Strengthening Organic Agriculture Research (SOAR) Act

What it does

If passed by Congress, the Strengthening Organic Agriculture Research (SOAR) Act would increase funding for the USDA’s flagship organic research program and support applied research projects that solve critical problems and help farmers become more productive, efficient and profitable. This bill aims to increase the resilience of U.S. agriculture, create economic opportunity for producers, and result in improved ecological vitality of the landscape. Specifically, the bill would:

• Bolster the funding for the Organic Research and Extension Initiative.
• Provide Congressional authorization and direction for the Researching the Transition to Organic Program. 
• Bolster funding for the Organic Production and Market Data Initiative (ODI).
• Direct the Economic Research Service to conduct a full, systematic evaluation of the economic impact organic agriculture has on rural and urban communities, taking into account economic, ecological, and social factors.

Read a summary of the bill and how it can help U.S. agriculture transition to organic.

Who supports this bill?

The Strengthening Organic Agriculture Research (SOAR) Act is a bipartisan bill, which means it has some support among both Democrats and Republicans. Representatives Dan Newhouse, Chellie Pingree and Jimmy Panetta introduced the bill. In the House, this bill is referred to as H.R.2720 and these Representatives are already supporting the bill. In the Senate, a similar bill titled the Organic Science and Research Investment Act has been introduced by Senator John Fetterman. The Senate bill is known as S. 2317 and these Senators are already supporting the bill.

The bill is endorsed by Organic Farming Research Foundation and National Organic Coalition among other grassroots organic farming organizations.

Want to support this bill?

If your Senators and House Representative aren’t already on the list of cosponsors for the bill:

• Ask your House Representative to “cosponsor the Strengthening Organic Agriculture Research (SOAR) Act, H.R. 2720.”
• Ask your Senators to “cosponsor the Organic Science and Research Investment Act, S. 2317."

If your elected officials are already supporting the Strengthening Organic Agriculture Research (SOAR) Act or Organic Science and Research Investment Act, you can always contact them to thank them and help spread the word among your networks.

Resources

If you’d like to learn more about the Strengthening Organic Agriculture Research Act and Organic Science and Research Investment Act, you can:

• Find instructions for calling or writing your Representative and Senators (tip: enter your address)
• Track the bill’s progress on Congress.gov or GovTrack
• Learn why lawmakers support this bill (Representative Newhouse’s press release)
• Read the full bill text

See more bills worthy of your support in the 2023 Farm Bill.