Organic Farming Supports Health, the Environment & Local Economies. Tell Congress to Support Organic!

Organic farming is not just better for our health and the environment, it also has the power to revitalize rural economies.

By supporting organic agriculture, we can create jobs, raise incomes, and promote regenerative farming practices.

TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Regenerate Health, the Environment, and Rural Communities by Supporting Organic!

Organic agriculture has numerous benefits, including enhancing soil fertility, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and protecting the health of farmers, farmworkers, and consumers. Organic practices also make farms more resilient to extreme weather patterns and climate change.

Organic agriculture creates jobs and raises incomes. In fact, a study found that organic hotspots, which are counties with a high number of organic farms and businesses, tend to have lower poverty rates and higher median household incomes.

There are two bills that aim to support organic farmers: the Opportunities in Organic Act and the Organic Dairy Assistance, Investment, and Reporting Yields Act (O DAIRY) Act. These bills would provide assistance and incentives for organic farmers, including increased funding for organic certification and technical assistance.

Considering how effective organic agriculture is as an economic development tool, it’s surprising how little Congress and the USDA do to support it.

In 2018, the last year a proper Farm Bill was passed, of the $21 billion in annual farm program spending, organic’s share wasn’t even visible in a pie chart. At just about $180 million, the sliver is too small to see!

We need to let Congress know organic agriculture is vital to our future!

TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Regenerate Health, the Environment, and Rural Communities by Supporting Organic!

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*SAMPLE TEXT TO YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS*

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Dear [Member of Congress],

As our country's farming communities struggle with poor health and poverty, a clear solution emerges: organic farming.

I urge you to support the Opportunities in Organic Act and the Organic Dairy Assistance, Investment, and Reporting Yields (O DAIRY) Act, and to increase investments in federal programs that support organic infrastructure, such as the Organic Transition Initiative.

Conservation Stewardship Program funding should be increased, with a much larger share of this support going to organic farmers.

Farming communities face significant challenges, including pesticide and nitrate pollution, high cancer rates, poverty, and limited access to clean drinking water. The poverty rate in these communities is 13.5%, significantly higher than the nationwide rate of 11.1%, and the median household income is $62,250, which is well below the national median of $80,610.

The most disturbing statistics are that farmer suicide rates are 2-5 times higher than the national average, and farmworkers have a 32% higher risk of suicide than other rural workers.

The bright spots in U.S. agriculture are the counties with the most organic farms. They have lower poverty rates, higher median household incomes, cleaner drinking water, a healthier environment, and better physical and mental health outcomes.

Farm Bill programs should be directed towards organic agriculture, but the current Congress and USDA have been hostile to organic, consistently leaving it out of the ad hoc distributions of federal funds since the 2018 Farm Bill expired in 2023. In 2025, farmers were denied their Organic Certification Cost Share payments.

Given the benefits of organic farming, it’s time to turn this around and it's time to provide our organic farmers with the support they deserve.

I urge you to prioritize organic agriculture in Farm Bill programs and to increase funding for initiatives that support organic farmers.

By doing so, we can build a more resilient and sustainable food system that benefits both our communities and our environment.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

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