Bill · H.R. 9968· House(119-HR-9968)
Opening Programs to Organic Farms Act
- Introduced
- 7/27/2026
- Last activity
- 7/27/2026 — Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
- Sponsored by
- Andrew Ogles
- Cosponsors
- - 0 - 1
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The "Opening Programs to Organic Farms Act" directs the Secretary of Agriculture to investigate why certain farms struggle to participate in Department programs. This includes research into issues faced by certified organic farms and those looking to transition to organic production. The Secretary must submit a detailed report to specific Congressional committees and make it available to the public. This report must assess various barriers, provide participation data, and suggest administrative or statutory changes. For the first three years following the initial report, the Secretary must also provide annual updates on progress and remaining barriers.
Yes· 3 of 5
Would farmers be better off under this?+5
The bill seeks to identify and remove administrative and statutory barriers that hinder the participation of organic farmers in Department programs.
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?+4
The bill requires the Secretary to make a detailed report and annual updates publicly available on the Department's website.
Does this make it easier to run a small business?+3
The bill mandates a study to identify and remove barriers for organic farms, which are often small-scale operations, regarding credit, technical assistance, and rural development.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Increased Transparency: The Secretary is required to make the report publicly available on the Department's website (Section 2(b)), which allows the public to see what obstacles organic farmers are facing.
-
Identification of Program Barriers: The report will assess barriers in several areas, including conservation, credit, disaster assistance, risk management, export promotion, market development, technical assistance, and rural development (Section 2(c)(1)).
-
Data-Driven Insights: The report aims to include data on application rates, approval rates, denial rates, funding levels, farm size, and production type to help understand participation patterns (Section 2(c)(2)).
-
Addressing Specific Obstacles: The study will look into specific issues such as program eligibility, payment rates, application forms, recordkeeping requirements, and organic certification documentation (Section 2(c)(3)).
-
Improved Government Support: The report will assess the need for organic-specific training, guidance, and technical assistance for Department field staff across various agencies (Section 2(c)(4)).
-
Accountability through Updates: The requirement for annual updates for three years ensures that the Secretary continues to report on progress made or remaining barriers (Section 2(d)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No negative impacts are explicitly stated in the provided text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Farmers+5
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Environmental Protections+2Improves Rural Development+2
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+4
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Small Business Support+3
- 7/27/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in House
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Shontel BrownDemocrat · Ohio