Breaking News! Organic Advocates Secure 2024 Cost Share Funding

In a big win for National Organic Coalition members and the organic community, legislation to avert a government shutdown and extend the 2018 Farm Bill includes $8 million in funding for the Organic Certification Cost Share Program. The Organic Certification Cost Share Program is an essential program that provides a partial reimbursement to defray the cost of organic certification, incentivizes the adoption of climate-friendly organic practices, and reduces barriers for diversified operations and underserved farmers.

The stopgap funding legislation also includes $1 million for the Organic Data Initiative and an additional $1 million for the modernization and improvement of international trade and technology systems, an area of work that is of critical importance as USDA seeks to enforce against fraudulent imported organic products and implement new provisions from the Strengthening Organic Enforcement rule.

The stopgap funding bill was passed on November 14 by the GOP-controlled House and by the Democratic-led Senate on November 15. It includes a one-year extension of the 2018 Farm Bill until the end of the 2024 Fiscal Year (September 30, 2024). The bill passed in the House by 336-95 with 207 Democrats joining 127 Republications to support the measure. In the Senate, the bill passed by 87-11. President Biden has indicated that he will sign the legislation.

Without a new Continuing Resolution (CR), the government will shut down when the CR that has been funding the government since Oct. 1 expires on Friday, November 17. Additionally, without action before the end of the calendar year, many USDA programs funded by the 2018 Farm Bill would not be able to operate.

“The National Organic Coalition is deeply appreciative of the work completed by Senate and House Agriculture Committee members to extend all Farm Bill programs, including the organic certification Cost Share Program and other so-called ‘orphan’ programs that would not be able to operate without additional funding,” said Abby Youngblood, Executive Director at the National Organic Coalition. “The Organic Certification Cost Share Program is an essential program to create a thriving food and farm system that protects natural resources and provides nutritious food to all communities. The National Organic Coalition especially wants to thank Senators Debbie Stabenow and John Boozman and Representatives G.T. Thompson and David Scott for their leadership. We urge Congress to take swift action in 2024 to renew the Farm Bill, with funding for organic research and other programs to create a healthier and thriving food and farm system.”

Unlike larger Farm Bill programs which are automatically included in Farm Bill extension legislation, the Organic Certification Cost Share Program is too small to have ‘permanent baseline’ funding status. For this reason, NOC has sounded the alarm in past months about the risks of losing funding for the Organic Certification Cost Share Program in 2024. NOC issued an urgent action alert on November 2 asking all organic community members to contact Congressional leaders to request additional funding for the program.

The $8 million in funding for the Organic Certification Cost Share Program authorized by the stopgap funding bill, together with funds that remain from the 2023 Organic Certification Cost Share Program, is intended to allow the USDA Farm Service Agency to operate the program without interruption in 2024.

The Farm Bill extension will give lawmakers until the end of 2024 to pass a Farm Bill, though leaders of the House and Senate Ag committees have indicated that they would like to pass a bill in the spring or early summer.