Organic Wins in Year-End Budget Deal, but Key Conservation Opportunities Missed
Congressional leaders have reached a bipartisan deal on a massive stop-gap spending bill to fund the government through March 14, which includes critical wins for organic agriculture. Thanks to advocacy efforts from NOC and organic community members, the bill secures one year of level funding for essential organic programs:
The Organic Certification Cost Share Program – thousands of organic farms and businesses rely on this reimbursement to help defray the cost of organic certification.
The Organic Data Initiative – Essential for collecting data to support organic agriculture.
The Organic Certification Trade and Tracking Program (OCTT) – Provides critical technology systems for the USDA National Organic Program to enforce organic regulations and prevent fraud.
These programs, vital to the success of organic farms and businesses, were at risk due to their lack of permanent baseline status.
Lawmakers have until the end of the day on Friday to pass the legislation to avert a government shutdown. It is not yet clear when votes will take place in the House and Senate, but the measure is expected to pass.
**UPDATE on 12/20 - the spending package was stymied after President- elect Trump rejected the bill and urged Republicans to vote against it.
In addition to extending the 2018 Farm Bill provisions through September 2025, the package includes over $100 billion in disaster relief, with $21 billion specifically allocated to farmers and ranchers recovering from recent natural disasters. Legislators also secured $10 billion in economic assistance for farmers.
Many Democrats expressed disappointment over the failure to incorporate climate-focused conservation funds from the Inflation Reduction Act into the Farm Bill baseline. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), who will retire at the end of 2024, noted the missed opportunity to secure $20 billion in lasting investments for conservation and energy programs.
NOC urges Members of Congress to pass the legislation. While NOC is deeply disappointed by a missed opportunity to invest in critical conservation programs by incorporating the climate-focused conservation funds into the Farm Bill baseline, we recognize that it is imperative to extend the 2018 Farm Bill provisions, including critical organic programs, before the end of this year.
NOC thanks the many members of Congress who have worked diligently to secure essential funding for organic programs on behalf of farmers. We especially commend Senator Stabenow for her leadership in championing support for the vital 'orphan' organic programs.