Organic Farmers Matter
Three weeks ago the Organic Farmers Association hosted its annual Farmer Fly-in in Washington, D.C. where 31 certified organic farmers and representatives of organic organizations met with 51 Congressional offices, Committee Staff from the House and Senate Agriculture committees, and USDA staff from the National Organic Program.
These meetings were more important than ever as farmers face tremendous obstacles this year. These OFA members went to D.C. to tell leaders that:
USDA funding freezes are halting contracted farm improvement projects. Despite the headlines, many funds have not be released or distributed;
Emergency disaster recovery funds have been frozen for farmers recovering from last year's hurricanes making it hard to know if they can farm this year;
Local USDA NRCS and FSA offices have been closed leaving farmers without experts and resources to plan for the season;
Tariffs will hurt organic dairy and specialty crop producers who work with processors and buyers in Canada; and
Farm labor is a high concern for many farmers; H-2A farm worker visas have been halted in some instances
All of this was in addition to our members' legislative priorities for the next Farm Bill that we also must keep advocating for. And this is why we need your help right now.
Here's What to Do Now:
Let your members of Congress know farmers' contracts should be honored and to release frozen USDA funds immediately.
Donate to OFA so we can continue to inform Congress and the media how policies are impacting real organic farmers and what we need to get farmers back on their feet. Your donations also help OFA connect farmers to each other and identify solutions to the challenges they are facing right now.
Become a member or confirm you renewed your membership this year. The support of our members, both farmers and supporters, is what keeps OFA strong during uncertain times.
Your support helps strengthen organic farmers, but also protects our organic sector—a $70 billion U.S. market.
Here's What to Do Next:
Take (more) Action and urge your legislators (especially if they're newly elected!) to support organic in the Farm Bill.
Share Farmer Stories from OFA's quarterly magazine, The Organic Voice and browse past editions to learn more about organic topics.
Follow OFA on Facebook and LinkedIn to stay in the loop and be the first to hear about new Action Alerts.
While each day may bring more challenges for organic farmers, today each of us can choose to do one small thing today to show our support. Thank you for standing with us.
With gratitude,
Kate Mendenhall
OFA Executive Director &
Organic Farmer