Bill Proposes Major Funding Boost for Organic Farming Research, Creates New Coordination Initiative and Transition Grants

This bill, the "Organic Science and Research Investment Act of 2025," aims to seriously ramp up support for organic agriculture across the board. It sets up a new central body to coordinate organic research efforts within the USDA and significantly increases funding for existing programs, while also creating new grants specifically to help conventional farms make the switch to organic.

Getting Organic Research on the Same Page

First up, the bill establishes a new "Coordinating and Expanding Organic Research Initiative" (Sec 2). Think of this as mission control for organic research within the government. Its job is to bring together different USDA agencies—like the research services and statistics service—to make sure everyone's working together efficiently. This new Initiative, run by a board of 12-18 appointed members, will review ongoing research, map out future needs, and report back to the Secretary of Agriculture every few years on how to improve research effectiveness and data collection for both organic and transitioning farmers. They'll be required to consult with groups like the National Organic Standards Board, universities, and farmers themselves.

More Cash and Scope for Organic Know-How

The legislation extends the existing Organic Research and Extension Initiative through 2030 and gives it a hefty funding increase, starting at $60 million for fiscal year 2026 and rising to $100 million by 2030 and each year after (Sec 3). It also broadens the scope of what this research covers. New focus areas include incorporating traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), finding organic-approved alternatives for substances potentially removed from the national list, and figuring out how organic practices can help farms adapt to and mitigate climate change. Projects involving TEK have specific requirements, needing leadership from Tribal Colleges or similar institutions and consent from relevant Indigenous groups.

Helping Farms Make the Leap

Recognizing that switching from conventional to organic farming isn't easy, the bill authorizes new competitive grants specifically for research, education, and extension activities focused on this transition (Sec 4). The goal is to tackle obstacles farmers face when converting, study the environmental benefits (like better soil health or reduced greenhouse gases), and develop tech to track these improvements. Funding starts at $10 million for 2026 and 2027, jumping to $20 million for 2028 and beyond. Proposals that partner directly with farmers or involve minority-serving institutions might get priority.

Crunching the Numbers on Organic Impact

Finally, the bill wants a clearer picture of organic farming's real-world economic effects (Sec 5). It directs the USDA's Economic Research Service to analyze how organic farming impacts things like local economies, jobs, environmental quality, and even land ownership, considering different farm sizes and regions. A plan for this analysis is due to Congress within a year, with the full report following within three years. Funding for these organic data initiatives is also boosted to $10 million annually through 2030. This data could give policymakers, farmers, and even consumers a better handle on the dollars-and-cents reality of the growing organic sector.