I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3650 
To amend the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to expand 
the national organic certification cost-share program into a comprehen-
sive opportunities in organic program, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 24, 2023 
Mr. PANETTA (for himself, Ms. ADAMS, Ms. LOFGREN, Ms. BONAMICI, Ms. 
PINGREE, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. MCGOVERN, and Ms. SALINAS) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture 
A BILL 
To amend the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act 
of 2002 to expand the national organic certification cost- 
share program into a comprehensive opportunities in or-
ganic program, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Opportunities in Or-
ganic Act of 2023’’. 
SEC. 2. OPPORTUNITIES IN ORGANIC PROGRAM. 
Section 10606 of the Farm Security and Rural In-
vestment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 6523) is amended— 
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(1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘NA-
TIONAL
ORGANIC
CERTIFICATION
COST- 
SHARE’’ and inserting ‘‘OPPORTUNITIES IN OR-
GANIC’’; 
(2) in subsection (a)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘national organic certifi-
cation cost-share program to assist’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘opportunities in organic program to— 
‘‘(1) assist’’; 
(B) by striking the period at the end and 
inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) provide support and technical assistance 
for transition to organic and organic management.’’; 
(3) by striking subsection (b); 
(4) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as 
subsections (e) and (f), respectively; 
(5) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(b) FEDERAL
ORGANIC
CERTIFICATION
COST 
SHARE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 
the Secretary shall make payments to producers and 
handlers to reimburse such producers or handlers 
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costs are not a barrier to organic produc-
tion. 
‘‘(c) TRANSITION AND RESILIENCE FUNDING.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 
funding to eligible nonprofit organizations for any of 
the purposes specified in paragraphs (2), (3), and 
(4). 
‘‘(2) CAPACITY BUILDING.—The purposes speci-
fied in this paragraph are staffing, materials, activi-
ties, and partnerships (such as with smaller non-
profit organizations) that support transition to or-
ganic and resilience of certified organic farms, in-
cluding the following: 
‘‘(A) Recruitment of producers to begin 
transition to organic. 
‘‘(B) Translation and communication sup-
port, including the development of simple and 
culturally appropriate materials to increase un-
derstanding of the practices and processes re-
quired to become certified under the Organic 
Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6501 
et seq.). 
‘‘(C) Assistance with applications, compli-
ance, recordkeeping, and other aspects of the 
organic certification process under such Act. 
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‘‘(D) Financial, business, and farm plan-
ning. 
‘‘(E) Support for fair contracting. 
‘‘(F) Technical assistance with soil build-
ing, pest management, and other practices. 
‘‘(G) Providing training on organic certifi-
cation requirements and organic management 
to agricultural advisors and consultants, includ-
ing agronomists, crop advisors, pest control ad-
visors, extension agents, farm consultants, and 
other technical service providers. 
‘‘(H) Facilitating paid mentor-mentee rela-
tionships between organic producers and pro-
ducers in transition to organic, including sti-
pends for all participants and training to sup-
port effective mentorship. 
‘‘(I) Assisting producers with accessing re-
sources and funding, including conservation 
programs, risk management tools, and organic 
support and research programs. 
‘‘(J) Establishing or expanding coopera-
tives, organic grower groups, certified organic 
processing, storage, distribution facilities and 
equipment, food hubs, food security and sov-
ereignty 
programs, 
organic-compliant 
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composting 
services, 
and 
other 
regional 
foodshed and supply chain infrastructure. 
‘‘(K) On-farm research, including moni-
toring biodiversity, air, and water quality, 
measuring changes in soil organic carbon and 
indicators of soil health, developing regionally 
adapted seeds and breeds, and trialing and doc-
umenting effectiveness of holistic approaches to 
pest, weed, and disease control. 
‘‘(L) Recruiting and training organic cer-
tification staff and inspectors, with an emphasis 
on expanding opportunities for socially dis-
advantaged farmers and ranchers and increas-
ing diversity in the certification process. 
‘‘(M) Increasing access to land for socially 
disadvantaged farmers and ranchers and small- 
and mid-sized farms and ranches and pro-
moting long-term organic management (such as 
purchases of land for incubator projects, pro-
moting and supporting lease-to-own contracts, 
resolving heirs property issues, and establishing 
easements that facilitate long-term organic 
stewardship). 
‘‘(N) Hosting or supporting regional 
convenings, conferences, farmer-led trainings, 
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field days, teach-ins, and other educational op-
portunities focused on organic production. 
‘‘(O) Establishing infrastructure for inter- 
farmer skills share and exchanges, including 
virtual forums. 
‘‘(3) 
PRODUCER
TRANSITION
AND
RESIL-
IENCE.—The purpose specified in this paragraph is 
to provide one-time, 4-year, transition and resilience 
funding to socially disadvantaged farmers or ranch-
ers or small or mid-sized farms or ranches to offset 
costs of, and reduce barriers to, becoming or ex-
panding a certified organic farm, including through 
the following: 
‘‘(A) Creating or expanding an organic 
system plan (as defined in section 205.2 of title 
7, Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on 
the date of the enactment of the Opportunities 
in Organic Act of 2023), including the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(i) Completing organic certification 
documents, planning, and recordkeeping. 
