Title: Organic Farmers Access Act
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Organic Farmers Access Act
This bill amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act and the Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000 to expand the eligibility of organic farmers for assistance under Department of Agriculture (USDA) rural development grant and loan programs.
The bill authorizes additional assistance for certified organic farms and certified organic handling operations under USDA programs that provide: (1) rural business development grants, (2) loans and loan guarantees for locally or regionally produced agricultural food products, and (3) value-added agricultural product market development grants.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4671 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4671

 To assist and incentivize organic agriculture by expanding its access 
  to, and eligibility for, Federal rural development and agricultural 
                             loan programs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 18, 2017

 Mr. Duffy (for himself and Mr. Welch) introduced the following bill; 
           which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To assist and incentivize organic agriculture by expanding its access 
  to, and eligibility for, Federal rural development and agricultural 
                             loan programs.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Organic Farmers Access Act''.

SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF ACCESS OF ORGANIC AGRICULTURE TO, AND ELIGIBILITY 
              OF ORGANIC AGRICULTURE FOR, FEDERAL RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND 
              AGRICULTURAL LOAN PROGRAMS.

    (a) Rural Business Development Grants.--Section 310B(c)(3) of the 
Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(c)(3)) is 
amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (A)--
                    (A) in clause (iv), by striking ``and'' at the end; 
                and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(vi) expand access to capital, 
                        infrastructure and technical expertise for, and 
                        expand market connections between certified 
                        organic farms (as defined in section 2103(4) of 
                        the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990) and 
                        certified organic handling operations (as 
                        defined in section 2103(5) of such Act); and''; 
                        and
            (2) in subparagraph (B)--
                    (A) in clause (iii), by striking ``and'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) in clause (iv), by striking the period and 
                inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(v) expanded access to capital, 
                        infrastructure and technical expertise for, and 
                        market connections between, certified organic 
                        farms (as defined in section 2103(4) of the 
                        Organic Foods Production Act of 1990) and 
                        certified organic handling operations (as 
                        defined in section 2103(5) of such Act).''.
    (b) Locally and Regionally Produced Agricultural Food Products.--
Section 310B(g)(9)(B)(iii) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(g)(9)(B)(iii)) is amended by inserting 
``, or certified organic farms (as defined in section 2103(4) of the 
Organic Foods Production Act of 1990) or certified organic handling 
operations (as defined in section 2103(5) of such Act)'' before the 
period.
    (c) Value-Added Agricultural Product Market Development Grants.--
Section 231(b)(6)(A) of the Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000 (7 
U.S.C. 1632a(b)(6)(A)) is amended--
            (1) in clause (iii), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in clause (iv), by striking the period and inserting 
        ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(v) certified organic farms (as defined 
                        in section 2103(4) of the Organic Foods 
                        Production Act of 1990) or certified organic 
                        handling operations (as defined in section 
                        2103(5) of such Act).''.
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