The Farm Bill is an omnibus package of legislation that is renewed every five years. It sets the agenda for agriculture policy and spending for years to come and is critical to the success of the organic marketplace.
The organic industry is at a pivotal moment. As Congress works to advance a new Farm Bill, OTA is focused on three core priorities: expanding domestic production, reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens on farmers and producers, and strengthening the integrity of the organic label by cracking down on fraud.
Learn more about OTA's 2025 Farm Bill Priorities below.
The Domestic Organic Investment Act (DOIA) directs competitive USDA grants to farmers, processors, and businesses and supports expanding storage, processing and distribution capacity. The grant would also help businesses modernize manufacturing and information technology systems, better enabling them to meet organic certification standards and opening new markets for U.S. grown products currently supplied by imports.
DOIA addresses a core challenge facing the organic sector: strong and growing consumer demand is too often being met by imports rather than American producers. By investing in domestic infrastructure, DOIA reduces dependence on foreign supply chains and keeps organic production and businesses thriving in the U.S.
The legislation is cosponsored by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), reflecting bipartisan commitment to strengthening America's organic supply chain.
The current organic oversight system applies uniform requirements to all operations regardless of risk level — creating unnecessary costs and administrative burdens without improving organic integrity. Since 2020, certified organic operations in the U.S. have declined 10.4 percent for crop certifications and 6.2 percent for livestock certifications, with domestic production gaps increasingly filled by foreign producers.
The Risk-Based Oversight for Integrity Act directs USDA to modernize organic oversight by scaling requirements based on risk to organic integrity. The legislation maintains strong enforcement where risk is highest, while reducing unnecessary burdens on low-risk operations, cutting red tape, and keeping organic certification accessible for all farmers and producers. U.S.-based operations would be eligible for flexible, risk-based inspection schedules, while international operations would continue to face annual on-site inspections.
The bill was introduced by Representatives Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) and Andrea Salinas (D-OR).
The 2018 Farm Bill and the Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) rule were landmark steps forward for the USDA Organic program — but as SOE has been implemented, structural gaps in the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) have become clearer. These gaps are slowing enforcement, limiting certifier accountability, and making it harder for NOP to maintain consistent, efficient oversight across domestic and international supply chains.
OTA is advancing three targeted proposals to build on SOE’s progress. First, reforming the appeals process so that Administrator-level decisions to suspend or revoke certification are final agency actions, ending the ability of bad actors to retain certified status through years of lengthy proceedings. Second, requiring certifiers to obtain NOP authorization before operating in any new country, closing a gap that allows unqualified subcontractors to issue certificates abroad without USDA oversight. Third, mandating regular USDA review of organic equivalency arrangements and adding operation-level enforcement authority, ensuring trade access and program integrity move together.