Organic Agriculture Research ActIntroduced by Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-ME),

Dan Newhouse (R-WA), & Jimmy Panetta (D-CA)

The Potential• Salesoforganicfoodhavedoubledinthelast10

yearstoover$43billionannually• Organicfarmsare35%moreprofitablethanthe

averagefarm• Consumerdemandfororganicproductscontinuesto

grow

The Problem• Demandfororganicfoodexceedsdomesticproduction,a

missedopportunityforfarmers• Thereareseveralorganicresearchgapsinareaslikeweed

control,soilhealth,andfertilitymethods• Researchfundinghasn’tkeptupwithgrowthinorganic

marketandmanyneedsaregoingunmet

A Solution • TheOrganicAgricultureReseachAct(OARA)increases

fundingforUSDA’sflagshiporganicresearchprogram,theOrganicResearchandExtensionInititative,to$50millionannually

• OREIsupportsappliedresearchprojectsthatsolveproblemsandhelpfarmersbecomemoreproductive,efficientandprofitable

• OARAiswidelysupported

ViaOrganicTradeAssocation

Statements of Support for Organic Agriculture Research Act

Laura Batcha, Executive Director and CEO, Organic Trade Association“Robustfundingforagricultureresearchiscriticalfortheadvancementoforganic,andweapplaudCongresswomanPingree,CongressmanNewhouse,andCongressmanPanettafortheireffortstosecureadditionalresourcesforUSDA’sflagshipresearchprogramfororganicagriculture.Thefutureoforganicfarmers’successistiedtodiscoveringneworganiccropvarieties,devel-opingbreakthroughsinpestandweedcontrol,croprotation,andthedevelopmentofeffectiveandcompliantfarminputs.TheOrganicResearchActof2017investsinthefutureoforganicfarmingbyensuringthattheresearchkeepsupwiththeburgeoningindustry.”

(Statementscontinuedonnextpage)

More information available at www.pingree.house.gov/oara

Roger Johnson, President, National Farmers Union“Astheorganicindustrycontinuestogrowatanextraordinarypace,we’veseenalaginsufficientresearchonorganicfarm-ingsystems.Researchonorganicproductionsystemstendstobenefitalloffamilyfarmagriculturebyadvancingcropandseedsystems,aswellasanimalgenotypesandbreeds.Assuch,NFUfullysupportsthisincreaseinfundingfortheOrganicAgricul-tureResearchandExtensionInitiative(OREI)toprovideproducerswiththeresearchandinnovationtheyneedtooptimizetheirfarmingpractices.” Greg Fogel, Policy Director, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition“TheagriculturalresearchsupportedbytheOrganicAgricultureResearchandExtensionInitiativeensuresthatournation’sor-ganicfarmershavetrustworthyandtestedsolutionsfortheissuestheyfaceeverydayinthefield.Astheorganicmarketcontin-uestogrow,Americawillneedtoscaleupbothproductionandresearchinvestmentinordertoensurethatfamilyfarmerscanmeetconsumerdemand.TheNationalSustainableAgricultureCoalitionapplaudsCongressMembersPingree,Newhouse,andPanettafortheirleadershipincallingforamuchneededexpansionofsupportfororganicresearchinthe2018FarmBill.”

Mike Lavender, Senior Washington Representative, Union of Concerned Scientists“TheOrganicResearchExtensionInitiative(OREI)fundssomeofthemosteffectivefederalagriculturalresearch,especiallyaroundecologically-drivenpracticesthathavebeenfoundtobothprotectournaturalresourcesandmaintainfarmerprofits.Farmersofallkinds,andthecommunitiessurroundingthem,benefitfromtheadoptionofagroecologicalpracticesthatboostsoilhealthandprotectourdrinkingwater.It’scriticalthenextfarmbillincreasessupportforOREIandotherprogramsthatapplysci-encetoensurethelong-termviabilityoffarms.WethankRepresentativesPingree,Panetta,&Newhousefortheirleadership.”

Abby Youngblood, Executive Director, National Organic Coalition“ThemembersoftheNationalOrganicCoalitionwholeheartedlyendorsetheOrganicAgricultureResearchAct,andthankCongresswomanPingreeandCongressmenNewhouseandPanettafortheirleadershipinintroducingit.Thisisacriticalpieceoflegislationatacriticaltime.Asconsumerdemandfororganiccontinuestoskyrocket,ourdomesticproductionoforganicfoodandfiberisgrowingatamuchslowerpace,forcingustorelyonmoreimportstomeetthatdemand.Morefundingfororganicresearchisoneofthecriticaltoolsneededtohelpaddressproductionchallengesfacedbyorganicfarmers,sothatwecanbet-termeetdemandwithcropsandproductsgrownhereintheUnitedStates.Theeconomicandenvironmentbenefitsoforganicagriculturearemany,solet’sdowhat’snecessarytokeepthatproductionandthosebenefitshereathome.Arobustcommitmenttoorganicresearchiskeytothatgoal.”

Brise Tencer, Executive Director, Organic Farming Research Foundation “Sinceitsinception,OREIhasdevelopedasubstantialbodyofresearch-basedinformationandtoolstosupportthesuccessoforganicfarmersacrossAmerica.Atatimewhenthedemandfororganicfoodisincreasing,itiscriticalthatwecontinuefundingtheresearchneededtoensurethecontinuedgrowthoftheorganicsector.”

Ted Quaday, Executive Director, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association“Astrongcommitmenttoorganicresearchbenefitsourfarmers,ourhealth,theenvironmentandlocaleconomies.TheMaineOrganicFarmersandGardenersAssociationapplaudsCongresswomanPingreeforleadingtheefforttoanswerthiscrucialagri-culturalneed.”

