Written by Vinnie Trometter and Gordon Merrick

As we alluded in last month’s Policy Corner, there is some semblance of good news legislatively regarding OFRF’s policy priorities!  Reps. Eugene Vindman (D-VA-07) and Mike Lawler (R-NY-17) introduced OFRF’s flagship marker bill, the Organic Science and Research Investment (OSRI) Act in the House of Representatives with broad sector support. With a companion bill already introduced in the Senate by Sens. Fetterman (D-PA) and Schiff (D-CA), this legislation is now introduced in both chambers.

At its core, the OSRI Act is about finally investing in the research capacity needed to keep pace with a fast-growing organic sector. This bill would:

• Increase funding for the only two USDA research programs dedicated to organic research: the Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) and the Organic Transitions Program (ORG).
• Direct USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area to catalog existing organic research and recommend pathways to expand the work.
• Charge the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) to examine the economic impact of organic agriculture on rural and urban communities.
• Continue the growth of the Organic Data Initiative, ensuring robust market and production data remains available to farmers, businesses, researchers, and policymakers.

Taken together, these provisions would strengthen the scientific foundation of organic agriculture, ensure farmers have access to regionally relevant research, and support a new generation of scientists committed to agroecological approaches.

Bipartisan By Design

The bipartisan approach we are pursuing is an intentional attempt to communicate that the growth of the organic agriculture sector is a national priority, not a partisan project, and we aim to have the cosponsor list reflect that reality.

While quiet support for organic agriculture does exist across both parties, public leadership on organic issues has historically been stronger among Democrats. That’s shifting. Interest in soil health, regenerative systems, and farmer-driven innovation is growing in Republican circles, but many offices prefer to see key agricultural interests and members support policies before they cosponsor legislation.

This strategy is especially important because the House introduction occurred at the outset of what has become the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history. In an environment where basic governing has become difficult, moving new legislation requires patience, persistence, and a fundamentally nonpartisan posture. That is exactly how OFRF operates, and we are here to meet this moment.

Moving Forward

Because of the current political landscape exacerbated by the current shutdown, Farm Bill 2.0 discussions have slowed to a standstill. But this pause also creates space. As Congress turns back toward core Farm Bill negotiations in the coming months, the OSRI Act is well-positioned to gain traction, especially if organic research is understood as an economic development and competitiveness package rather than a niche priority.

That’s why your outreach matters.

Over the coming months, OFRF will continue to share targeted district-level information, elevate producer voices, and build bipartisan support so that organic research is properly valued, and fully funded, in the next Farm Bill. Check out our Communicating with Legislators course and reach out to us to get started!

OFRF and our allies are continuing to meet with Congressional offices to highlight how organic research delivers tangible benefits to farmers through practical tools to strengthen on farm resilience, expanded market opportunities, and rural economic revitalization.

At a moment when the organic sector is the fastest growing segment of U.S. agriculture, the need for its fair share of research investments has never been clearer. Farmers are on the front lines of climate disruption and supply-chain volatility, and organic research projects have actively provided methods to help them continue to thrive.

When the tide rises for organic research, all producers benefit.

Stay tuned for more, and thanks for being in this work with us.

Vinnie and Gordon

By Gordon Merrick, OFRF Policy Program Director

Ensuring that there are sufficient research resources for organic producers is central to OFRF’s mission and represents the backbone of a resilient food system. That’s why we’re proud to announce that we have led the development of a letter urging Congress to include the Organic Science and Research Investment (OSRI) Act in the next Farm Bill, just introduced this month by Representatives Eugene Vindman (D-VA-07) and Mike Lawler (R-NY-17). This bill provides substantial support and funding for agricultural research programming that benefits all farmers, from those certified organic, transitioning to organic farming, and those who are not certified. The bipartisan introduction of the OSRI Act builds on the collaborative work with Senator John Fetterman’s (D-PA) and Senator Alex Schiff’s (D-CA) offices to introduce this bill in the Senate earlier this year.

What Is the Organic Science and Research Investment Act?

