Families want food grown with fewer chemicals, and farmers want to give it to them. Too often the barrier is the cost and risk of switching to organic. Two bills in Congress would help: the Domestic Organic Investment Act and the Opportunities in Organic Act. They would make the USDA's Organic Market Development Grant program permanent and help more farmers and ranchers transition to organic. Organic standards are built around limits on pesticides and additives and around giving animals access to the outdoors. That means a stronger option on the grocery shelf for people who care what goes into their food and their bodies. Farmers who want to make the change should not have to bet their livelihoods on a grant program that could vanish. Support the Domestic Organic Investment Act and the Opportunities in Organic Act, and make organic market development grants permanent.
