looking for the pigs who just want to go plow up any part of their block, go find their own sweet potatoes, and there’s really no way that a bully pig can dominate that system: they’ve all got plenty to eat, they’re stress-free, and by the time they get to the end of the block, there’s a new block waiting for them.”

Adaptations in infrastructure for livestock

Two of the most important pieces of infrastructure for livestock at Frog Song are electric fencing and animal housing. Training workers so that each understands how electricity flows through an entire fencing system has been key to being able to troubleshoot problems in the field quickly without slowing other parts of the operation down. And to keep a careful eye on the electric systems, John recommends having one person who is responsible for checking systems at least once a day. At Frog Song, handlers check the systems twice a day. Electric fencing is key to the paddock systems at the farm, typically set up as block-paddocks that are fractions of a longer, rectangle-shaped field. The animals move across the field into a new paddock every 5-7 days. 

For livestock housing, one important adaptation has to do with the clay soils at the farm: John has moved away from anything with wheels, such as chicken houses on trailers, because clay gets into tire seals, ruins them, and the seals need to be replaced often. New housing structures are custom-built using 2-inch metal tubing, in a design that can be picked up with a front-end loader and easily moved with a tractor.  

Risks of raising animals and crops together

Understanding the risks of raising livestock is simple, but it is of the utmost importance. John explains, “How do you grow vegetables and raise animals at the same time? This is a really important part to talk about. This is where the farm can go really wrong if you don’t acknowledge your risks. But the risks are simple: you don’t want to get manure in the product in any way possible!”

The plans for dealing with this simple risk are taken seriously. In order to know where the risks lie, the farm identifies where manure is traveling, from paddocks to packing shed or plantings. These “Critical Control Points” (CCP’s) are part of the farm’s HACCP plan (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Systems plan), which means they are “identified, verified, and validated” so they all get met. With animals moving around the farm often, John starts thinking about where the manure will go the moment he starts designing the layout of fields. 

That means thinking about the flow of water. “I’d say, start there, as a farmer,” he suggests, “you need to look at ‘Which way does every drop flow?’ As it comes out of the sky and hits your farm. Then you need to know where your paddocks are, where you’re going to raise your crops, and what kind of crops you are going to raise (low or high risk).” Having staff trained in safe handling and protocols for visiting anywhere on the farm with manure or entering packing areas is also a necessary part of managing the CCP’s and risks of manure. 

Benefits you can see: soil fertility

Despite the risks, workload, and infrastructure needs, having pigs and chickens is an integral part of what makes Frog Song successful. When asked about the benefits of the 12+ years of crop-livestock integration at the farm, John spoke about one key indicator of soil health: the health of the cover crops. In the first few years, some fields barely sustained a cover crop. Other fields with more clay had large incongruencies in growth over the area and in how water moved through them (areas with poor drainage and large puddles). Now these same fields produce uniform, lush patches of cover crops, and as John reflects on a decade-plus of integration, he says, matter-of-factly, “every year certain blocks are getting better.”

By |2024-06-18T18:14:01+00:00July 26th, 2023|Crop Livestock Integration|
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Jose Perez (he/him/el)

Research & Education Engagement Coordinator

email: jose[at]ofrf.org

Jose Perez has over seven years of experience in education and research positions supporting small scale and organic farmers in Florida. He has held positions such as Small Farms Extension Coordinator with UF/IFAS Extension and Outreach and Education Coordinator with Florida Organic Growers. Jose has a B.A. in Human Ecology with concentration in sustainable agriculture from College of the Atlantic in Maine and a Masters in Sustainable Development Practice from the University of Florida.

Jose is working on his Agricultural Extension PhD, and firmly believes that farmers are experimenters by nature, and they are in the best position to conduct relevant research that impacts their farms every day. He is a native Spanish speaker from Guatemala and is passionate about supporting organic agriculture, promoting farmer-led research, and engaging farmers and researchers in learning and sharing among their peers.

