Take Action! Congress has Defunded Core Organic Programs

Ask your Members of Congress to restore funding for core organic programs! Take Action.

Background Information

In its rushed effort to avert a shutdown, Congress passed a continuing resolution on December 21, 2024, to fund the government through March 14, 2025. This last-minute spending package included a one-year extension of the Farm Bill through September 30, 2025. But the Farm Bill extension failed to include funding for essential organic programs including the Organic Certification Cost Share Program!

Congress has failed the organic community in a profound way. While the ‘orphan’ organic programs represent a miniscule fraction of the overall Farm Bill’s budget, the impacts of their defunding are massive, threatening organic farms and businesses across the U.S. Without funding for the Organic Certification Cost Share Program in 2025, farms will face significantly higher costs to maintain organic certification—a burden many organic farms will struggle to bear in an already challenging economic climate.

Congress’ decision to abandon funding for these key programs not only increases financial pressure on organic farms but also weakens the USDA’s ability to protect the integrity of the organic label. By defunding the Organic Certification Trade and Tracking Program, Congress has hampered USDA’s efforts to stop fraudulent imports at ports of entry and to implement new measures to protect against fraud.

TAKE ACTION

Contact your Senators and Representative today to ask them to restore funding for core organic programs that were omitted from the Farm Bill extension. Click here to automatically send a message to your Members of Congress.