WASHINGTON, DC – PA Democrat U.S. Sen. John Fetterman and Republican Indiana U.S. Sen. Mike Braun have introduced bipartisan legislation which would provide much needed support to the organic farming industry‚ both through protecting funding for research agencies and universities and ensuring organics research is prioritized at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Streamlining Organic Research Act will require USDA’s research agencies to better coordinate on organic research and extension, ensuring that the USDA considers organic research priorities in its budget justification to Congress and studies the feasibility of certifying more research land as organic. The bill will also maintain funding for the USDA’s Organic Research and Extension Initiative, which supplies grants to universities and other research institutions for organics research and has provided nearly $5 million for organics research at Penn State University alone over the past two years. PA ranks fourth in the nation by number of certified organic farms with over 1,125. In 2021 alone, farms in PA produced and sold $1.09 billion in organic commodities.
SEN. MIKE BRAUN
SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN