The Strengthening Organic Agricultural Research (SOAR) Act of 2023 is designed to boost government funding and support for organic farming research and development. The bill significantly increases money available for organic agriculture research, starting at $60 million in 2024 and growing to $100 million per year by 2028 and beyond.

The bill creates two main programs. First, it funds competitive grants to help farmers transition from conventional to organic farming by researching and overcoming the practical challenges they face—like understanding soil health, reducing greenhouse gases, managing water better, and controlling pests naturally. Second, it directs the Department of Agriculture to study and report on the economic impact of organic farming on communities, looking at how it affects local economies, jobs, the environment, and land ownership across different regions and farm sizes.

The bill also prioritizes funding for research projects that partner with actual organic farmers doing on-farm experiments, and it encourages involvement from colleges and universities that serve minority and underserved communities. Essentially, this is the government saying it wants to invest more in understanding and supporting organic agriculture as a viable farming method, with a focus on helping farmers make the switch and documenting whether organic farming is good for rural and urban communities.

Strengthening Organic Agricultural Research (SOAR) Act of 2023

Newhouse, Dan

Strengthening Organic Agricultural Research (SOAR) Act of 2023This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expand organic research, including through grant opportunities and the collection of data.Specifically, the bill reauthorizes and increases funding for the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative, a grant program which funds projects to enhance the ability of producers and processors who have already adopted organic standards to grow and market organic high quality agricultural products.USDA may also provide competitive grants for research, education, and extension activities regarding the&nbsp;transition from nonorganic production systems into organic production. The grants may be offered&nbsp;for the purposes of<ul><li>overcoming social, economic, and management barriers to organic transition;</li><li>documenting and understanding the effects of organic practices on ecosystem services (e.g., soil health and fertility); and</li><li>developing improved technologies, methods, models, and metrics for transitioning to organic management.</li></ul>USDA may prioritize grants for proposals&nbsp;that actively involve certain historically Black colleges and universities, tribal colleges or universities, and Hispanic-serving agricultural colleges and universities.&nbsp;The bill also provides additional funding for the Organic Production and Market Data Initiatives to collect data and report on the production and marketing of organic agricultural products.Further, USDA's Economic Research Service must conduct an economic impact analysis of organic agriculture and submit a report to Congress. The report must include an analysis of farming and ranching operations and the economic impacts, both direct and indirect, of organic agriculture on rural and urban communities.