Time Sensitive: Ask Congress to Restore Funding for Organic Certification Cost Share

 

The organic certification cost-share program helps organic farms stay in business and is especially important for small and mid-size farms. In August, the USDA unexpectedly slashed organic certification cost share funding! If the USDA wants organic farms and our regional economies to survive and thrive, they should be making it easier to get certification cost share and increasing support during the pandemic not cutting this important program. 

Is one of your Senators or your Representative a member of the appropriations committee?

If yes, contact your Appropriations member asap with the request to allocate funds to make the organic certification cost share program whole again. Congress is moving forward soon with Fiscal Year 2021 agriculture spending legislation.

 

Use the sample email below to contact the staffer who handles agriculture for your House or Senate appropriations member. Personalize this message to explain why this program matters to you and/or your stakeholders. Contact NOC if you need help to get an email for the appropriate staffer. 

Then send the National Organic Coalition a quick email to let us know about your outreach: Abby@NationalOrganicCoalition.org

 

SAMPLE EMAIL FOR HOUSE & SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Dear Senator/Representative xxx,

I am writing to request that you use your authority as a member of the Appropriations Committee to restore funding to the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program.

This program provides organic farmers and handling operations with a reimbursement to cover a portion of their annual organic certification fees. In August of 2020, USDA slashed funding for this program. This has left organic operations – who had been counting on being reimbursed for their certification costs at the same level as previous years – burdened with an unplanned expense, in the midst of a period of higher costs and disrupted markets caused by the pandemic. The cost share program is particularly important to small and mid-sized organic farms, and those who are just starting out with organic certification. 

The 2018 Farm Bill provided new funding for the organic certification cost share program, but the USDA provided inaccurate reports of carryover balances to Congress. This has resulted in a shortfall for the program for the rest of the years of the Farm Bill cycle. USDA has done a disservice to the organic community in this time of crisis by mismanaging this program.

The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), which administers this program, has communicated to Congress and organic stakeholders that $9 million in supplemental funding is needed to fill the funding gap for the program, at the full authorized reimbursement levels, through the end of the 2018 Farm Bill cycle (end of fiscal year 2023). However, FSA staff have also acknowledged that the $9 million figure does not include any growth in the number of certified operations eligible for assistance under the program, which is shortsighted.

Therefore, I urge you to:

• provide $12 million in extra funding for the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program in the next Fiscal Year 2021 appropriations package, to be available until expended, to close the funding gap; and that,

• the funding be accompanied by strong report language requiring FSA to reimburse eligible organic operations at the full authorized reimbursement rates, and to report back to Congress with a plan to ensure the accounting problems associated with FSA’s administration of the organic certification cost share program do not occur again.

The inclusion of this additional funding for the organic certification cost share program in the appropriations process will ensure that organic farms and businesses can continue to count on this long-standing program to help offset their certification costs.

Sincerely,

Your name and organization (if applicable)

Your town and state (to demonstrate that you are a constituent)

Background Information:

USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced on August 10 that they will be reducing reimbursement rates for the organic certification cost share program, which provides reimbursements to organic farms and handling operations. The August 10 Federal Register notice stated that FSA is “revising the reimbursement amount to 50 percent of the certified organic operation’s eligible expenses, up to a maximum of $500 per scope.” The 2018 Farm Bill clearly set reimbursement rates at 75 percent of the certified organic operation’s eligible expenses, up to a maximum of $750 per scope. 

This action by USDA is unwarranted and unacceptable. The 2018 Farm Bill provided new funding for the program and also directed USDA to use the program’s carryover balances from previous years to fund the program for fiscal years 2019 through 2023. Unfortunately, the Farm Service Agency has struggled to track program spending and inaccurately reported carry over balances, which has resulted in the funding shortfall. In addition, the FSA has done a disservice to the organic community in this time of crisis by delaying the release of funds by many months while organic operations struggle to stay in business as they weather a pandemic and loss of markets.  

Alice Runde