At a recent field day in California’s Salinas Valley, two members of Congress got a firsthand look at the critical organic farming research led by Eric Brennan at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service station.

Brennan’s research focuses on climate-smart and organic farming practices, particularly cover cropping and improved soil management, notes the Organic Farming Research Foundation, which organized the visit by Democratic U.S. Reps. Zoe Lofgren and Jimmy Panetta.

Field projects by Brennan and others have helped growers find practical, science-based solutions that boost their farms’ resilience, reduce environmental impacts and enhance sustainability, asserts the OFRF, which facilitates much of the research.

However, federal funding for research has remained stagnant for more than a decade, and the arrival of President-elect Donald Trump for a second White House term on Jan. 20 and stalled negotiations over a new farm bill have added uncertainty about the future of this funding.

“Whenever you have a change in administrations, there’s a change in priorities,” Brise Tencer, the executive director of OFRF, told Farm Press. “I think it’s just a time to be attentive, to make sure the new leadership understands the value of supporting organic agriculture.”

Related:Congress delivers farmer aid for Christmas

Promoting organic ag

Based in Santa Cruz, Calif., the OFRF has a team of representatives across the U.S. and works to promote widespread adoption of organic farming systems. The nonprofit foundation cultivates research, education and federal policy efforts to boost organic production, according to its website.

In mid-2024, the foundation announced it had entered a five-year cooperative agreement with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to boost organic businesses’ access to conservation programs. With $5 million in funding, the OFRF will work with Oregon Tilth and other regional groups, providing expertise and increasing awareness among producers of the technical and financial assistance available through USDA.

“Our goal is … to be able to increase organic producers’ ability to access programs that the NRCS provides,” Tencer told an audience at the Organic Grower Summit in December, where she led a panel discussion on regenerative organic practices.

Founded in 1990, the OFRF has worked through the years to boost support of programs such as the Organic Research and Extension Initiative, which awards grants for research on certified organic land, and the Organic Transitions Research Program, which helps develop alternatives to synthetic crop treatments.

Related:Policymakers tout support for organic future

But with Trump and congressional Republicans promising vast spending cuts, the OFRF anticipates a hostile funding environment in Washington, D.C., at least for the next two years. The organization points to recent budget proposals for fiscal 2025 by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, including a $3.5 million cut to the organic transition project. The program had $7.5 million in 2024.

RFK Jr. and a farm bill

One source of potential optimism for the organic industry is the “Make America Healthy Again” agenda espoused by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been nominated as U.S. Health and Human Services secretary. The former independent presidential candidate has voiced support for agricultural values that align with organic and regenerative organic production, noted Gordon Merrick, the OFRF’s senior policy and programs manager.

This alignment “opens up the possibility for strong bipartisan support for organic agriculture research,” Merrick wrote in a December essay on the 2025 political outlook. “Recent meetings OFRF staff have had with conservative members of Congress have revealed some exciting interest in organic agriculture. While we cannot rely on this support alone, it does represent an opportunity for expanding organic agriculture.”

California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross also cited the Kennedy slogan during a keynote speech at the Organic Grower Summit, suggesting that improving overall nutrition by promoting healthy farming practices could help achieve Kennedy’s goals.

“We spend $5 trillion a year on chronic diseases,” Ross said. “As much as 50% of that could be avoidable. It’s about healthy solutions.”

However, another source of budget uncertainty was the failure of Congress to agree on a new farm bill in 2024. Lawmakers punted the issue for another year, passing a one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill as part of a continuing resolution just before Christmas. The bill also included more than $20 billion in disaster aid for farmers.

“We would be eager to see a new farm bill passed so we can get funding for key programs,” Tencer told Farm Press.

More funding sought

Despite organic agriculture’s growing market share, less than 1% of ARS funding is allocated to organic research, which has limited innovation and support for producers, the OFRF complains. The foundation more than 20 years ago fought for funding to hire Brennan at the ARS lab in Salinas to focus exclusively on organics, and now it wants another $1.5 million annually to hire a second scientist to broaden the project’s scope.

At the Salinas field day with Lofgren and Panetta in October, organic industry representatives made the following points, according to a release:

Resilience and climate adaptation: Investing in organic agriculture research builds resilience against climate change, providing regionally relevant solutions for organic management.

High return on investment: For every dollar spent on agricultural research, there is a $20 return to rural communities and local businesses.

National demand for organic products: Continued research is essential to closing the gap between domestic production and growing consumer demand for organic products, reducing reliance on imports.

“Dr. Brennan’s work has directly helped regional producers implement good soil health practices, advance climate-friendly agriculture, and dramatically increase the number of acres with cover crops in California,” Tencer said in a statement. “This is the type of research investment we want to see more of.”

For more information about the OFRF, visit ofrf.org.