September 11, 2018 – OFRF Executive Director, Brise Tencer was interviewed by Food Sleuth Radio for a podcast that aired August 30th. In the episode, host Melinda Hemmelgarn asks Brise to explain the benefits of organic food and farming and how certification helps both farmers and consumers. They also discuss the challenges facing organic farmers—how research can help—and why there needs to be greater investment in organic research.
September 6, 2018 – By Lauren Snyder, Education and Research Program Associate at OFRF
One of my roles at OFRF is to disseminate information on organic farming practices to diverse audiences. A couple of weeks ago, I traveled to San Luis Obispo to give a presentation on the principles and practices of building soil health at an organic research symposium hosted by Nutrien Ag Solutions, the world’s largest agriculture inputs company. Interestingly, I learned that their crop consultants are increasingly working with organic farmers and Nutrien Ag Solutions has identified a need to expand their knowledge of organic production practices.
For me, this speaking invitation is a clear indication that the organic industry has the ear of large, multi-national organizations that increasingly recognize organic producers as key players in the U.S. food system. Even more heartening is the realization that these companies are listening to the needs of organic farmers, who have identified soil health as a top research priority. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to foster communication between diverse stakeholders in our food system and to broaden my audience beyond researchers and practitioners already established in organic production systems. One of the most exciting aspects of my work at OFRF is the opportunity to interact not only with those who are long-standing players in the field of organics, but also those who are curious to learn more about organic practices and the benefits they can provide to communities and the environment.
September 6, 2019 – The Farm Bill Conference Committee, composed of nine Senators and 47 Representatives, met publicly for the first time on September 6th. The House and Senate each passed different versions of the Farm Bill this year, tasking the Conference Committee with crafting a final version that will have to go back to both the House and Senate for approval, before being sent to the President for signature before it expires on September 30, 2018. This is no small task.
The hearing was mostly comprised of opening statements, as many members of Congress from both sides of the aisle highlighted the need to get a Farm Bill done. However, there are stark differences between the current House and Senate versions, with the House version passing along party lines, and the Senate version being much more bipartisan. Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) of the Senate Agriculture Committee said, “In addition to having the support of over 500 groups, it [the Senate Farm Bill] passed on a historic vote of 86-11—the most votes a Farm Bill has ever received in the Senate since the very first bill in the 1933 during the depths of the Great Depression.”
As champions for organic farmers, OFRF is pleased that many members of Congress highlighted important organic issues at the Conference hearing, including the need for increased investment in organic research. With several programs set to expire if not reauthorized, Senator Stabenow discussed providing permanent investments for a number of important priorities including historic support for organic research that helps farmers tap into this fast-growing sector of agriculture.
In his opening statement, Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) also highlighted the importance of baseline funding for organic research and funding for organic cost share. While the Senate version included both baseline funding for organic research and funding for cost share, the House version did not. We are hopeful that Rep. Costa will be able to champion these key organic priorities as the conferees hash out the Farm Bill. He won’t be alone, as Rep. Michelle Lujan-Grisham (D-NM), the Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research, also expressed her support for organic research in the Farm Bill.
The Chairman of the Research Subcommittee, Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL), also showed his support for organics, specifically calling out protections against fraudulent organic imports that are in both bills, and the important investments in research that were included in the Senate Bill. One of the research provisions in the Senate bill includes baseline funding for organic research.
Senator Leahy summed things up well. “Another value and priority that our Farm Bill must support is America’s organic industry, which now totals $50 billion a year and is growing.” During the hearing, Senator Leahy said, “We must continue investments in organic research, certification, and enforcement that allow consumers to trust the USDA organic seal and ensure that American farmers who have invested so much can continue to be successful.”
OFRF will continue its work to ensure all members of the Farm Bill Conference Committee understand the importance of the organic provisions in the Farm Bill.
August 30, 2018 – By Carolyn Dimitri, Associate Professor of Food Studies, New York University, Board Member, OFRF
Earlier this month, Secretary Sonny Perdue of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced his intention to move the Economic Research Service (ERS) from Washington, DC and place it under the direction of the politically appointed Office of the Chief Economist. These changes will result in the loss of expertise and jeopardize the quality, relevance, and overall integrity of the agency’s research.
As a federal research agency focused on food and agricultural issues, USDA ERS is a forward looking organization that identifies pressing research questions and engages in analysis to fully understand our food system. The range and quantity of issues ERS analyzes is vast, covering the entire the food system—from farm to table and everything in between.
