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By Melody Meyer
While unexpected considering the political climate, Congress failed to come to an agreement on a new Farm Bill and has until December to pass a new one. If a new Farm Bill isn’t passed by December, many important organic programs will be left in limbo as we enter 2019.
Nearly all of the federal programs that organic producers and handlers depend on are funded in the Farm Bill. None of the organic programs have baseline funding so they must be reauthorized with each new Bill. If Congress fails to pass a new Farm Bill, the following programs will be jeopardy:
- The Certification Cost-Share Program which reimburses farmers for a portion of their certification fees up to $750.
- Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) which provides competitive grants for crucial research that addresses the challenges organic farmers and processors face.
- Organic Production and Market Data Initiative (ODI) that collects important data on markets, production trends and exports.
- The National Organic Program (NOP) is the agency within USDA that writes new regulations, oversees the certification process and performs enforcement for the organic community.
- Market Access Program (MAP) helps to expand organic exports into countries where organic demand is growing. In 2016, nearly $1 million in MAP funds were invested in the organic sector, which led to over $48 million in projected overseas sales opportunities for U.S. organic operations.
- Environmental Quality Incentives Programs (EQIP) and the Organic Initiative (OI) within EQIP. These conservation programs assist farmers with implementing organic practices, provide technical assistance during the transition period, and offset the financial costs of transitioning.
- The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program and the Farmers Market Promotion Program are widely utilized by organic producers. Both could see much of their work put on hold for the foreseeable future.
The authorization for many these programs has already been funded for the balance of the 2018 so the impact will not be immediate.
With Congress away, so nothing will happen until they return in December. At that time, they could pass a new bill, but it is very rare to pass a Farm Bill during a lame duck session - it’s only been done twice before.
In addition to the big issues like SNAP and commodity compensations, there isn’t agreement on many of the other titles in the House and Senate versions of the Bill. If they can’t come to an agreement they will have to extend the current Bill at which time many organic programs will lapse in 2019.
