How OFRF is Viewing Organic Research Priorities in the Farm Bill

By Vinnie Trometter, OFRF Policy Manager

The Organic Farming Research Foundation is happy to report that first-time Congressional authorization for the Organic Transitions Program (ORG) was included in the House Agriculture Committee’s Farm Bill markup on March 4, 2026. This was through an amendment filed by Virginia Congressman Eugene Vindman (D-VA-07), a co-lead with Congressman Lawler (R-NY-17) on OFRF’s flagship bill, the Organic Science and Research Investment (OSRI) Act.

Authorization of ORG, and renaming it the Researching the Transition to Organic Program (RTOP), is a key component in the OSRI Act, which is the only legislative vehicle in Congress aimed at increasing funding for the two dedicated organic research programs under USDA: the Organic Agriculture Research Extension Initiative (OREI) and ORG/RTOP.

It is increasingly likely that this year the Farm Bill will be voted out of the House, with the Senate also marking up its version. House Speaker Mike Johnson lists the Farm Bill as a “must-pass” item for this year, and it has been reported that Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Boozman (R-AR) plans to vote on a Farm Bill in his committee this spring.

Without getting into too much detail, the Senate can increase funding for programs through less draconian measures than the House. The wiggle room created here is an opportunity for Senate Agriculture Committee members to take a meaningful step in right-sizing federal funding for organic agriculture research. Dedicated funding for organic research currently stands at less than 2% of the USDA’s research budget. This is despite organic foods being a much larger proportion of the overall food landscape, and the industry almost doubling in size over the last ten years. Plain and simple, the organic industry deserves its fair share of dedicated organic research if it wishes to continue the explosive growth it is on.

Since the center of gravity for the Farm Bill is shifting toward the Senate, OFRF advocacy efforts will focus on promoting the Senate version of the OSRI Act, led by Senators Fetterman (D-PA) and Schiff (D-CA). In this chamber, the research community is grateful that so many Senators recognize the importance of supporting organic agriculture research. OFRF was also pleased to hear Ranking Member on the Senate Agriculture Committee, Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), mention the importance of supporting organic agriculture and agriculture research when she delivered her opening statements for the first Senate Agriculture Committee hearing post-House Farm Bill markup. We are hopeful these good tidings, forged through decades of collective outreach by researchers and the organic industry, will help ensure that organic research funding is increased in the Farm Bill.

Want to know if your Senator is a co-sponsor of the OSRI Act or ready to reach out to them about it? If so, please contact Vinnie Trometter, Policy Manager, at vinnie [at] ofrf [dot] org.

Yours in D.C.,

Vinnie