Overall, the mission of ERS is to provide high quality, policy relevant, national level research on all matters related to food and agriculture. The agency serves as an incredible source of unbiased information about the costs and benefits to stakeholders in the food system. Only an independent, research focused government agency is able to accomplish this task.
The agency’s current location in Washington DC, and placement as a part of the USDA’s Research, Education and Economics mission area reinforces the fact that ERS works for the public interest. Moving ERS outside of Washington, DC and reorganizing the agency to be under the political thumb of the Office of the Chief Economist will likely undermine the integrity of the research, and could potentially jeopardize the operations of ERS for years to come.
Unlike other agencies that are exclusively farmer focused, ERS examines both agriculture and the entire food system. And as a federal research and statistical agency, ERS works with other professional agriculture and research federal organizations in the D.C. area. Having started my economics career at ERS, I enthusiastically developed a portfolio of research that considered the public good, without the constraints of satisfying academic requirements for tenure at a university, or the need to consider profit or partisan politics. While at USDA, I was able to research and report on organic agriculture without outside political pressure, in order to provide impartial scientific analysis for congressional and agency officials as well as the program agencies of USDA that deliver key agricultural, environmental and food system services.
ERS serves the public interest by examining food and agriculture programs for all stakeholders including farmers, producers, consumers, food and agriculture companies, and addresses the types of relationships that facilitate the movement of food along the supply chain. The complexity of these relationships cannot be overstated, and the research and analysis of programs that impact our food and agriculture systems should not be tainted or swayed by the politics of any administration.
Being in Washington, DC, in close proximity with other federal research and statistical agencies allowed me and my ERS colleagues to directly interact with research and economics professionals to efficiently and effectively do our work. Now, sitting in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies at New York University as a PhD applied economist, I am continually impressed with the integrity and quality of economic analysis and reporting of ERS . . . but I am concerned about the future. I urge Congress to put a stop to this disrupting move and reorganization that would lead to a dismantling of a government research agency that is respected throughout the food and agriculture community.
August 30, 2018 – Organic and sustainable agricultural research, education, and outreach will be the focus at a stunning new facility donated to the University of Idaho by Dennis Pence of Sandpoint. The Sandpoint Organic Agriculture Center features 8 acres of organic orchards, surrounded by 8 acres of organic field plots, as well as a dormitory and a state-of-the-art commercial kitchen.
Michael Parrella, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences dean, said the new center will help U of I link more effectively with the local community and provide a template for programs that focus both on local food systems and bigger agriculture
in Idaho. “The work that’s been done to advance organic has broader applicability than just the organic community.”
Dennis Pence created the orchard with the vision of supporting local food systems. A huge believer in advancing organic agriculture and the principles, research, and education that goes along with that, he sees the orchard as a way of helping people understand what we’ve lost—the variety and quality of heritage varieties. The orchard includes approximately 65 heritage varieties and 700 trees just coming of age.
Kyle Nagy planted a lot of those trees. He’ll continue his role as Superintendent and Orchard Operations Manager. “Kyle has a phenomenal understanding of all aspects of production from an organic perspective,” said Parrella. “He’s a wonderful ambassador for the orchard and the program.
Hands-on internships for U of I and North Idaho College students will be offered to help boost enrollment in agricultural programs and strengthen the university’s presence in North Idaho. Other U of I colleges will have access to the center as well.
In 2018, OFRF awarded a grant to Edmund Frost of Common Wealth Seed Growers in Virginia to assess resistance to both Bacterial Wilt and Cucurbit Downy Mildew among selected cucumber and muskmelon seed stocks, and to continue with the development of a pickling cucumber that is resistant to both diseases.
Edmund’s first exposure to agriculture was a farm truck that came to his neighborhood on Saturdays from an organic farm called New Morning Farm in Pennsylvania, where he eventually did a short apprenticeship. He gained more experience working at Waltons Orchard in Northern Michigan, a certified organic and biodynamic farm that also grew vegetables. He continued his on-farm education by working at Food Bank Farm in Western Massachusetts, a very large, very efficient farm that ran a CSA for 600 people and supplied the food bank with produce.
Then, his interest in seed breeding took hold. Edmund began working with seeds at Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. He started doing contract seed crops for Southern Exposure and a few other seed companies, beginning with a ½ acre of seed crops and expanding to about six acres when he began getting contracts from more places.
