Letter supporting farm bill orphan programs

Letter

Dear Chair Thompson, Ranking Member Scott, Chair Stabenow, and Ranking Member Boozman:

As you strive toward our shared goal of completing a new farm bill this year, the undersigned organizations and stakeholders write to urge you to include funding for the orphan programs in any new farm bill, or should it become necessary, a farm bill extension. These critical programs support numerous stakeholders across the U.S. agricultural community and they require stable and predictable funding to continue their vital work.

As you know, orphan programs often address niche or emerging areas within agriculture which may not receive the same level of attention or resources as other larger programs. The outcomes of these varied programs are many: improving farm system efficiency, enhancing rangeland management and conservation, increasing farmers’ and ranchers’ resilience to extreme weather, addressing emerging diseases and invasive species, supporting young farmers and those transitioning to new crops or systems, de-risking investments in innovation, promoting biofuels production, and growing market access. These vital programs operate in all fifty states and a failure to fund them in a farm bill or farm bill extension in 2024 negatively impacts countless farmers, ranchers, and food system stakeholders.

Without guaranteed funding, the progress made in these areas is expected to stall, potentially setting back years of advancement in agricultural research, rural support, and conservation efforts. As American agriculture continues to face complex challenges, including supply chain disruptions, increasingly volatile weather conditions, new pest and disease pressures, labor shortages, and food security threats, it is imperative that these programs are not left behind as farm bill negotiations continue.

The organizations listed below appreciate the progress made on the farm bill thus far and remain committed to the primary goal of passing a farm bill this year. However, if it becomes clear that another farm bill extension is needed, we urge you to continue the precedent set by the 2023 farm bill extension and again provide funding for the orphan programs in any farm bill extension under consideration. Ensuring continuity for the orphan programs will provide much-needed certainty to the growers, researchers, and communities that depend on them and will help maintain the momentum necessary to tackle the pressing issues facing our agricultural sector today.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and for your continued support of our nation’s agricultural community.

Sincerely,

agInnovation North Central
American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges
American Bird Conservancy
American Conservation Coalition Action
American Dairy Science Association
American Institute of Biological Sciences
American Phytopathological Society
American Society of Agronomy
American Society of Plant Biologists
Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy
Bipartisan Policy Center Action
California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF)
California Citrus Mutual
Carolina Farm Stewardship Association
CEA Alliance
Center for Food Safety
Ceres
Clean Fuels Alliance America
Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST)
Crop Science Society of America
Ecosystem Services Market Consortium
EILEEN FISHER, Inc.
Environmental Defense Fund
Farm Journal Foundation
Florida Citrus Mutual
Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association
National Association of State Departments of Agriculture
National Coalition for Food and Agricultural Research
National Grange
National Organic Coalition, Inc.
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
National Wheat Improvement Committee
North American Millers’ Association
Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association
Oregon State University
Oregon Tilth
Organic Farming Research Foundation
Organic Seed Alliance
Pollinator Partnership
Society for Range Management
Soil Science Society of America
Spark Climate Solutions
Supporters of Agricultural Research (SoAR) Foundation
Synergistic Hawaii Agriculture Council
Texas Citrus Mutual
The American Sustainable Business Network
The Breakthrough Institute
The Climate Reality Project
The Good Food Institute
Union of Concerned Scientists
US Dairy Forage Research Center Stakeholder Committee
Virginia Association for Biological Farming
Washington State University

Agricultural Coalition

Farm Bill orphan programs funding