S. 1385 — Organic Science and Research Investment Act of 2025

This section establishes the Coordinating and Expanding Organic Research Initiative within the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to coordinate and expand organic agricultural research resources dedicated by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Economic Research Service (ERS), and National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics in consultation with the Office of the Chief Scientist, must appoint 12 to 18 Initiative members from USDA agency personnel in the competitive service or Senior Executive Service with organic agriculture expertise, including at least one-quarter from ARS and NIFA each and at least one each from the Office of the Chief Scientist, National Organic Program, ERS, and NASS; the Chief Scientist designee serves as chair for five-year terms (with reappointment eligible). The Initiative must (1) coordinate USDA research applicable to organic and transitioning-to-organic producers; (2) review and assess completed and ongoing such research; (3) develop iterative strategic plans for future research; and (4) not later than three years after establishment and every five years thereafter—in coordination with the agricultural research roadmap under current law (7 U.S.C. 7614a)—conduct surveys of all USDA organic agriculture research and submit reports to the Secretary with agency-specific findings and recommendations. Recommendations address expanding research opportunities for organic producers, consumers, markets, and industry under the National Organic Program (7 U.S.C. 6501 et seq.); and strategies to enhance coordination, efficiency, productivity, profitability, and ecosystem services in organic production (e.g., new cultivars and breeds, pest management, climate resilience, soil health, grazing techniques, irrigation, and food safety).

This section reauthorizes through 2030 (from 2023) and expands the Organic Research and Extension Initiative, which provides competitive grants to support organic agriculture research, education, outreach, and extension activities. Specifically, it (1) adds three new authorized activities—facilitating adoption of traditional ecological knowledge, developing cultural practices as alternatives to substances on the National Organic Program's National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances, and identifying organic agriculture's role in climate adaptation and mitigation; (2) requires grants for indigenous traditional ecological knowledge to be directed by a 1994 Institution, Alaska Native-serving institution, or Native Hawaiian-serving institution (as defined in 20 U.S.C. 1059d(b)), with free, prior, and informed consent from relevant Indian tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations and appropriate attribution to knowledge sources; and (3) sets mandatory funding at $60 million for FY2026, $70 million for FY2027, $80 million for FY2028, $90 million for FY2029, and $100 million for FY2030 and each fiscal year thereafter (in addition to prior fiscal years).

This section establishes a competitive grant program administered by the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board, to support research, education, and extension activities on transitioning nonorganic production systems to organic agricultural production systems for the purposes of (1) overcoming transition barriers; (2) documenting effects of organic practices on ecosystem services, including soil health and fertility, greenhouse gas mitigation and sequestration, water management, biodiversity-related services, and pest management; and (3) developing improved technologies, methods, models, and metrics to document, describe, and optimize such ecosystem services. Grant administration follows specified provisions of the Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act (7 U.S.C. 3157(b)), with priority for scientifically meritorious proposals that partner with producers or conduct on-farm research and involve 1890 Institutions, 1994 Institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions, Alaska Native-serving institutions, or Native Hawaiian-serving institutions (as defined in 20 U.S.C. 1059d(b)). It authorizes appropriations of $10 million for each of FY2026 and 2027 and $20 million for FY2028 and each fiscal year thereafter.

This section establishes a new requirement for the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Administrator of the Economic Research Service, to conduct an economic impact analysis of organic agricultural management under the National Organic Program (i.e., USDA standards for certifying organic production); to submit a plan for the analysis to the agriculture committees of Congress within one year of enactment; and to submit a report on the results within three years after submitting the plan. (The analysis must consider operations of varying sizes, regions, and practices and their direct and indirect economic effects on rural and urban communities, including local economies, labor markets, environmental quality, social dynamics, and land ownership.) The section also modifies funding for the organic production and market data initiative (i.e., USDA data collection on organic prices, production, marketing, and trends to support organic markets and crop insurance)—(1) adding mandatory Commodity Credit Corporation funding of $10 million for FY2025 through 2030; and (2) increasing discretionary funding authorization to $10 million annually for FY2025 through 2030 (from $5 million annually for FY2008 through 2023).