‘‘(ii) Developing a plan to build soil 
health. 
‘‘(B) Adopting, improving, or expanding 
organic management, including: 
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‘‘(i) Eliminating use of synthetic pes-
ticides, synthetic fertilizers, or antibiotics. 
‘‘(ii) Cover cropping, crop rotation, or 
rotational grazing. 
‘‘(iii) Production and use of compost 
and manure (including purchasing tools, 
supplies, or storage). 
‘‘(iv) Sourcing or producing organic 
seed and feed. 
‘‘(v) Hedgerow and ecosystem en-
hancement planting and design. 
‘‘(vi) Purchasing supplies for inter-
cropping and polycropping or other special-
ized equipment. 
‘‘(vii) Supporting beneficial predators, 
pollinator habitats, erosion prevention, or 
watershed restoration. 
‘‘(C) Costs associated with processing, 
storage, and distribution equipment and facili-
ties. 
‘‘(D) Carrying out on-farm research to 
monitor and document the impacts of transition 
to organic, including in partnership with an-
other entity. 
‘‘(E) Soil testing. 
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‘‘(F) Debt relief to improve access to cap-
ital and financial stability. 
‘‘(G) Forming a cooperative or farmer-to- 
farmer network. 
‘‘(H) Training to become an organic in-
spector to expand revenue and regional inspec-
tion capacity. 
‘‘(I) Covering costs associated with over-
coming barriers to land access, including pay-
ments to secure longer leases and to cover costs 
associated with— 
‘‘(i) accessing land that has not been 
treated with materials prohibited for use 
on a certified organic farm; or 
‘‘(ii) transitioning land to organic 
management. 
‘‘(J) Covering labor costs, including im-
provements to workplace safety, compensation, 
professional development, and staff training on 
organic transition implementation. 
‘‘(K) Improving food safety practices and 
obtaining related certifications. 
‘‘(L) Providing or participating in organic 
agriculture educational opportunities. 
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‘‘(M) Replacing foregone income during 
transition to organic due to short-term changes 
in yield and limited market options. 
‘‘(N) Construction or improvement of 
housing for apprentices, trainees, or volunteers 
or other on-farm infrastructure. 
‘‘(O) Financial, business, and farm plan-
ning. 
‘‘(4) ORGANIC SUPPLY CHAIN.—The purposes 
specified in this paragraph are to provide funding to 
other entities— 
‘‘(A) to strengthen organic capacity or ex-
pand access to certified organic handling oper-
ations, including— 
‘‘(i) constructing, expanding, or im-
proving access to a certified organic han-
dling operation; 
‘‘(ii) 
purchasing 
farm 
equipment, 
value added supplies, and other materials 
that improve market access; and 
‘‘(iii) pursuing organic certification 
for an existing handling operation; and 
‘‘(B) to strengthen opportunities in organic 
production for socially disadvantaged farmers 
or ranchers, small or mid-sized farms or 
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ranches, or vulnerable agricultural regions 
(such as farms near schools, childcare pro-
viders, residential areas, sensitive ecosystems) 
or under-resourced agricultural regions. 
‘‘(5) MEETINGS.—An eligible nonprofit organi-
zation that receives funds under this subsection 
shall— 
‘‘(A) communicate not less than once per 
calendar quarter with each entity awarded 
funding for the purposes specified in para-
graphs (3) and (4) to— 
‘‘(i) monitor progress with respect to 
transition to organic and organic supply 
chain development; 
‘‘(ii) address the improvement to, and 
impact of, the transition to organic produc-
tion, including observed changes in bio-
diversity, soil health, pests, weeds, and dis-
ease occurrence, crop yield, and resilience; 
‘‘(iii) 
address 
challenges 
in 
transitioning to organic and program par-
ticipation; 
‘‘(iv) consider market opportunities 
for organic products and the adoption of 
additional practices that reduce the use of 
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synthetic chemicals and foster soil fertility; 
and 
‘‘(v) explore opportunities for coordi-
nated farm team meetings with staff from 
relevant agencies and other organizations, 
to streamline agricultural assistance and 
improve farm viability, while increasing 
adoption of on-farm conservation practices; 
and 
‘‘(B) meet not less than once per year with 
staff of the Department of Agriculture (as de-
termined by the Secretary) for the duration of 
the funding period to discuss program partici-
pation and impacts, demographics and scale of 
participants, transition success rates, market 
opportunities, research results, and challenges 
identified. 
