<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><BillSummaries>
    <item congress="118" measure-type="hr" measure-number="2720" measure-id="id118hr2720" originChamber="HOUSE" orig-publish-date="2023-04-19" update-date="2024-08-02">
        <title>Strengthening Organic Agricultural Research (SOAR) Act of 2023</title>
        <summary summary-id="id118hr2720v00" currentChamber="HOUSE" update-date="2024-08-02">
            <action-date>2023-04-19</action-date>
            <action-desc>Introduced in House</action-desc>
            <summary-text><![CDATA[<p><strong>Strengthening Organic Agricultural Research (SOAR) Act of 2023</strong></p><p>This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expand organic research, including through grant opportunities and the collection of data.</p><p>Specifically, the bill reauthorizes and increases funding for the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative, a grant program which funds projects to enhance the ability of producers and processors who have already adopted organic standards to grow and market organic high quality agricultural products.</p><p>USDA may also provide competitive grants for research, education, and extension activities regarding the&nbsp;transition from nonorganic production systems into organic production. The grants may be offered&nbsp;for the purposes of</p><ul><li>overcoming social, economic, and management barriers to organic transition;</li><li>documenting and understanding the effects of organic practices on ecosystem services (e.g., soil health and fertility); and</li><li>developing improved technologies, methods, models, and metrics for transitioning to organic management.</li></ul><p>USDA may prioritize  grants for proposals&nbsp;that actively involve certain historically Black colleges and universities, tribal colleges or universities, and Hispanic-serving agricultural colleges and universities.&nbsp;</p><p>The bill also provides additional funding  for the Organic Production and Market Data Initiatives to collect data and report on the production and marketing of organic agricultural products.</p><p>Further, USDA's Economic Research Service must conduct an economic impact analysis of organic agriculture and submit a report to Congress. The report must include an analysis of farming and ranching operations and the economic impacts, both direct and indirect, of organic agriculture on rural and urban communities.</p><!--tinycomments|2.1|data:application/json;base64,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-->]]></summary-text>
        </summary>
    </item>
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        <dc:language>EN</dc:language>
        <dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
        <dc:contributor>Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress</dc:contributor>
        <dc:description>This file contains bill summaries for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.</dc:description>
    </dublinCore>
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