The 2009 Appropriations Process

The Fiscal Year 2009 appropriations process will determine how much the government will be spending on various federal programs, including agriculture programs. OFRF will be working to protect and increase funding for our priority programs, including organic agriculture research.

September 2, 2008
Call Your Members of Congress Today – Tell Them to Protect Funding for Organic Ag Research! Organic farmers and activists won a much-needed boost to the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative in the 2008 Farm Bill, but now both the Senate and the President want to take some of that money away!

August 28, 2008
Letter from OFRF to USDA and the Office of Management and Budget protesting the Bush Administration's proposed $8 million cut to the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative.

August 1, 2008
The President's Amendments to his proposed FY09 budget which includes an $8 million cut to the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (from the $18 million mandated in the 2008 Farm Bill - see pages 16-17.)

July 21, 2008
The Senate's FY09 Appropriations Bill which passed the Senate on July 17, 2008 and includes a $2 million cut to the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (from the $18 million mandated in the 2008 Farm Bill - see Section 721(i).)

March 20, 2008
Written testimony submitted by OFRF to the Senate Agriculture Committee regarding 2009 appropriations requests for sustainable and organic agriculture

March 17, 2008
Policy alert: 2009 Funding for Sustainable and Organic Agriculture Programs at Stake - Call Your Members of Congress Today!

The 2008 Farm Bill

Farm Bill Implementation

November 12, 2008
Policy Alert from the Organic Farmers Action Network:
Farmers Voices Matter - Two Opportunities to Make Yours Heard
Send comments in today on the implementation of the Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program. Plus, let us know your organic priorities for the Obama Administration.

November 12, 2008
On October 27, 2008, USDA-CSREES held a formal listening session to gather input on the implementation of the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program. OFRF sent two beginning organic farmers, Jamie Collins and Jeremy Barker-Plotkin to Washington to deliver comments on the development of the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program. Read Jamie Collin's testimony.
Read Jeremy Barker-Plotkin's testimony.
Also, read testimony delivered by Zach Baker, OFRF’s Policy Associate.

November 1, 2008
Policy Update from the Organic Farmers Action Network: Implementing the Farm Bill - A Pre-Election Update.
Plus, read our downloadable fact sheet on the Implementation of 2008 Farm Bill Organic Provisions.

August 11, 2008
OFRF is working to ensure that the conservation programs in the 2008 Farm Bill will be implemented to maximize benefits for organic growers. Below are some resources we've provided to the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service to help achieve that goal:

A sign-on letter to the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service providing comments that urge development of conservation programs in a way that benefits organic producers

A comparison chart compiled by the National Center for Appropriate Technology showing which of the requirements of the National Organic Program match the Natural Resource Conservation Service's production practices.

An annotated bibliography compile by the National Center for Appropriate Technology providing resources that compare organic systems to conventional systems in 5 different areas: nutrient management, biodiversity, yields, nutrition, and pesticide residues.

A list of technical assistance providers compiled by OFRF, who will be able to assist growers who are looking to transition to organic, and to assist organic growers with production challenges.

Farm Bill Updates

May 27, 2008 - Press release: OFRF Applauds Farm Bill Victories for Organic Farmers and Ranchers

May 20, 2008 - Organic Provisions in the 2008 Farm Bill

April 28, 2008 - Farm Bill Completion Looks Possible; Wins for Organic Ag In Sight!

April 7, 2008 - Farm Bill Moving Forward but Sustainable Ag Programs Facing Cuts

February 25, 2008 - Reminder: Keep those Farm Bill Calls and Letters Coming In!

February 20, 2008 - OFRF sign-on letter to the Farm Bill Conference Committee Members urges support of $16 million/year for organic agriculture research. Signers include 136 organizations and businesses.