By |2024-06-18T18:14:09+00:00July 19th, 2023|Staff|
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OSRI Act Introduced

Today, the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) is happy to deliver to the leadership of Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry a letter in support of the Strengthening Organic Agriculture Research Act. OFRF and the undersigned believe this bill represents significant investments into answering research questions that organic producers continue to grapple with. 

“We are excited to be able to work with Organic Champions in Congress to help ensure there are resources available to support the success of organic farmers and ranchers across the nation. Over the last several years OFRF has collected robust information from farmers about their research and education needs and these bills would provide much needed investment in solutions to these problems. These bills are also an important signal to early career researchers that organic agriculture research is an important, respected, and securely-funded area to engage in,” – Brise Tencer, OFRF Executive Director. 

The 2018 Farm Bill was an important step towards recognizing the status of the organic agriculture industry, OREI reached mandatory funding levels. The organic agriculture market has continued to mature over the past five years of the Farm Bill, partly due to this increased investment. For this growth to continue, organic producers must be given their fair share of resources dedicated to agricultural research. This bill intends to do just that with the 2023 Farm Bill.

In the Senate, Senator Fetterman is joined by Senators Booker, Brown, Casey, Gillibrand, Welch, and Wyden to introduce the Organic Science and Research Investment Act. This legislation would increase the resilience of U.S. agriculture, create economic opportunity for producers, and result in improved ecological vitality of the landscape by:

  1. Creating the Coordinating and Expanding Organic Research Initiative. This initiative charges the Research, Education, and Economics agencies at USDA to catalog the current, ongoing research on organic food and agriculture topics and provide a path to increase organic agriculture research conducted and funded by the USDA.
  2. Directing the USDA to develop a plan to increase organically managed acreage. This plan will formulate how the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the sole in-house research operation at USDA, will dedicate a portion of their research fields to organic agriculture research.
  3. Bolstering programs operated by the National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The OSRI Act would provide stair-stepped budget increases to the Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI), expand the statutory priorities to include climate change, organic alternatives to prohibited substances, and Traditional Ecological Knowledge. The bill would also provide first-time Congressional authorization for the Researching the Transition to Organic Program (RTOP), currently known as the Organic Transition Research Program (ORG).
  4. Boosting funding for the Organic Production and Market Data Initiative (ODI). The data produced through the ODI is essential for the development of risk management products and targeted market development. The OSRI Act directs the Economic Research Service (ERS) to conduct a full, systematic evaluation of the economic impact organic agriculture has on rural and urban communities, taking into account economic, ecological, and social factors.

We at OFRF are excited about this opportunity to support the expansion of organic agriculture research, and look forward to working with our partners and collaborators to advance the OSRI Act in the Senate, and the SOAR Act in the House this Farm Bill season.

View the final OSRI Act sign-on letter here.

Download an informational one-pager to learn more about What the OSRI Act does, Why it’s Important, and How you can Help

View our OSRI Act Toolkit, for resources on how you can help spread the word

Support for the OSRI Act

“The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition strongly endorses the Organic Science and Research Investment Act (OSRI Act). The OSRI Act makes meaningful investments in providing organic producers with the research and tools they need to continue to improve upon already climate friendly and resilient farming systems and meet the growing market demand for organic products. In addition to increasing investments in critical organic research programs such as the Organic Agriculture Research and Education Initiative (OREI), this bill provides a structure for USDA to coordinate and expand organic agriculture research across REE agencies. This will increase the scientific research and economic data and analysis these agencies are able to provide so that both organic and conventional agricultural producers can sustain and improve their operations while helping us reach meaningful solutions for the climate crisis.” Nick Rossi, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

“As one of the oldest and largest organic certification agencies in the country, the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association applauds Senator Sherrod Brown for his leadership on the Organic Science and Research Investment Act of 2023.  The increased research investments and coordination across the many USDA agencies will help farmers overcome production hurdles and implement holistic approaches to farming that result in better water management, water quality, soil health and resilience.  It is critical that we focus on the development of new public plant cultivars and livestock breeds that are regionally adapted and appropriate for organic production in this time of increasing weather extremes. “  Amalie Lipstreu, OEFFA Policy Director

