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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

By Haley Baron, OFRF Partnership & Development Manager

As the OFRF team walked into the large conference room filled with people at the 2021 Organic Grower Summit (OGS) in Monterey, CA last week, it was hard to believe we were actually there… in person! OGS is a gathering of organic farmers and industry professionals to share ideas and new techniques, and connect with our organic community. After canceling OGS 2020 and nearly two years since our last in-person event, we were excited (and a little nervous!) to finally be there. But, as our two-hour workshop, “Building Resilience through Organic Farming Systems” began, we quickly remembered the magic of being in conversation with growers about the principles and practices of organic farming systems that are critical to farmer resilience.   

For our workshop we brought together three extremely knowledgeable experts to discuss the ways that climate change will affect growing conditions in California as well as the practices and research that can help growers adapt and become more resilient. The crowd of about 100 attendees were eager to learn, network, and ask questions.

The morning began with Joji Muramoto, the first and only Cooperative Extension Specialist fully focused on organic production in California and UCSC professor, who shared about the ways climate change will impact arthropod pests and plant diseases. Tom Willey, organic farming pioneer, spoke about the no-till organic trials he has been part of in recent years. The audience was eager to hear from Tom as he has been farming organically for four decades in Madera, CA. And lastly, we had Eric Brennan, USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) only organic-focused Research Horticulturist in the entire country, who joined us virtually with a perfectly-produced and research-filled video about climate change and soil health resilience strategies, such as cover cropping. His YouTube channel features a revised version of his video presentation, “Cover Cropping Strategy is for Climate-Smart Farmers and Climate-Resilient Farms.”

We concluded our workshop with informal discussion groups about the challenges, needs and opportunities that growers have in a variety of topic areas such as soil health management, pest, disease, and weeds. 

Throughout the conference, our team had the pleasure of seeing old friends and partners face to face, and meeting many new ones. Thanks to the Organic Produce Network team for producing OGS and including us!

Sheila Golden (she/her/hers) is OFRF’s Finance & Operations Director and has been with the organization since 2018. She is based in the Santa Cruz area and has over a decade of program development and management experience in sustainable agriculture and cooperative extensions. In her free time, Sheila plays music and runs a concert series in a cave. A lover of adventure, Sheila enjoys hiking and biking. “I also spend a lot of time throwing balls in the river and frisbees at the beach for my dog, Scruggs,” says Sheila.

Tell us about yourself.

I grew up in a small town in West Virginia and moved to California to find a winter farming gig. I fell madly in love with the redwoods, the deserts, and mountains of California and never left. I spent my earlier days working on farms, teaching outdoor education, and working as an interpretive ranger with state parks. Now, I do a lot more work on computers and spreadsheets.

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

I worked on organic farms early in my career and really appreciated the systems approach it requires. I love seeing the landscape, flora, fauna, and microbes as one big organism working together.

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

My mom and dad! They grew most of our food and (like many folks back home) still have a huge sustenance garden. They were prolific canners and food preservers. My dad often hunted the majority of our protein, and sometimes we even foraged for mushrooms and ramps.

What are you excited about working on at OFRF?

I’m excited to help OFRF grow as an organization and continue to find strategies to demystify research and build more institutional support for organic agriculture.

Anything else you’d like to share?

There are two residential red shoulder hawks that live in redwood trees by my house. I feel very lucky to see them every day.

On October 28, 2021, President Joe Biden announced the Build Back Better framework, which includes a historical push to address climate change and a $555 billion investment in a clean energy economy. The framework proposes a 50-52% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in 2030, amounting to roughly over one gigaton. Funding for research and research facilities, including organic research, has been designated in the framework. Increasing resilience and natural solutions by investing in soil conservation is also specifically addressed in a White House statement. 

”OFRF is very pleased that Congress and the White House acknowledge the climate-friendly benefits of organic agriculture,” said OFRF Senior Policy Associate Trevor Findley. “A number of conservation programs used by organic farmers and ranchers, such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation Stewardship Program, are set to receive substantial increases in funding. These programs, combined with organic farming, will go a long way towards mitigating agriculture’s impact on the environment.”

Biden’s Build Back Better framework sets up the U.S. to meet its climate targets of reducing an estimated billion metric tons to meet below 2005 levels. According to a White House statement, the framework “represents the largest single investment in…history, across buildings, transportation, industry, electricity, agriculture, and climate-smart practices across land and waters.” 