Jim Gerritsen, Maine organic seed farmer and president of the national farmer-controlled membership organization, Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGATA)“Fromahistoricalperspective,agriculturalprogresshasbeentheharvestfromsocietalinvestmentinagriculturalresearch.Inorderfororganicfarmingtoprosper,itmustreceiveitsfairshareofresearchfunding.Thisvisionarybillrepresentsamajorstepforwardinsecuringcriticallyneededresearchfundswhichwillinsurethecontinuedgrowthandsuccessoforganicfarming.”

Britt Lundgren, Director of Organic and Sustainable Agriculture, Stonyfield “Researchiscriticalforadvancingtheproductivityandsustainabilityoforganicagriculture,butforfartoolongorganicresearchhasbeenunder-fundedcomparedwiththerestofagriculture.RepresentativePingree’sbillwillensurethatorganicagriculturere-ceivesafairportionoffederalagricultureresearchfunding.ThiswillbetterpositionUSfarmerstotakeadvantageoftherapidlygrowingdemandfororganicfoodandfiber.”

More Statements of Support for Organic Agriculture Research Act

More information available at www.pingree.house.gov/oara

Dr. Jessica Shade, Director of Science Program, The Organic Center“TheOrganicCenteristhrilledtoseetheseriousinvestmentinorganicresearchandapplaudsCongresswomanPingree,Congress-manNewhouse,andCongressmanPanettafortheirefforts.TheOrganicResearchandExtensionInitiative(OREI),organic’spremiercompetitivegrantsresearchprogram,hasspawnedanewcommunityofscientistsandinfrastructurededicatedtoorganicsystemsresearchsinceitwasestablishedin2002.TheOrganicResearchActof2017willsecurelong-terminvestmentinthesci-enceoforganicfarmingessentialforthecontinuedsuccessoffarmers.”

Kristina Hubbard, Director of Advocacy, Organic Seed Alliance“FundingprovidedthroughtheOrganicResearchandExtensionInitiativeisfundamentaltothesuccessoforganicfarmersandthemarketstheyserve.ThereturnonOREIinvestmentsinthewayoforganicplantbreedingandotherorganicseedresearchhasbeenenormous,includingnewplantvarietiesthatperformespeciallywellinorganicproductionsystems.Organicfarmersproducefooddifferently,andthatmeanstheyneeddifferentseedforthecropstheygrow–seeddevelopedtothrivewithoutsyntheticfertilizersandpesticides,andadaptedtotheirlocalclimateandsoilconditions.WeapplaudCongresswomanPingreeforherleadershipinlegislativeactionthataimstoexpandsupportforthefastestgrowingsectorofourfoodindustry.Thepotentialtogrowtheorganicindustryforthebenefitoffarmers,ruralcommunities,andthecommunitiestheyfeedisnothingshortofremarkable,butthatgrowthrequiresanincreasedinvestmentinresearch.”

Chris Schreiner, Executive Director, Oregon Tilth“Werecentlysurveyedover600farmerstransitioningtoorganicacrosstheUnitedStates.Theyidentifiedweedmanagementasamajorobstacleandrankedinformationonweed,pest,anddiseasemanagementasthetopresourceneededduringtransition.Pub-licinvestmentinresearchingorganicpracticescanfillthisknowledgegapandhelpfarmersovercomeobstacles.”

Harriet Behar, Senior Organic Specialist, Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service“TheMidwestOrganicandSustainableEducationService(MOSES)interactswiththousandsoforganicandnonorganicfarmerseveryyearthrougheducationaleventsandpublications.Wehearfromtheseconstituentsthattheyneedmoreresearchintolowinputfarmingmethodstobuildlongtermresiliencyforboththeirfarm’sproductioncapabilitiesandtheireconomicbottomline.Organicagriculturalresearchoffersnumerousbenefitstothenation’sfarmingcommunityaswellasconsumersbyprovidingenvi-ronmentallybeneficialsolutionstoproductionchallengeswhichresultinabundant,domesticallyproduced,healthyfoods.”

Marty Mesh, Executive Director, Florida Organic Growers“FloridaCertifiedOrganicGrowersandConsumers,Inc(FOG)firmlybacksanincreaseinsupportforappliedresearchthatwill,firstandforemost,developpracticalsolutionsandtoolsfortheburgeoningorganicagriculturesectorintheU.S.WebelievethisbillwillbenefitexistingorganicfarmersinFlorida,thosegrowinginothersubtropicalandtropicalclimatesalongtheGulfCoast,andalsoasignificantnumberofgrowerswhoindicateadesiretotransitiontoorganicpracticesbutdemandmoreresearchinordertodoso.Whatwealsoapplaudinthisbillistheexpectedbenefitsforgrowersofallsizes,fromsmall,independentfarm-erstomorelarge-scaleenterprisesthatareequallydedicatedtoourvisionforanorganicagriculturesectorthat’sdata-drivenandresearch-based.”

Organic Valley | CROPP Cooperative“OrganicValleystronglysupportsthisbillwhichfocusesresourcesonorganicagricultureresearch.Inworkingwith2,000farm-ersacrossthecountry,fromMainetoWashington,wecantestifytotheuniqueproductionchallengefarmersface,beitthetypeofcropsandlivestocktheyraiseorvariabilityseenacrossregions.Thededicatedresourcesinthebillcanhelpfarmerstacklethosechallengesandbecomemoreefficient,boostingon-farmproductivityandcreatingeconomicprogressandstability-thatisgoodfororganicfarmers,goodforruralcommunitiesandgoodforournation.”

More Statements of Support for Organic Agriculture Research Act

More information available at www.pingree.house.gov/oara