“The National Organic Coalition is thrilled to see the introduction of the Organic Science and Research Investment Act, and we appreciate the work of Senators Fetterman, Booker, Brown, Casey, Gillibrand, Welch, and Wyden to champion this bill. Research is key to tackling the many challenges farmers face and organic research benefits all farmers. In fact, many of the farming practices embraced by organic farmers, such as cover cropping and other regenerative agricultural practices, are now being adopted across the board to protect soil health and natural resources.” Abby Youngblood, National Organic Coalition

“The Northeast Organic Dairy Producer Alliance supports all the requests in the OSRI Act as a very necessary stage in the growth and stability of organic agriculture. Farmers need accurate data in establishing risk management, deciding to transition to organic and establishing a sustainable business plan. This is not available to the majority of organic commodities and presents difficulties in establishing safety net programs, disaster programs and incentives for transitioning to organic production.” Ed Maltby, Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance 

“By investing in organic research, adding climate mitigation/resilience to legislative goals of OREI, and fully recognizing the contributions of Traditional Ecological Knowledge to climate solutions, the OSRI Act will go far toward building an equitable, resilient, and climate-friendly agriculture and food system.” Mark Schonbeck, Virginia Association for Biological Farming

“The Women, Food and Agriculture Network (WFAN) recognizes the critical need for organic research for the responsible co-creation of just and ecological food and agriculture systems. The passage of the OSRI Act will provide vital funding to support this research.” Juliann Salinas, Women, Food and Agriculture Network

“This program has not only been a benefit to our faculty in staff working on organic agriculture, but has supported the transition of a lot of our partnering farms in the southeast.” Crystal James, Tuskegee University

“While organic agriculture makes up more than 6% of the food sales market, ARS and NIFA devote less than 2% of their research dollars to organic research. The policies in the OSRI Act signal to researchers that organic agriculture research is valued.” Jaydee Hanson, Center for Food Safety

“As a leader in organic rice and rice products, we are supportive of these efforts to grow and nurture the organic farming industry. We applaud the Senate’s leadership here and urge the body to adopt this legislation.” Natalie Carter, Lundberg Family Farms

“Continued funding and increased funding is necessary for equitable research for organic agriculture practices, materials, outreach and leading in promoting climate smart agricultural practices.” John McKeon, Taylor Family Farms

By |2024-06-18T18:14:44+00:00July 12th, 2023|Gordon's Policy Corner, News|
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Organic Agriculture & Research in a Changing Climate

Gordon’s Policy Corner, July 2023: This year has already sent a clear message to the world that our changing climate is no longer a future concern, but a current hazard. At OFRF, our staff is spread out across this nation. During our virtual staff meetings I hear personal reports from our staff dealing with historic tornadoes, hail, and smoke in the midwest; swinging from a millennia-era drought to unprecedented flooding in the West; sweating through a heat dome and drought in the Southeast; breathing smoke-filled air from wildfires raging through Canada. This spring we experienced unheard-of late frosts where I live in New England, and as I write this we’ve shifted from historic short-term drought a month ago to historic flooding this week, with road closures and evacuations occurring across Vermont.

We are living in the anthropocene era of Earth’s history. We know that organic agriculture has the potential to significantly mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change, yet we continue to see a lack of any urgency for action to answer these problems in Washington DC.

This Farm Bill has been continually framed as a “flat farm bill,” meaning that there will be no increases to the baseline budget of programs. This means that for any program to see an increase in funding, another program must be cut. That is why we are championing bills in Congress like the Strengthening Organic Agriculture Research Act in the House, and the Organic Science and Research Investment Act in the Senate, being introduced this week. These are not the only actions we are taking, though, and are actively working with coalitions to make it clear to the Senate and House Committees on Agriculture that this is not the time to reduce research funding. 

Agricultural research programs don’t just answer producer’s questions or support early-career scientists (although they do both of those things). They also significantly benefit the rural communities that actively participate in and host these crucial research projects. Every dollar invested in public agricultural research generates an impressive $20 of benefits. Despite this well-documented impact, public funding for agricultural research has experienced a 20% decline since the turn of the century, while funding for other research areas has increased during the same period.  

