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Cross Post: Keeping Farmers on the Land
Photo credit: Erin Larson via Unsplash Editor’s Note: This blog post was written by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), of which OEFFA is a member, and first appeared on their site here.
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) traces its earliest roots to the farm crisis of the 1980s, when cycles in the global economy and federal agricultural policy combined to push farmers losing their farms into the national spotlight. The 330,000 farm families who lost their farms between 1978 and 1992 were, unfortunately, not the last. The total number of farms has continued to steadily decrease since then, with the loss of mid-sized farms at a particularly concerning rate.
Within the past couple of years, there has been mounting evidence suggesting a tipping point for farmers and ranchers not unlike that of the 1980s. Today, high production costs, unstable markets, and low crop prices driven by uncertain export markets and overproduction have converged to create an economic climate in which farmers’ livelihoods are threatened. Earlier this year, hundreds of farmers – reportedly more than 500 – attended a single meeting to ask for help. Moments of farm crisis – like the one we are in now – stand out from the decades-long drumbeat of farm losses across agriculture.
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Marker Bills We Oppose
The farm bill expired for the third time on September 30, after little movement earlier last year. While the agriculture community anxiously awaits an updated version better suited to modern farm needs (not those of 2018), marker bills are still regularly being introduced.
As a reminder, marker bills do not get passed on their own. Instead, they’re introduced by members of Congress with the hopes of being included in larger legislative bills—like the farm bill. Think of them as “building blocks” to amass attention and build support for certain policy proposals.
Our team has been tracking OEFFA-endorsed marker bills here. Based on discussions with members of our Consolidation Caucus, we would also like to highlight a few marker bills that we oppose.
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Unpacking the MAHA Report
In mid-May, the White House released “The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Report.” The report makes proclamations linking food and chemical corporations with our country’s health crises, particularly those impacting children. It sounds the alarm about corporate influence over our food system, the dangers of pesticides, and the increasing concerns brought about by environmental toxins, to name just a few.
Read on to learn what the MAHA Report says about agriculture and what we see as potential implications of its publication.
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OEFFA Farmers’ Thoughts on Tariffs
Tariffs, tariffs, tariffs. They’ve been on our minds for months, as we’ve all followed the roller coaster of announcements, retaliations, negotiations, and pauses. But what exactly are tariffs? More importantly, how might the recent trade war impact our farmers?
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Amplifying Farmers’ Voices in DC
Abundant cherry blossoms greeted our team in Washington last week. They arrived just in time for peak bloom. The weather was kind, and people from all over were out and about enjoying the brightly pungent ambassadors of spring. After a tumultuous few months, the vibrant trees offered a welcome bit of beauty and proudly declared a timely reminder of new beginnings.
Milo and Lauren, OEFFA’s policy director and grassroots policy organizer, went to the annual National Organic Coalition (NOC) fly-in. Our team was joined by farmers Bridget Burgess of Hirzel Farms and Charlie Eselgroth of Buckskin Valley Farms. In just a few days, the NOC delegation had Hill meetings with over 60 congressional offices and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials.
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Farm Action Agriculture Consolidation Data Hub
Guest post featuring Angela Huffman of Farm Action. Originally published in the Winter 2025 OEFFA Newsletter.
A key priority for the OEFFA Policy team is addressing consolidation in food systems and advocating for policies that support small and mid-sized farming operations. We are digging into a new report and data hub published by the advocacy group Farm Action, which reveals that just three dozen corporations now control almost every industry involved in growing, processing, and distributing food in America.
We discussed the findings with Farm Action president Angela Huffman, who is a long-time OEFFA member and a graduate of OSU’s College of Public Affairs. Huffman also raises registered Katahdin sheep on her family’s 200-year-old farm in northwest Ohio.
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What is Going On with Organic Cost Share?
We reported in our most recent farm bill update that “orphan programs” of the farm bill did not receive additional funding with the most recent farm bill extension (ending September 30, 2025). Orphan programs are those that do not have “baseline,” or permanent, funding in a farm bill. So, their funding does not automatically renew when a farm bill is extended unless they have additional funding written into the extension. One of those programs without permanent funding is very important to our community, organic cost share.
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Celebrating Earth Day with Representative Max Miller
Written in collaboration with the Organic Farmers Association.
There are few more impactful ways to celebrate Earth Day than by inviting a Congressperson to see some of Ohio’s organic farms! It was an honor learning from farmers at Woodlyn Acres Farm in Dalton, Ohio, and County Line Family Farm in Wadsworth, Ohio with Representative Max Miller (OH-7).
The Organic Farm Day was planned in partnership with the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) and the Organic Farmers Association (OFA).
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Amplifying Farmers’ Needs at the 2024 NOC Fly-In
Last month, Milo and Nicole on our federal policy team were in DC for the National Organic Coalition (NOC) fly-in. NOC is an alliance of organizations across the country that advocate for organic farmer and consumer needs. During the fly-in, we focused on the following priorities:
- Supporting the Organic Certification Cost Share Program and producers transitioning to organic
- Addressing regulatory USDA bottlenecks
- Advancing equity within agricultural programs and policies
- Solving the organic dairy crisis
- Supporting organic research
- Advancing conservation practices and programs
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New Year, New Organic Rules
Welcome to 2024! To help us ring in the new year, we wanted to highlight some recent changes to the USDA organic standards and share what’s on the horizon. There have been some notable updates to the standards, some of which will go into effect in 2024. While we still have significant room for improvement, these updates help to strengthen the USDA organic label and foster more consumer trust.
FARM POLICY MATTERS