Reps. Panetta, Adams & Sen. Welch Reintroduce Bill to Reduce Barriers to Organic Agriculture in California

Washington, DC – U.S. Representatives Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) and Alma Adams (NC-12) were joined by U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) in reintroducing the Opportunities in Organic Act, legislation designed to help farmers and other agricultural producers transition to organic practices and build successful and sustainable businesses. The Senators’ legislation would help eliminate steep barriers farmers often face to enter the industry, including high certification costs and insufficient technical assistance from existing United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs.

“Despite the rising demand for organic agricultural products, some producers are finding it difficult take full advantage of these opportunities due to cost and skill barriers,” said Rep. Panetta. “I’m proud to author and introduce this legislation that would allow organic producers to overcome those barriers by streamlining reimbursements for organic certification and connecting them with the training, skills, and relationships they need to be successful. By expanding programming and services for these producers, we can ensure that our farmers are capitalizing on the immense opportunity that exists in the organic marketplace.”

“North Carolina farmers looking to join the quickly growing organic agriculture market face barriers that prevent them from fully participating in this opportunity,” said Rep. Adams. “The Opportunities in Organic Act would make it easier for farmers to bring healthy, sustainable food to market, assist small-scale and socially disadvantaged farmers with the transition, and provide much-needed technical assistance to producers. Farmers want to reach new markets while building healthy soil, ecosystems, and communities, and I’m proud to introduce this bill with Congressman Jimmy Panetta to deliver this opportunity for the agriculture community.”

“Organic production has huge benefits for our rural economies and our environment. But farmers can’t make the switch to organic practices without help,” said Senator Welch. “We need to make changes that better support folks looking to make the transition to organic—and thrive while they do so. This bill is a win for Vermont’s rural farmers and communities.”

Organic agriculture has a wide array of environmental and health benefits, including enhancing soil fertility and structure, which can boost crop yield and help reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. By reducing the use of fossil fuel-based fertilizers and toxic pesticides, organic farms further reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the health of farmers, farmworkers, and consumers who might otherwise be exposed to dangerous pesticides.  

Organic practices also make farms more resilient to extreme weather patterns and climate change, helping farms to simultaneously fight future climate change and increase their own resilience to the climate impacts we are already experiencing.    

The Opportunities in Organic Act helps mitigate challenges farmers and producers face when transitioning to organics by modernizing USDA’s reimbursements for organic certification and expanding the department’s available expertise for organic agriculture. Specifically, the bill would expand the existing National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program into a comprehensive Opportunities in Organic Program by: 

• Increasing USDA’s technical assistance for producers to advance organic practices;
• Making organic practices more accessible for agricultural producers from socially disadvantaged groups and underserved regions by increasing cost-share payments for organic certification and granting USDA flexibility to exceed current cost-share caps; and
• Providing additional support for non-governmental organizations working to help producers transition to organic practices. 

The Opportunities in Organic Act of 2026 is endorsed by the Agriculture & Land-Based Training Association (ALBA); Beyond Pesticides; California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF); Carolina Farm Stewardship Association; Environmental Working Group; Dr. Bronner’s; Family Farm Defenders; Farm Aid; Friends of the Earth; Greensward New Natives LLC; Green America; Kanalani Ohana Farm; Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association; Marbleseed; Michigan Organic Food & Farm Alliance; National Co+op Grocers; National Family Farm Coalition; National Organic Coalition; National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition; Natural Grocerse; New Entry Sustainable Farming Project; Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance; Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut (CT NOFA); Northeast Organic Farming Association of Massachusetts (NOFA-MA); Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Hampshire (NOFA-NH); Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY); Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT); Northeast Organic Farming Association – Interstate Council; Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Jersey (NOFA NJ); National Resources Defense Council (NRDC); Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association; OneCert, Inc.; Oregon Tilth; Organic Farmers Association; Organic Farming Research Foundation; Organic Seed Alliance; Organic Trade Association; Organically Grown Company; Quick Organics; Sierra Harvest; Slow Food USA;  Strengthening Organic Systems, LLC; The Cornucopia Institute; The Land Connection; Union of Concerned Scientists; University of Minnesota Student Organic Farm; Virginia Association for Biological Farming; the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation; and PCC Community Markets.

“Demand for organic food continues to grow at a rapid pace, but U.S. organic production is struggling to keep pace,” said Abby Youngblood, Executive Director, National Organic Coalition. “We need to reduce the barriers that farming operations face if we are going to meet this demand with U.S. organic production, instead of ceding those markets to organic imports. The Opportunities in Organic Act is a wise investment to help more operations build resiliency, steward healthy soil, and take advantage of the growing demand for organic food in the marketplace.” 

Find full text of the bill here. 

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