Sponsors (3)
Introduced December 10, 2025 by Andrea Salinas · Last progress December 10, 2025
The bill would expand market access and support for organic producers through grants and technical assistance, but substantial cost‑share requirements and reliance on annual appropriations risk excluding low‑capital producers and creating funding uncertainty.
Organic producers, cooperatives, and handlers can access federal grants to expand storage, processing, and distribution capacity, reducing bottlenecks and improving market access for farm and value‑added businesses.
Small-scale projects can receive simplified, equipment-only grants of up to $100,000 through a streamlined application, lowering administrative barriers for smaller producers and cooperatives.
Beginning farmers, ranchers, and veterans may have reduced or waived cost‑share requirements for certain grants, improving access for new and veteran producers with limited capital.
Recipients face substantial non‑Federal cost‑share requirements (commonly 50% for capacity projects), which can block participation by low‑capital producers and small businesses.
Program funding is subject to annual appropriations (FY2026–FY2030), creating uncertainty and the risk that multi‑year projects will be underfunded or interrupted.
Competitive grant processes and application requirements may favor applicants with grant-writing capacity, disadvantaging smaller, resource-poor producers and community-based organizations.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a USDA competitive grant program to fund storage, aggregation, processing, distribution capacity, and equipment for certified organic producers, with project caps and cost-share rules.
Creates a USDA grant program to help certified organic producers, handlers, cooperatives, Tribal entities, and others build or expand storage, aggregation, processing, distribution capacity, and buy equipment. Grants run up to three years, have project caps ($2,000,000 for capacity projects; $100,000 for equipment-only), require nonfederal cost-share (typically 50% for capacity and 25% for equipment), and include waivers or reductions for beginning farmers and veterans. The program requires competitive selection with published criteria, simplified applications for equipment-only projects, and allows USDA to provide technical assistance and set annual priorities. Funding is authorized as needed for FY2026–FY2030 and remains available until expended.