Gathering signatures for organizational letters is a crucial part of Farm Bill strategy, but what carries real impact is the ability to make this a human story. We need your input on the challenges being faced, and the research products that are helping you overcome them and thrive. For us to communicate with the powers-at-be in our nation’s capital, we need to hear what you are experiencing, and how continued and expanded investments into research and conservation are needed to answer these challenges. Please use this quick form to share your story, and we will follow up with you to make sure it is brought to the right ears.

Eat Well,

Gordon

. . .

Featured image by Ted Eytan – https://www.flickr.com/photos/taedc/50258343683/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=93703987

By |2024-06-18T18:14:54+00:00July 7th, 2023|Gordon's Policy Corner, News|
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From Fields to Research Labs: how your story can inspire change

June is fully in swing here in Vermont where I live and down in DC where the Farm Bill process continues. 

In Vermont, the first cutting of hay is being dried and bailed, ewes and their lambs are headed to pasture, and crops are getting in the ground. In the Northeast we’ve also just experienced an unusually late, historic frost. If you were like me, and rolling the dice to plant a little early this year, I hope you didn’t lose too many crops and are able to recover easily as we transition into the warmer weather again. The biggest sign that summer is here in New England, though, is the black flies that are now out in force! We’re looking forward to some rain in the forecast to keep things happy, as it’s been a dry spring again this year. Never a dull moment farming in a changing climate!

In DC, marker bills are being introduced and cosponsors corralled. This past month we were thrilled to share the announcement that the Strengthening Organic Agriculture Research (SOAR) Act was officially introduced in Congress. You can take a look at our SOAR Act Toolkit here. Keep an eye out for a Senate Companion bill coming soon; we’re still working with representatives and partners to get the final details ironed out. (Sometimes with policy work it’s a hurry up and wait game!). Drafting of the Farm Bill is actively happening in both chambers, appropriations bills are slowly being drafted (partly due to the Debt Ceiling Debacle), and August recess plans are being made and solidified.  As we wait for the text of the Farm Bill which will come later this summer, and for Report Language from the House and Senate Appropriations Committees in the coming weeks, policy work is in a holding pattern until the next sprint (did I mention hurry up and wait?).  

During this small lull in updates from DC, we wanted to take this opportunity to devote this month’s Policy Corner to ask you, dear reader, a favor:

Can you take a moment to share your story as a researcher or a farmer interacting with organic agriculture research?  We are collecting and amplifying stories of researchers around the U.S. who have effectively shared their research with decision-makers or have benefitted from organic research. Are you a farmer that’s participated in a research project?  Are you a researcher who has been awarded or participated in a project funded by the Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) or Organic Transitions Program? Are you a farmer who has used research products that were created through these programs?  If so, it would be great to hear from you as we work to advocate in support of these programs, while also addressing the needed reforms we are fighting for!

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. As we head into the summer months, can you take a moment to share a little bit of your experience with us? Or, share this with a farmer or researcher you know who has a good advocacy-related story to tell?

Thank you for being a part of the movement for organics.

Eat well,

Gordon

. . .

Photo credit: Matthew Bornhors

By |2024-06-18T18:18:46+00:00June 12th, 2023|Gordon's Policy Corner, News|
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Introducing the Organic Researcher Spotlight Series

Written by Brian Geier

OFRF recognizes the power of stories to affect change. We have embarked on a project to collect and share the stories of researchers, specifically those whose work is embedded within the organic community. In this effort, we are happy to introduce this first Organic Researcher Spotlight. Our Researcher Spotlight Series showcases current research being done on some of the toughest challenges faced by organic producers across the country. Through a series of interviews, OFRF is sharing updates and results from exciting collaborative research projects currently being funded by the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) and the Organic Transitions Program (ORG).

Organic farmers consistently report that pests are one of the most challenging aspects of organic production, especially in the south. For farmers producing small fruits like blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and stone fruits like peaches or cherries, the Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD), an invasive fly of Asian origin, has been causing damage to crops since its first documented presence in the United States, in 2008. 