His inspiration for thinking about bigger seed system issues came in 2012 after attending an Organic Seed Alliance conference. “I began thinking about how I could make organic seed systems in our region more functional. As a seed grower, I had been doing stock seed selection. I got more serious about that and started focusing on the varieties that stood out. I also started growing produce crops because I thought that would help make me a better seed grower.”
In 2014, he received a SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) grant to do research on Curcubit Downy Mildew with cucumbers, melon, and winter squash. At the same time, he began collaborating with Michael Mazourek at Cornell University to try out some of the stuff he was developing. “Michael was a really good resource to have when I had questions about how to evaluate the crops and how to do the selection and lay out the trials. So, I kept on doing a lot of seed production but also a lot of research and breeding.”
He started Common Wealth Seed Growers to reach people more directly with the trialing and selection work he was doing. “When we were just growing crops for other seed companies, the value of the selection wouldn’t get transmitted to the customer,” he explains. “You put in a lot of work to do a really good job selecting something and then you get less money from the seed company because you were more selective about what plants you saved seeds from.”
He also wanted to have a project that would help bring needed energy and change to the state of Southeast seed systems. “We saw a big unmet need in the Southeast where a lot of organic growers who want organic seeds are purchasing mostly from Northeast seed companies. A lot of the seeds out there aren’t really addressing our needs in the Southeast. Downy Mildew for instance, has been less of a concern in the Northeast, although now it’s becoming more of a concern.” (see related blog, Of Mildews and Men by OFRF Board President Jeremy Barker-Plotkin of Simple Gifts Farm).
“As a seed grower and plant breeder, I focus on the power of varietal choice and varietal development to address disease and pest problems. That’s part of the research I’m doing this year funded by OFRF.”
Common Wealth Seed Growers sells directly to farmers online and at farm conferences. “We’re starting to meet some bigger farmers now and see interest from larger seed distributors. We have a few unique varieties that stand out for Downy Mildew resistance, and people are interested in those. I think that’s the direction we’re headed in, not being a one-stop-shop for seeds but a supplier of a handful of good disease resistant varieties.”
“If I develop a variety that has really good disease resistance, it’s going to result in farmers spraying a lot less herbicides and it will be a lot healthier for the farmers, farmworkers, land and waterways, as well as the people eating the food. Food should be something that increases our health not diminishes it. I think it’s essential that we find ways of farming that are good for the land and good for our health.”
August 7, 2018 – In 2017, OFRF awarded a grant to researchers at Michigan State University to examine organic grain productivity in support of the organic livestock industry in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Organic grain production is virtually non-existent in the area and sourcing outside of the region is quite costly. The goal of this project is to increase knowledge of grain performance in an organic system, leading to the expansion of certified organic grain production and entry into the growing market for natural or organically produced meat.
Results will inform organic farmers of the opportunities and challenges within grain production and identify optimum crops, varieties, and management strategies to improve successful cultivation. The team believes they will see an increase in farmers experimenting with organic grain and that continued research will support these efforts. Ultimately, they hope the project will spur additional acreage of organic small grain in the U.P. to fill the need.
The researchers have developed a framework of research and knowledge of organic grain systems through variety and crop management research, identification of need and marketing opportunities, and dissemination of findings through field days and outreach materials.
Although they were able to determine which varieties did not perform well, further investigation is needed with additional varieties. The framework they were able to develop as a result of OFRF’s seed grant will be leveraged to obtain additional funding to continue this important research.
June 29, 2018 – In a sweeping show of bipartisanship, the Senate voted 86-11 to pass their version of the Farm Bill. With the House passing a different version of the bill without Democratic support, lawmakers will meet later this summer to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate bills. With the current Farm Bill set to expire on September 30, 2018 there is a lot riding on this process.
Here is a comparison of some of the organic provisions.
Both the House and Senate bills have strong support for organic policies. We would like to express our appreciation for all of the hard work and efforts that members of Congress put in to advance organic agriculture.
Working closely with both Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate, the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) will continue to advocate strongly for the inclusion of robust organic provisions in the Farm Bill. The Farm Bill is important for all Americans. We strongly encourage the members of the Congress to work toward a bipartisan solution that supports America’s farmers, consumers, communities.
June 22, 2018 – While the House Farm Bill was wholly opposed by Democrats, who were joined by some Republicans in their opposition, the House of Representatives passed their version of the Farm Bill, by a vote of 213-211 with two Republicans and two Democrats not voting.
