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House Approves Farm Bill, $300 Million-plus for Organic

More than $300 million was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives for programs benefiting organic agriculture as a part of the 2007 Farm Bill, according to Caren Wilcox, executive director of the Organic Trade Association.

WASHINGTON — More than $300 million was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives for programs benefiting organic agriculture as a part of the 2007 Farm Bill, according to Caren Wilcox, executive director of the Organic Trade Association. Key organic provisions in the Farm Bill, as passed by the House of Representatives, include: $50 million authorized for organic conversion, including technical and educational assistance; $22 million in mandatory funding for the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program; $3 million in mandatory funding for Organic Production and Market Data; $125 million for organic research; $100 million authorized for urban organic gardens and greenhouses operated by local residents growing produce sold to local grocery stores; and $5 million in mandatory funding for the Agricultural Management Assistance Program for organic certification. “In addition to the funding, the House of Representatives also directed the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation to provide equitable crop insurance to organic producers,” Wilcox said in a company release. “Currently, organic producers pay a 5% surcharge, and if losses occur, they are paid at the conventional, not the organic, price. The funding for research, data collection, technical assistance for farmers, and conversion and certification assistance, plus the insurance measures, are significant for the organic industry and will help organic producers continue to meet the growing demand by consumers for organic products.”

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