Photo: University of Georgia Department of Entomology

Dr. Ash Sial, University of Georgia blueberry entomologist, has heard and seen this damage first-hand working with farmers in the region. To respond to this emerging pest and to provide answers to how to control the pest organically, Dr. Sial leads the “SWD Organic Management” grant, collaborating with researchers across the country and with farmers in the south.

This OREI-funded research focuses on understanding the life-cycle of this pest, and builds a groundwork of understanding of how the fly is (or is not) surviving on farms. Working collaboratively with organic farmers in the region, Dr. Sial’s research is identifying how certain cultural and physical controls, like pruning strategies and mulches, can effectively control this newly-introduced pest. Watch OFRF’s interview with Dr. Sial from early 2023:

For more information about SWD, check out OFRF’s factsheet, watch this SWD presentation by Dr. Sial, and learn more about his work on SWD at the University of Georgia.

By |2024-06-18T18:19:11+00:00June 7th, 2023|News|
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The Strengthening Organic Agriculture Research Act is here!

May 25, 2023- Today, the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) delivered to the leadership of House Agriculture Committees a letter in support of the Strengthening Organic Agriculture Research (SOAR) Act. OFRF and the undersigned believe this bill represents significant investments into answering research questions that organic producers continue to grapple with. 

“We are excited to be able to work with Organic Champions in Congress to help ensure there are resources available to support the success of organic farmers and ranchers across the nation. Over the last several years OFRF has collected robust information from farmers about their research and education needs and these bills would provide much needed investment in solutions. These bills are also an important signal to early career researchers that organic agriculture research is an important, respected, and securely-funded area to engage in,” Brise Tencer, OFRF Executive Director. 

The 2018 Farm Bill was an important step towards recognizing the status of the organic agriculture industry, OREI reached mandatory funding levels. The organic agriculture market has continued to mature over the past five years of the Farm Bill, partly due to this increased investment. For this growth to continue, organic producers must be given their fair share of resources dedicated to agricultural research. This bill intends to do just that with the 2023 Farm Bill.

In the House, Representatives Newhouse(WA-04), Panetta(CA-19), and Pingree(ME-01) are all leading the way, introducing the Strengthening Organic Agriculture Research Act. This legislation does three things that would increase the resilience of U.S. agriculture, create economic opportunity for producers, and result in improved ecological vitality of the landscape:

  1. Bolsters the funding for the Organic Research and Extension Initiative. The SOAR Act would provide stair-stepped budget increases to the Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI), from $60 million in 2024 to $100 million in 2028. 
  2. Provides Congressional authorization and direction for the Researching the Transition to Organic Program. The bill would also provide first-time Congressional authorization for the Researching the Transition to Organic Program (RTOP), currently known as  the Organic Transition Research Program (ORG), with an authorization for appropriations of $10 million a year from 2024-2026 and $20 million from 2027-2028. 
  3. Bolsters funding for the Organic Production and Market Data Initiative (ODI). Providing $10 million over the life of the Farm Bill, the SOAR Act would double the farm bill funding for this crucial joint-initiative of three USDA Agencies: NASS, Economic Research Service (ERS), and Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). The data produced through the ODI is essential for the development of risk management products and targeted market development. The SOAR Act also directs ERS to conduct a full, systematic evaluation of the economic impact organic agriculture has on rural and urban communities, taking into account economic, ecological, and social factors.

In the Senate, we are working with Agriculture Committee leaders to introduce a comprehensive companion to the SOAR Act. We look forward to announcing this bill in the coming weeks with broad support.

View the final SOAR Act sign-on letter here.

Download an informational one-pager to learn more about What the SOAR Act does, Why it’s Important, and How you can Help

Statements of support for the SOAR Act:

“Organic Valley applauds congressional leaders who recognize the importance of public investments in organic research.  Research enabled by this legislation represents the building of collective knowledge to help organic farmers gain on-farm efficiencies.  It allows businesses like ours to bring to bear a confidence and commitment in partnership with academic institutions and federal agencies to continuously improve the organic farming systems.  This is necessary as organic is part of the larger agricultural landscape and pressures we all are facing to balance natural resource protection and grow good food for consumers in the U.S. and globally. ”  Adam Warthesen, Senior Director of Government & Industry Affairs, Organic Valley.

