Organic growers across the country may be receiving some much-needed assistance from Washington, D.C, during the coming months.
The Organic Science and Research Investment Act was introduced in early July by a group of senators representing the American Northwest, Northeast, and Midwest. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill farm bill. Once approved by Congress, the OSRI Act would provide support to the organic farming industry on a national level, often with help from the USDA.
Let’s get into specifics. The bill will expand funding for research agencies and programs like the Organic Agriculture Research and Education Initiative (OREI), the Organic Production and Market Data Initiative, and the National Institute for Food and Agriculture. It will encourage the USDA to take a bigger role in organic farming, too. Under the OSRI Act, the USDA will be tasked not only with cataloging the related organic research projects in the US — an effort that the bill has named the “Coordinating and Expanding Organic Research Initiative” — but also developing a plan to increase organically managed acreage from coast to coast.
Perhaps most importantly, the bill will create a national grant program to support growers as they transition their operation to organic production. That means that producers can still take advantage of the OSRI Act, even if they’ve spent years growing conventional food.
The timing couldn’t be better. After all, there’s been a growing demand for organic products in America, where the organic food market was worth $13 million in 2005. That number skyrocketed to $30 billion in 2012, then climbed past $56 billion in 2020. Today, organic food is the fastest growing sector in our country’s food industry. Organic growers have risen to the occasion, meeting public demand while also improving upon climate-friendly farming practices. The OSRI Act aims to help those growers reach a new level of resilience and resourcefulness.
If you’re looking to increase your own organic operation, you don’t need to wait for the lawmakers! Get a head start by visiting one of our supply centers, where we have the right tools and technicians you need.