SA 3586. Mr. FEINGOLD submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 3500 proposed by Mr. Harkin (for himself, Mr. Chambliss, Mr. Baucus, and Mr. Grassley) to the bill H.R. 2419, to provide for the continuation of agricultural programs through fiscal year 2012, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the end of subtitle F of title VII, add the following:
SEC. 7__X. SENSE OF SENATE REGARDING ORGANIC RESEARCH.
It is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) the Secretary should recognize that sales of certified organic products have been expanding by 17 to 20 percent per year for more than a decade, but research and outreach activities relating specifically to certified organic production growth and processing of agricultural products (as defined in section 2103 of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6502)) has not kept pace with this expansion;
(2) research conducted specifically on organic methods and production systems benefits organic and conventional producers and contributes to the strategic goals of the Department of Agriculture, resulting in benefits for trade, human health, the environment, and overall agricultural productivity;
(3) in order to meet the needs of the growing organic sector, the Secretary should use a portion of the total annual funds of the Agricultural Research Service for research specific to organic food and agricultural systems that is at least commensurate with the market share of the organic sector of the domestic food retail market; and
(4) the increase in funding described in paragraph (3) should include funding for efforts--
(A) to establish long-term core capacities for organic research;
(B) to assist organic farmers and farmers intending to transition to organic production systems; and
(C) to disseminate research results through the Alternative Farming Systems Information Center of the National Agriculture Library.


(As printed in the Congressional Record for the Senate on Nov 8, 2007.)