The OSRI Act would strategically identify and expand the USDA’s investments into organic research and data programs. Key provisions include:

• Coordinating and Expanding Organic Research Initiative – Directs USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics agencies to catalog and strengthen organic research, ensuring coordination and growth across programs.
• Increased funding for Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) – Steps up funding from $60 million in 2026 to $100 million by 2031, while expanding priorities to include climate change, organic alternatives to prohibited substances, and Traditional Ecological Knowledge.
• Authorization of Researching the Transition to Organic Program (RTOP) – Provides Congressional authorization for the RTOP, currently known as the Organic Transitions Research Program (ORG), with $10 million annually from 2026–27 and $12 million from 2028–31.
• Doubling funding for the Organic Data Initiative (ODI) – $10 million over the life of the Farm Bill to improve data for risk management and market development, while directing ERS to conduct a comprehensive study of the economic impacts of organic agriculture.

These policies directly respond to the reality that organic agriculture currently represents over 6% of U.S. food sales and 15% of produce sales, yet the USDA’s investments into organic-applicable research are less than 2% of research budgets.  Importantly, organic agricultural research is applicable to all farm operations, while research into more efficient use of synthetic inputs, or compatibility of genetic engineering with chemistry applications can never apply to an organic farm.

How Does the OSRI Act Help All Farmers?

Investing in organic agriculture research isn’t just about advancing one production system; it’s about giving farmers across the United States the tools, knowledge, and resources to stay resilient in the face of a variety of consistent issues, from climate disruptions and volatile supply chains to rapidly changing market dynamics. While the OSRI Act focuses on organic systems, the innovations developed through these programs regularly spill over to the broader agricultural sector. From cover cropping to integrated pest management, organic innovations often set the stage for widespread adoption of ecologically sustainable and economically beneficial practices and systems. Ultimately, these investments empower farmers to make the right choices for their land and market opportunities.

Alongside this direct benefit to farmers through answering questions and addressing agronomic issues, this research funding also flows to the rural communities that host agricultural research stations. According to analysis done by the Economic Research Service, for every $1 invested into agricultural research, over $20 of economic benefit is triggered, both through the project work itself—which can be high-paying and not require an advanced degree—but also through the long-term gains in farm profitability and competitiveness that are the backbones of rural economies.

Broad Support for the OSRI Act Exists, You Can Help!

OFRF is joined by over 100 farms, businesses, and organizations from across the country in signing a letter urging the House Agriculture Committee to incorporate OSRI into the Farm Bill.  But there is always more we can do to ensure Congress understands the importance of this bill and the policies it represents.

You can help strengthen the future of agricultural research by:

• Signing up for our Communicating with Legislators Course
• Contacting your Representatives and Senators to urge them to co-sponsor the bill.
• Share this announcement and amplify the message using #InvestInOrganicResearch
• Writing a Letter to The Editor or Opinion Piece in your local newspaper, publicly calling on your elected officials to support this legislation.

Please reach out if you have any questions about how to get involved, we’re here to help! Contact gordon[at]ofrf.org

. . . . .

Support for the OSRI Act:

“Investing in organic agriculture research helps farmers and communities improve resiliency to both climate and supply chain disruption. These research programs build essential knowledge that empowers regionally appropriate organic programs to thrive. In turn, the benefits ripple across society by lifting rural communities, strengthening organic supply chains, and expanding healthy options for consumers.” – Renaud des Rosiers, Amy’s Kitchen

“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 resilient farming systems and meet the growing market demand for organic products. A boost in funding for scientific research and economic data and analysis within NIFA and ARS will support both organic and conventional agricultural producers so they can sustain and improve their operations while helping us reach meaningful solutions for the climate crisis.” – Nick Rossi, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)

“Research is critical to the growth of the organic sector, which is an extraordinarily important tool in mitigating the threats to health, biodiversity, and climate.”  – Jay Feldman, Beyond Pesticides

“Expanding American consumers’ access to healthy foods, free of synthetic pesticides, will significantly contribute to Making America Healthy Again. Organic agriculture remains the single best way to achieve this goal. Developing strong research and extension programs to support US organic agriculture are critical to the expansion of this important sector of our food economy.” – Matthew Grieshop, Grimm Family Center for Organic Production and Research at California Polytechnic State University

“Organic research is vital to maintain the backbone of critical agricultural efforts that help small-scale farmers and ensure that farming works for consumers as well.” – Colehour Bondera, Kanalani Ohana Farm

“Supporting the Organic Science and Research Investment Act means investing in soil health, the living foundation of organic farming and long-term sustainability.” – Karlin Warner, OneCert, Inc.