“Research is key to tackling the many challenges farmers face and organic research benefits all farmers. In fact, many of the farming practices embraced by organic farmers, such as cover cropping and other regenerative agricultural practices, are now being adopted across the board. NOC is thrilled to see the introduction of the Strengthening Organic Agriculture Research Act to provide resources for the ecosystem-based approach that is so central to successful organic farming.” Abby Youngblood, Executive Director, National Organic Coalition

“The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) applauds Representatives Newhouse, Panetta, and Pingree for their steadfast leadership in supporting organic farmers and ranchers. The SOAR Act makes meaningful investments in providing organic producers with the research and tools they need to continue to improve upon already climate friendly and resilient farming systems and meet the growing market demand for organic products.”  Nick Rossi, Policy Associate, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

“The Organic dairy industry suffers from a lack of available data for farmers to make decisions on their individual contract with their buyers, assessment of their economic future and risk management. Organic Dairy has no safety net program because USDA and Congress do not have the data available to develop one. They are left exposed to dramatic market fluctuations outside their control.” Ed Maltby, Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance

“Organic research is funded at a tiny fraction of overall agricultural research yet benefits the whole farming community – an investment in organic research is an investment in the future of our food system!”  Katie Baildon, Policy Manager, Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY)

“A robust investment in organic agricultural research is an investment in a climate-stable and food-secure future for the US and the world” Mark Schonbeck, Virginia Association for Biological Farming

“Organic Research Programs have not only been a benefit to our faculty and staff working on organic agriculture, but have also supported the transition of a lot of our partnering farms in the southeast.” Crystal M. James, JD, MPH, Tuskegee University

“As a leader in organic rice and rice products, we strongly support the further development of organic farming and foods. We urge Congress to do the same with this legislation.” Natalie Carter, Lundberg Family Farms

“Research funding for organic agriculture needs to be increased and acknowledged as a critical and instrumental strategy in carrying agriculture forward “ John McKeon, Taylor Farms 

By |2024-06-18T18:19:32+00:00May 25th, 2023|Gordon's Policy Corner, News|
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Gordon’s Policy Corner: Organic Week with OTA

This past week I participated in Organic Week with the Organic Trade Association (OTA), where the Confluences conferences organized by The Organic Center merged with the OTA’s policy presentations and advocacy day. The participants in this week-long event represented a diverse range of individuals, including long-standing certified organic producers, farmers venturing into organic farming for various reasons, scientific researchers investigating the effects of plastics on our food system and environment, as well as plastic manufacturers and food distributors actively seeking alternatives.

Heading home from DC on the train, I had the chance to reflect on the week and on how much progress has been made in organic agriculture policy. During my meetings with members of Congress from both major political parties, it was abundantly clear that they and their staff were well aware of the benefits of organic farming and understood why the industry deserves support from the Farm Bill. In fact, just this week, OTA announced that the annual organic market has exceeded $67 billion, with the food market contributing over $60 billion. Organic sales now make up more than 6% of the total food marketplace. However, despite these impressive figures, research investments in organic agriculture remain insufficient. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture allocates less than 2% of its budget to organic agriculture, while the Agricultural Research Service dedicates less than 1%.

These facts are precisely why we are so enthusiastic about the organic leaders and champions we have in Congress. In the House, OFRF has been collaborating with Representatives Newhouse (WA-04), Panetta (CA-19), and Pingree (ME-01) to introduce the Strengthening Organic Agriculture Research Act (SOAR Act). Meanwhile, in the Senate, we have been working with supportive allies to develop a companion bill, and we will share more details in the upcoming weeks! We are offering various avenues for involvement to support these crucial pieces of legislation, including toolkits with templates for outreach and social media, explanations of the bills’ provisions, opportunities to share personal stories related to research, and more! If you wish to contribute to these efforts, please feel free to contact me at any time: gordon@ofrf.org.

 

By |2024-06-18T18:19:43+00:00May 12th, 2023|Gordon's Policy Corner, News|
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