This bill, the Opening Programs to Organic Farms Act, directs the Secretary of Agriculture to study and report on barriers that certified organic farms and farms that may want to transition to organic production face when trying to use Department of Agriculture programs. The Secretary must send the report to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the House Committee on Agriculture and post it on the Department website within 180 days after the bill becomes law.
The required report must include: a review of barriers across USDA programs (including conservation, credit, disaster assistance, risk management, export promotion, market development, technical assistance, rural development, data collection, procurement, and organic certification cost-share); participation data where practicable (for example, application and approval rates, funding levels, geographic distribution, farm size, and reasons for denial or nonparticipation); a detailed assessment of specific barriers (such as eligibility rules, payment rates, ranking criteria, application forms, recordkeeping, crop insurance price elections, disaster assistance valuation, conservation standards, certification paperwork, supply-chain infrastructure, staff organic literacy, and data gaps); an assessment of the need for organic-specific training and technical assistance for field staff across relevant USDA agencies (including FSA, NRCS, RMA, Rural Development, and the Foreign Agricultural Service); a description of administrative actions the Secretary intends to take; and any recommendations for statutory changes.
After the initial report, the Secretary must provide annual updates for the next three years describing progress, administrative actions completed or underway, remaining barriers, and any new statutory recommendations.
If you run a certified organic farm or are considering transitioning to organic production, this bill would require USDA to identify and report barriers you face when trying to use USDA programs. The report and yearly updates would be publicly available and sent to the named congressional committees. The bill does not itself change program rules or provide direct assistance; it requires a study and possible recommendations for administrative or statutory changes.
No publicly available information. The bill text does not include cost estimates or specific funding or appropriations.
The bill was introduced in the Senate by Senators Adam Schiff and David McCormick. The bill text does not include statements of support or detailed sponsor arguments.
No publicly available information in the bill text about opposition or objections.