Of the $555 billion investment, more than $90 billion will go toward agriculture, nutrition, and forestry provisions. “With significant investments in resources for farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners, this bill provides a host of new tools to deploy important conservation practices and the research essential to inform them,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

Agricultural climate research and ag facilities will receive a $2 billion investment. Half of that funding will go to research facilities for 1890 and 1994 Land-Grant and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSI). The remaining investment is designated for research and cooperative extension programs for farmers and rural communities, and to fund scholarship programs at 1890 and 1994 Land-Grant universities and other MSIs. Approximately $60 million will go to the Organic Agriculture Research & Extension Initiative (OREI), which OFRF has continued to advocate for throughout the reconciliation process. OFRF successfully advocated for the creation of OREI in the 2002 Farm Bill with then Iowa Senator Tom Harkin.

”Since the program’s inception, OREI has provided organic farmers and ranchers with vital research that has allowed them to farm in harmony with the environment,” said OFRF Executive Director Brise Tencer. “This additional funding for OREI acknowledges the climate-friendly benefits of organic agriculture and will continue to help organic farmers operate in a way that mitigates greenhouse gas emissions, sequesters carbon, and ensures resilience to a changing climate.”

An estimated $28 billion investment in climate-smart agriculture could affect approximately 130 million cropland acres per year or 240,000 farms. This funding would help producers implement conservation methods to build resilience and sequester carbon in soil and trees and expand practices such as cover cropping. Programs focused on whole-farm conservation systems and crop insurance will also be funded. “Producers who want to help sequester carbon or reduce greenhouse gas emissions will be able to carry out those practices with the funding provided in this bill,” said Congressman and Co-Chair and Founder of the Agriculture Research Caucus Jimmy Panetta (CA-20).

Debt relief for economically distressed farmers is also proposed in the Build Back Better framework. Approximately $6 billion will go to agricultural credit and outreach. This would include investments in USDA programming to support new and existing farmers through outreach, technical assistance, and education.

To learn more about the Build Back Better framework and information on additional clean energy initiatives and consumer rebates included in the bill, visit the White House website.

Organic Farming Research Foundation created a 5-minute reel of highlights from this past year. Watch this video for updates from its Research, Education, and Policy and Advocacy departments. Program successes include:

• The soon-to-be released National Organic Research Agenda (NORA) report;
• The 2021-22 organic research grant cycle that focuses on climate mitigation and resilience and prioritizes early career and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color researchers, farmers and ranchers;
• Educational materials addressing the challenges of Southern US farmers;
• A multi-year partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS); and
• Advocacy efforts for the Agriculture Resilience Act (ARA) in the new Biden-Harris Administration.

OFRF also expanded their staff in 2021 and have evaluated its strategic plan to focus on racial equity in all programming.

Subscribe to the OFRF YouTube Channel to watch this 2021 Year in Review and other videos.

Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) has entered into a 3-year cooperative agreement with USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). OFRF will be tasked with analyzing investments in organic made through two key programs: the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) and Organic Transitions (ORG) grant program by commodity, region and research topics.



As part of the 3-year agreement, OFRF will compare priorities identified in 2016 and 2021 National Organic Research Agenda (NORA), a report OFRF conducts and releases every five years. NORA contains comprehensive recommendations for future organic agricultural research investment based on surveys and listening sessions with organic farmers, and is used to inform recommendations OFRF puts forth to USDA when prioritizing their programs.


“I am very excited about our partnership with this agency, which is an excellent complement to the many years of advocacy we have done on behalf of programs like OREI and ORG,” said Brise Tencer, Executive Director for OFRF.

OFRF has a long-standing history with the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative. The organization worked closely with former Senator Tom Harkin (IA-5) to advocate for the creation of the OREI in the 2002 Farm Bill, and supplied detailed administrative recommendations on how the program should be set up and implemented. As stated in its recommendations report delivered to USDA and Congress, the OREI program is a “remarkable opportunity to provide practical support to the growing organic industry, and to complement institutionalization of organic standards under the National Organic Program.”

