Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Homegrown Organic Act of 2017”.
Homegrown Organic Act of 2017
A BILL
To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to better assist producers desiring to voluntarily transition into organic production systems.
Sec. 2 Programs for producers transitioning to organic production systems
Payments under the conservation reserve program— Section 1234(c) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3834(c)) is amended—
by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively, and indenting appropriately;
by inserting after “(c) Incentive Payments.—” the following:
“(1) Thinning and other practices promoting forest management and wildlife habitat”
in paragraph (1)(B) (as redesignated), by striking “paragraph (1)” and inserting “subparagraph (A)”; and
by adding at the end the following:
“(2) Organic farming and ranching
“(A) In general—The Secretary shall offer an incentive payment to an owner or operator of eligible land in an amount that the Secretary determines is sufficient to encourage the voluntary transition of the eligible land to organic farming or ranching immediately following the termination of the contract under this subchapter that covers the eligible land.
“(B) Organic certification process—In carrying out subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall allow the owner or operator to begin the organic certification process under the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6501 et seq.) beginning on the date that is 1 year before the date of termination of the contract under this subchapter.
“(C) Terms of payment—The Secretary—
“(i) shall make payments under subparagraph (A) for a period of not less than 2 years beginning on the date of termination of the contract under this subchapter; and
“(ii) may establish an annual limitation on the number of acres of eligible land for which an incentive payment is made under subparagraph (A) if the Secretary determines that the limitation is necessary to mitigate significant erosion of organic commodity premiums.”
Coordination with organic certification under the conservation stewardship program— Section 1238G(h) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3838g(h)) is amended—
by striking “(h) Coordination with Organic Certification.—The Secretary” and inserting the following:
“(h) Organic Certification
“(1) Coordination—The Secretary”
by adding at the end the following:
“(2) Transition—The Secretary shall establish suites of organic transition conservation activities to be available through the program for cropping systems and grazing systems.”
Removal of payment limitations under the environmental quality incentives program— Section 1240B(i) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(i)) is amended—
by striking paragraph (3); and
by redesignating paragraphs (4) and (5) as paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively.
Sec. 3 Funding and Administration
Section 1241(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841(a)) is amended—
in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking “2018” and inserting “2023”; and
in paragraph (1)—
in subparagraph (A)—
by striking “section 1234(c)” and inserting “section 1234(c)(1)”; and
by striking “and” at the end;
by redesignating subparagraph (B) as subparagraph (C); and
by inserting after subparagraph (A) the following:
“(B) $50,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2019 through 2023 to provide payments under section 1234(c)(2); and”