The U.S. Senate is currently working on their text for the Farm Bill (read about it here), which is different than the House version. If the House and Senate pass different bills, the differences will be parsed out in conference committee, and if approved, will go to the President to be signed into law.
In the House Farm Bill there are a number of provisions that support organic agriculture (read about them here). The House Farm Bill does include an increase for the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) to $30 million annually. While this amount is not as robust as the recommendation put forth by OFRF which received broad support in Congress on both sides of the aisle, this does reauthorize the key organic research program and increase the funding by $10 million annually.
The 2018 Farm Bill is a do-or-die moment for several organic programs, including organic research. If a Farm Bill is not signed into law, funding for several organic programs including organic research will dry up. This Farm Bill could be a retreat from the progress we’ve made over the past 20 years or it could be a breakthrough to the strongest support yet for organics.
We strongly encourage the members of the Congress to work toward a bipartisan solution that supports America’s farmers, consumers, communities. As the process continues OFRF will keep advocating to ensure the voices and needs of organic farmers are heard, and that programs that support the success of the organics are included in the Farm Bill.
OFRF is in DC working every day to bring farmer voices to Congressional representatives from both parties. Now, more than ever, we are dependent on our supporters like you. A lot is at stake.
June 13, 2018 – Today the Senate Agriculture Committee voted to favorably report the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (S. 3042), the Senate Farm Bill, out of Committee by a vote of 20-1. Senator Grassley (R-IA) voted against the bill.
The next step is the floor of the Senate, where members will vote on passage of the Farm Bill. During the debate, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-MY) promised that the bill will reach the Senate floor before the Fourth of July.
With the Senate Agriculture Committee’s passage, organic agriculture is one step closer to unprecedented achievements in the Farm Bill. We are very pleased the Senate Agriculture Committee has included a historic increase in funding for organic research, strong language on organic enforcement, funding for the organic data initiative, and support for the certified organic cost share program.
Specifically, the Senate Farm Bill text renews the USDA’s Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI), which was funded at $20 million in the last Farm bill, to $40 million over the next two years, gradually increasing to $50 million annually by 2022. This investment in organic agriculture provides the necessary baseline funding to support robust scientific research, education programs, and extension resources to help American farmers and ranchers succeed in organic agriculture.
The Senate draft also included a wide array of provisions for the organic sector that OFRF advocated for. This includes robust enforcement and trade oversight, along with $11.5 million in annual funding for the organic certification cost share programs, $5 million for the organic data initiative, increased authorizations for the National Organic Program (NOP), as well as some changes to conservation programs that support organic farmers and those seeking to transition to organic.
While OFRF was not advocating for any changes to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), there were some serious concerns the Senate draft would seek to undermine the integrity and authority of the NOSB. While the bill does make a minor change that codifies the current voting structure of the Board, requiring a 2/3’s majority vote on any motion that seeks to amend the National List, it does not undermine the overall integrity of the NOSB.
Many thanks to the Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), as well as all of their staff, for their efforts to ensure that organic farmers and ranchers will have the research, tools, and programs necessary for success. We also applaud the hard work of Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) who were champions for an increase for organic research; Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) who championed organic trade enforcement; Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) who pushed to address the separate and unfair payment limit for organic and transitioning-to-organic producers in the USDA Environmental Quality Incentives Program; and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) for expanding the eligibility for landowners with expiring Conservation Reserve Programs to allow new farmers to begin to transition to organic production and make conservation improvements up to 2 years before the contract expires.
With the strong support for organic agriculture in the Senate, we are thankful that this bill has passed out of committee and hope that it passes the Senate.
However, it is still a long road to the passage of the Farm Bill.
In May, 2018 the House of Representatives failed to pass their draft of the Farm Bill. While OFRF worked hard to build support for organic agriculture in the House, the bill only included a small increase in organic research funding, level funding for organic data collection, as well as language to increase organic trade oversight, but no funding for organic cost share.
If the House and Senate both pass different versions of the Farm Bill, the differences will be parsed out in conference committees and returned to the House and the Senate for final approval, before going to the President to be signed into law.
With the current Farm Bill set to expire on September 30, 2018 there is a lot riding on this process. As the Farm Bill continues, OFRF will keep advocating to ensure the voices and needs of organic farmers are heard, and that programs that support the success of the organics that are part of the Senate draft are included in the final Farm Bill.›
The Farm Bill is important for all Americans. We strongly encourage the members of the Congress to work toward a bipartisan solution that supports America’s farmers, consumers, and communities.