As part of the current 3-year agreement commencing 2021, OFRF will examine findings with the previous OREI-funded Taking Stock report (2002-2014) and analyze investment against National Organic Standards Board research recommendation priorities. An equity review of how well OREI and ORG are serving 1890 historically Black land-grants, 1994 Tribal land-grants, Hispanic-serving institutions, and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color NGOs will also be conducted.

OFRF will summarize research findings on top challenges for farmers and assess the effectiveness of involvement with producers and the dissemination of information to stakeholders. Research assessment will be conducted as it relates to climate mitigation, resilience and adaptation. The organization will identify gaps and provide recommendations for organic research priorities which reflect the greatest benefit of producers, communities and the environment.

Additional activities, including the creation and dissemination of info sheets, webinars and public-facing social communications, will be completed as part of a comprehensive external review of OREI and ORG projects.

Trevor Findley (he/him/his) is OFRF’s Senior Policy Associate and has been with the organization since 2021. He is based in Washington, DC, and has been working in food and agricultural policy since 2015. His belief that everyone should have access to healthy, nutritious, and culturally-relevant food makes Trevor a strong advocate for farmers and ranchers who are helping make that a reality. When Trevor isn’t focused on policy work for OFRF, he enjoys triathlons, mountain biking, cooking and baking.

Tell us about yourself.

I grew up in rural Oregon and worked on a farm during the summer throughout high school and college, which sparked an ongoing interest in food and agricultural issues.  In high school and college I had the opportunity to study abroad in Japan and Sweden, respectively, and I majored in international studies as an undergraduate. After college I taught elementary school and worked in rural development for a couple years each before going to law school.  I worked in private practice for a little while in Oregon, then moved to Washington DC to work on federal food and agricultural policy.

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

Having worked on a farm throughout high school and college, I care a lot about farmworker health and believe that organic farming practices are safer for farmworkers.  I also care about the environment and my own personal health, and believe that organic practices create a safer, healthier environment and food system.

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

I recently read Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer and loved it.  She’s an Indigenous botanist and amazing writer who, as the book title suggests, weaves together scientific knowledge with Indigenous wisdom in a way that illuminates how we should be looking at the natural world.  Organic farming today is built on the traditions of Indigenous farmers and ranchers, and I think there is still a lot we can learn by looking at how those who came before us lived in harmony with the land.

What are you excited about working on at OFRF?

I previously worked for the USDA and am excited to be a more vocal advocate than I could be while I was working for the federal government.  There are a number of things I think the government does well, but also a lot of things I think the government can do better and that’s what I’m excited to advocate for.

I’ve long been an organic consumer and believe in OFRF’s mission that we need more organic research and more organic acreage, and I look forward to working towards both of those things.

Anything else you’d like to share?

I recently adopted a dog named Clif (featured right) and he’s very glad I work from home.

Over 20 years ago, I joined the OFRF team to help advocate on behalf of organic farmers across the country. Organic was a fledgling industry with farmers in grave need of science-based resources and support. As part of these efforts, OFRF successfully advocated for Congress to create a new staff position at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Salinas research station that would focus fully on organic agriculture research, the country’s first. 

Dr. Eric Brennan, the scientist who took that role 20 years ago and continues to hold it today, was soon awarded an OFRF on-farm research grant so he could study planting arrangements and seeding rates of cover cropping in organic agriculture. Fast forward to 2021, he has collected nearly two decades’ worth of research that has helped dramatically increase the amount of cover cropped acres in California, and is still the only dedicated organic researcher at ARS in the country. 

Can you help us ensure organic research is conducted and organic farmers have the resources they need to make informed decisions by donating today? Plus, if you give now, your gift will be matched dollar for dollar thanks to generous matching donors! 

We continue to provide grants for innovative on-farm organic research like the grant Eric received 20 years ago, and advocate for additional USDA support of organic research and education, particularly as our climate changes and farming become even more challenging. Our 2021-22 research grant cycle focuses on climate resilience and mitigation, and prioritizes farmers and early career researchers. We are excited to announce that we are reserving half of our 2021-2022 funding for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) applicants. 

Researching organic farming systems is a collaborative effort. For nearly a decade, Eric has partnered closely with organic farmers, including Roy Fuentes, a local strawberry farmer. Roy is a second-generation farmer with a desire to improve his organic farming methods. Since Eric is the only researcher at the Salinas station without a technician, Roy’s support is critical to the success of their research and they estimate Roy and his team donate at least $120,000 of in-kind support annually to the ARS organic research program. 