February 7, 2008 - Home Stretch for the Farm Bill- Senate Conferees Named

January 16, 2008 - Policy update from the Organic Farmers Action Network: Gearing Up for Farm Bill Conference Committee

January 16, 2008 - Senate Farm Bill Passed - Organic Retains Gains Through Process

January 4, 2008 - Comparison of Organic Provisions in House and Senate versions of the Farm Bill, compiled by the Organic Trade Association

December 20, 2007 - Joint Letter to House and Senate Conferees on 2007 Farm Bill, urging inclusion of organic provisions

December 10, 2007 - Five Week Farm Bill Stalemate Finally Cleared; Senate Hopes to Pass Farm Bill before Holiday Recess

October 30, 2007 - Organics Standing Strong in the Senate But More Work Still Ahead

Report on House Subcommittee markup from the Organic Trade Association (excerpted)
May 22, 2007 - A short summary of specific actions relevant to organic in the May 22 House Agriculture Subcommittee markup

Background Information
May 15, 2007 - A summary of organic issues in relation to the federal policy and the Farm Bill: Power Point Presentation on Organics in the 2007 Farm Bill and Text Version

April 2007 - View video footage of Mark Lipson's testimony in April 2007 before the newly formed House Agriculture Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture. This was the first-ever hearing in the House of Representatives devoted exclusively to organic food and farming.

Organic Agriculture Research Policy Targets
March 2007 - OFRF Policy Director Mark Lipson outlines recommendations for coordinated organic agricultural research, Extension, education, economics and development.

Initial Concepts for the 2007 Farm Bill
June 2006 - OFRF Legislative Assistant Brise Tencer offers up OFRF's initial set of recommendations for organic and sustainable farming programs in the 2007 Farm Bill.

Useful Links
http://agriculture.house.gov/inside/2007FarmBill.html - Link to the House Agriculture Committee’s Farm Bill webpage

http://agriculture.senate.gov -- link to the Senate Agriculture Committee

http://www.sustainableagriculturecoalition.org/key-farmbill.html - The Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s farm bill page, which has good basic information about farm bill process as well as what’s at stake for sustainable agriculture.

http://www.farmland.org/programs/campaign/default.asp – the Farm Bill page for American Farmland Trust, an organization working to stop the loss of farmland to development.

http://www.agobservatory.org/issue_farmbill2007.cfm – the Farm Bill page for the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, which works to protect small scale, sustainable agriculture around the world.

http://www.farmpolicy.com – A daily summary of news related to farm policy.

www.mulchblog.org – The blog of Environmental Working Group President, Ken Cook, about agriculture and food policy.

House Agriculture Hearings
On April 18, 2007, OFRF’s Policy Program Director Mark Lipson testified before the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture, in the first ever hearing on organics in the history of Congress. This hearing will help to lay the groundwork for support of organics in the 2007 Farm Bill.

Learn more by reading the press release, reading media coverage of the event, downloading Mark’s testimony or viewing the video of his presentation. You can also read the statements of other witnesses who testified at the House Agriculture Committee website and read the written testimonies submitted by members of the Organic Farmers Action Network.

Senate Agriculture Hearings
March 7, 2007 - OFRF Board Member Francis Thicke Testified before the Senate Agriculture Committee on organic and sustainable agriculture research priorities for the Research Title of the 2007 Farm Bill. Thicke focused his testimony on the need for more applied research that uses an integrated systems approach to solving problems facing farmers.

He also urged the Committee to apportion a larger share of USDA research funding toward research on organic production systems in order to keep pace with the rapidly growing demand for organic food. Thicke pointed out that organic products now account for 3 percent of the retail market share, yet funding for organic research accounts for only 0.6% of the USDA research budget. Read Francis' complete testimony...

Regional Farm Bill Field Hearings
July 2006 - Listen to audio from regional 2007 Farm Bill field hearings held in Ankeny, Iowa and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in which organic producers Ron Rosmann and Klaas Martens provided testimony on behalf of OFRF.

Photo: Former OFRF board president Ron Rosmann at the Farm Bill field hearings in Ankeny, Iowa.

Organic Farming Summaries from Farm Bill Listening Sessions