Support for the organic cost share program

November 7, 2013

To the Honorable Rep. DelBene,

I am writing you to reinforce the importance of the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program (NOCCSP) to PCC Natural Markets, the farmers and ranchers that supply our store and other food businesses in our community. As a retailer with $180 million in annual sales and 50,000 member-households, we strongly support the language in S. 954 and ask you to support the Senate’s language for NOCCSP merging the two current cost share programs together under the AMA program umbrella and providing permanent baseline funding.

This is a relatively tiny program with a huge impact on family farmers, ranchers and small food businesses in our community. This program largely benefits the small and medium scale producers to access value-added and premium markets through organic certification. As a farmer or business gets more successful and grows, they grow out of this program so this program disproportionately helps smaller and beginning farmers, ranchers and processing businesses.

Again, we strongly urge you to support this modest program as it has a great and positive impact on our business and our suppliers.

Sincerely,

Eli Penberthy
Public Affairs

PCC Natural Markets
4201 Roosevelt Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105
206-547-1222 X169