Most recently, the data Eric collected has informed a California EPA regulation, helping improve incentives for use of cover crops in 540,000 acres of irrigated land on California’s Central Coast region. Eric and Roy’s work is critical to the success and growth of organic farming. “With organic farming, there are always more studies to be done,” says Roy, and we need your help ensuring more applicable research is conducted so farmers can make informed decisions. 

As the organic movement grows and our climate continues to change, farmers need additional science-based resources and research so they can continue to be successful. This is the moment for us to better support existing organic farmers and bring more acres into organic. 

Please donate today so we can continue our work to build a healthier and more just food system. And don’t forget, your donation will be matched 100%! 

Research that Eric and Roy conduct, along with research from countless other farmer-researcher teams across the country, doesn’t get into the hands of farmers on its own. Your donation allows us to develop free and easily accessible science-based research tools and outreach materials, and advocate for additional federal resources and positions like Eric’s. Join us today to ensure farmers and our food system are resilient to climate change and an ever-changing world. 

We are extremely grateful for your past and future support of our work, our team, and our community. Thank you for helping to build an organic future with us! 

Best,

Brise Tencer

Two USDA COVID assistance programs were discussed, including the Pandemic Response and Safety Grant Program which has an approaching deadline of November 22.

The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) recently attended a USDA press 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 business.

“OFRF is excited to show support for these crucial USDA programs that will directly provide assistance to farmers who were affected by COVID-19,” said Organic Farming Research Foundation Executive Director Brise Tencer.

The Pandemic Response and Safety Grant Program provides grants to state agencies, tribal entities and nonprofits who serve farms, farmworkers and meatpacking workers. Organizations such as food processors, distributors, producers and farmers markets are eligible to apply, and may be reimbursed between $1,500 to $20,000 for COVID-related expenses if awarded funding. The application period for the Pandemic Response and Safety Grant Program is currently open and closes November 22. “In the first 12 hours we had over 500 applicants already,” said Lester Moffitt.

“We understand and value a farmworker, not just for what a farmworker did throughout the pandemic but what farmworkers do every single day,” said Rep. Panetta. Rep. Panetta worked to ensure that the final Consolidated Appropriations Act, which authorizes and funds the Pandemic Response and Safety Grant Program, included funding to farmers, farmworkers, and essential workers who incurred safety-related expenses related to COVID-19.

The Farm and Food Worker Relief Grant Program provides assistance to farmworkers, meatpacking workers, and frontline grocery workers with funds being awarded by state agencies, tribal entities and nonprofits. Approximately $600 will be reimbursed to workers who receive funding to cover costs for expenses incurred because of of COVID-19. Applications for the Farm and Food Worker Relief Grant Program will open later this season, fall 2021.

“The Farm and Food Worker Relief Grant Program will provide $700 million for farmworkers, meatpacking workers and frontline grocery workers for pandemic-related safety costs,” said Moffitt. “Costs that we know have been incurred for the past 18 months and incur still today during the pandemic.”

“Farmworkers are first-responders that safeguard the harvest, a job they perform with utmost urgency and dignity to feed their loved ones and to sustain the nation’s food security,” said United Farm Workers Foundation Executive Director Diana Tellefson Torres. “Even under a deadly pandemic, life-threatening heat waves, and toxic wildfire smoke that kept the public indoors and in climate-controlled spaces, farmworkers continued to show up to work.”

“They get up, they show up, they step up and the step into the fields and do the back-breaking work that many Americans will not do,” added Rep. Panetta.

Rep. Panetta is also a co-sponsor of H.R.2803, the Agricultural Resilience Act (ARA). Earlier this year, OFRF facilitated a tour of the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Salinas, Calif. for Representative Panetta’s congressional staffers. The site visit focused on the importance of increased investment in organic research and was instrumental in the congressman’s decision to co-sponsor the bill.

The press conference was held on October 7 at the United Farm Workers Foundation facility in Salinas, Calif. Also in attendance:

• OFRF Executive Director Brise Tencer
• National Vice President of the United Farm Workers Union Bonita Rivera
• National Vice President and Regional Director for the Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey Bay area United Farm Workers Union Lauro Barajas.

A tour of JSM Organics Farm concluded the briefing.