“We have heard time and time again from our local organic extension office that their organic extension agents serve more non-organic producers than they do already certified producers.  There is a lot of interest from non-organic producers in learning new and innovative ways to incorporate organic practices on their farms.  This reinforces what organic advocates have been suggesting for decades – that investments in organic research benefits ALL producers.” – Mike Dill, Organically Grown Company

“Strong, verifiable peer-reviewed research is needed to give organic farmers the tools that they need to be successful and competitive with sustainable organic cropping systems.   Funding research so that researchers, such as those in the American Society for Horticultural Science, can continue to develop innovative research-based solutions and technologies is critically important to farm success.” – Curt R Rom, American Society for Horticultural Science

As you might have been reading, hearing, or seeing in the news, the federal government is in the midst of a limited shutdown following a lapse in appropriations legislation. In plain terms, this means Congress has failed to pass the bills that keep the lights on; and when that happens agencies can’t spend money they don’t have.

Most federal employees are placed on furlough until funding is restored. Some, deemed essential, are required to continue working without pay until a deal is reached. For some historical context, the last government shutdown occurred during the 2018 Appropriations debate, which also coincided with the Farm Bill debate (time is a flat circle). Once funding resumes, all employees typically receive backpay (although that is now being called into question), but the programs they administer lose time that can’t be made up.

This particular standoff stems from broader political battles over domestic spending, primarily subsidies that make health insurance under the Affordable Care Act more . . . affordable. But whatever the cause of a shutdown, the result is the same: a complete freeze in all federal work which impacts the entire country. We’re in a historic period of partisan brinksmanship, and it is directly affecting the nation’s programming at USDA, especially for organic producers and the agricultural research they depend on.

Organic Programming During a Shutdown

For organic producers, this shutdown hits several critical programs at once, including:

• The Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP), which helps farmers recoup part of the cost of certification, and operates through the Farm Service Agency (FSA). With nearly all county FSA offices closed, farmers may find it hard to submit and process their cost-share applications.
• The National Organic Program, the regulatory and enforcement agency operated by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), has furloughed nearly all of its roughly 40 staff members. That means no compliance, no enforcement, no rulemaking, and no certification review or accreditation activities until the government reopens.
• Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) staff, who provide critical in-the-field conservation support have also been sidelined. This affects all farmers, but hits organic operations as well. Farmers use NRCS conservation programs to address resource concerns on their operations, like erosion control and biodiversity conservation.

The delays stemming from the shutdown will ripple across the entire agricultural sector, but especially the organic sector. From the small diversified producer waiting for their NRCS or OCCSP cost-share funding, to the certifier waiting for regulatory guidance.

Impacts on Research Programming

The shutdown does not only impact the programming that directly serves producers, but also the underlying research infrastructure that provides the foundation for all regulatory frameworks for agricultural systems.

At the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the agency that administers competitive grant programs, only 13 of roughly 400 employees remain on duty. That means functionally no work is able to be continued on releasing Requests for Applications (RFAs), and no new awards can move forward. Many competitive grant programs, like the Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI), are already running nearly a full year behind their normal grant cycle.

Meanwhile, the Agricultural Research Service faces similar disruptions. This can be particularly harmful at this agency given that it manages long-term research trials vital to understanding soil health, pest management, livestock research, and climate adaptation. When these programs pause, data collection and continuity is lost, impacting the ability for these projects to deliver results to farmers.

Even data collection efforts like the Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) are affected. The organic sector depends on ERS and NASS for production and market data, which informs everything from policy development to private investment. Losing access to this data hampers strategic planning for an entire sector. It is also worth noting some of dissonance here: this shutdown comes just months after a 100% increase in funding for the Organic Market and Production Data Initiative was included in the budget reconciliation package, a recognition by both Congress and the Executive branch how vital this work is.

What Happens Next?

No one can predict how long this shutdown will last. We do know that the deadlock in Congress is real, and it’s being played out at the expense of federal workers, farmers, researchers, and the general public alike. The USDA exists to carry out the policies Congress enacts and provides funding for. The current shutdown doesn’t just interrupt that process, it undermines it. The longer it continues, the more it erodes public trust in the government’s ability to deliver for rural America.

There isn’t a clear path forward for action yet, but OFRF will continue tracking these developments closely, and sharing what they mean for organic producers and researchers across the United States. In the meantime, we are looking forward to sharing good news regarding legislative work next month!

Until then, eat well and breathe deeply,

Gordon