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Washington – Congress should increase mandatory spending on organic farming in the next farm bill to $185 million over five years to encourage the already-expanding industry, the Organic Farming Research Foundation said in Washington recently.

The 2008 farm bill included $105 million in mandatory spending on organics, but Congress should increase the amount to $185 million to improve research, data collection and certification, Ariane Lotti, director of the foundation’s Washington office, said at a Sept. 19 news conference.

Organic agriculture deserves a larger share of USDA funding because it is the fastest- growing segment in agriculture, said Maureen Wilmot, executive director of the foundation, which is based in Santa Cruz, Calif.

“To date, only modest public resources have been directed toward funding and support of programs for organic farming,” Wilmot said. “We would like to see that change immediately.”

Wilmot and Lotti said USDA does not provide the organic industry the same level of data collection services that it provides conventional agriculture and more research on organic agriculture and that growers still face costs and other barriers to becoming certified.