‘‘(d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall in-
crease regional resources to support organic manage-
ment, including technical assistance, outreach, sup-
ply chain coordination, and activities specified in 
paragraph (2), through expanded organic-related ca-
pacity and partnerships at— 
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‘‘(A) the Department of Agriculture, in-
cluding within the Agricultural Marketing Serv-
ice, the Farm Service Agency, the Natural Re-
sources Conservation Service, the Risk Manage-
ment Agency, the offices under the Undersecre-
tary of Rural Development, the Food and Nu-
trition Service, and climate hubs, with an em-
phasis on local and regional offices; 
‘‘(B) universities and educational institu-
tions, with an emphasis on institutions serving 
socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers; 
‘‘(C) the cooperative extension programs of 
the Secretary, including the federally recognized 
Tribes extension program under section 3(d) of 
the Smith-Lever Act (7 U.S.C. 343(d)); 
‘‘(D) State, regional, and Tribal depart-
ments of agriculture; and 
‘‘(E) eligible nonprofit organizations. 
‘‘(2) ACTIVITIES.—Activities specified in this 
paragraph include— 
‘‘(A) providing regional education sessions 
on organic management; 
‘‘(B) 
developing 
regionally-tailored 
re-
sources, technical assistance programs, and 
teaching farms for organic producers and pro-
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ducers in transition to organic, including tools 
to promote and facilitate participation of so-
cially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers and 
small- and mid-sized farms and ranches in or-
ganic and complementary support programs; 
‘‘(C) conducting ongoing outreach to, and 
needs assessment of, producers in transition to 
organic to identify barriers to organic produc-
tion and mechanisms to address such barriers; 
‘‘(D) identifying priority locations to pro-
mote transition to organic, including near 
schools and childcare providers, residential 
areas, and sensitive ecosystems; 
‘‘(E) developing organic supply chain and 
infrastructure; 
‘‘(F) expanding organic and local supply 
chains and market opportunities, including es-
tablishing channels for producers to offer prod-
ucts to institutional buyers and supporting pur-
chases through nutrition programs; and 
‘‘(G) advancing food waste reduction strat-
egies that support producer income and soil 
health, including— 
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‘‘(i) closed-loop programs that connect 
community composting and food scrap col-
lection operations with farms; and 
‘‘(ii) coordination to maximize use of 
farm products, composting, and waste re-
duction;’’; 
(6) in subsection (e), as so redesignated— 
(A) by striking ‘‘including the’’ and insert-
ing the following: ‘‘including— 
‘‘(1) the’’; 
(B) by striking the period at the end and 
inserting a semicolon; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) the demographics, acreage, and sales of 
producer participants, aggregated by region; 
‘‘(3) the number of producers and handlers that 
received support from the program in the previous 
fiscal year who— 
‘‘(A) began transition to organic; and 
‘‘(B) achieved new organic certification; 
‘‘(4) any barriers to achieving organic certifi-
cation; 
‘‘(5) the transition activities carried out by eli-
gible nonprofit organizations and the measures of 
success of such activities; 
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‘‘(6) research findings and best practices to 
support transition to organic; 
‘‘(7) changes in organic-relevant capacity at 
public institutions and eligible nonprofit organiza-
tions; and 
‘‘(8) changes in availability of organic-relevant 
technical assistance.’’; 
(7) in subsection (f)(1), as so redesignated, by 
striking subparagraphs (A) through (C) and insert-
ing the following: 
‘‘(A) $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2024 and 2025; 
‘‘(B) $80,000,000 for fiscal year 2026; and 
‘‘(C) $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2027 and 2028.’’; and 
(8) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) SOCIALLY
DISADVANTAGED
FARMER
OR 
RANCHER; SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED GROUP.—The 
terms ‘socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher’ and 
‘socially disadvantaged group’ have the meanings 
given those terms in section 2501(a) of the Food, 
Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 
U.S.C. 2279(a)). 
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‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE
NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATION.— 
The term ‘eligible nonprofit organization’ means a 
nonprofit organization (as defined in section 1619(b) 
of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade 
Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5801(b)) that primarily 
serves at least one of the following: 
‘‘(A) Socially disadvantaged farmers and 
ranchers. 
‘‘(B) Organic producers and handlers. 
‘‘(C) One or more vulnerable (e.g., farms 
near schools, childcare providers, residential 
areas, sensitive ecosystems) or under-resourced 
agricultural regions. 
‘‘(D) Smaller nonprofit organizations that 
primarily serve (A), (B), or (C). 
‘‘(3) ORGANIC.—The term ‘organic’ has the 
meaning given such term in section 205.2 of title 7, 
Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regula-
tions). 
‘‘(4) CERTIFIED
ORGANIC
FARM.—The term 
‘certified organic farm’ has the meaning given that 
term in section 2103 of Food, Agriculture, Con-
servation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6502). 
‘‘(5) CERTIFIED
ORGANIC
HANDLING
OPER-
ATION.—The term ‘certified organic handling oper-
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ation’ has the meaning given that term in section 
2103 of Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade 
Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6502). 
‘‘(6) TRANSITION
TO
ORGANIC.—The term 
‘transition to organic’ means carrying out the steps 
required to become a certified organic farm.’’. 
Æ 
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