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Organic Farmers Association says members need a farm bill

The executive director of the Organic Farmers Association says their members need a new five-year farm bill.

Kate Mendenhall says all farmers need a safety net.

“We continue to push for crop insurance fixes for organic farmers so that crop insurance program will work better for the particular needs of organic farmers entering that market.”  She says, “Better policy solutions across the board.”

She tells Brownfield an example is the O DAIRY Act, which would offer new protections for organic dairy farmers.

“Organic dairy farmers across the country have really been in crisis in the last five to 10 years, and so those are policy solutions that were identified and then created by an organic farmer coalition,” she says.

Mendenhall says the Organic Dairy Assistance, Investment, and Reporting Yields Act also works to improve data collection for organic milk production to enhance price accuracy and transparency.

The 2018 Farm Bill extension expired on Monday.

AUDIO: Kate Mendenhall – Organic Farmers Association