This bill adds new sections to chapter 15.86 RCW and amends RCW 15.86.070 to require the department referenced in chapter 15.86 to develop an organic agriculture action plan and deliver it to the appropriate legislative committees by June 1, 2027; that plan must consider barriers to certification, market and acreage expansion, workforce entry and support, extension and training resources and gaps, infrastructure and partnerships, and data to quantify environmental and resilience benefits, and it must include recommended legislative, administrative, or budget actions. The plan provision expires June 30, 2028, and the department must consult the state conservation commission and consider the Washington soil health initiative in developing the plan. Subject to available appropriations, the bill directs the department to contract with a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (with more than five years’ experience awarding grants under $25,000 to state farm businesses) to run a low‑barrier microgrant program. The nonprofit may award grants up to $25,000 to producers in business at least two years who are implementing or seeking to implement regenerative, sustainable, climate‑smart, or organic practices, with priority for climate‑smart/regenerative projects and those located in or led by people from overburdened communities or vulnerable populations. The nonprofit must report annually to the department by December 15 with award amounts, number of farms funded, project descriptions and locations, counts in overburdened communities and led by vulnerable populations, and any private funds raised. The bill also authorizes the director to adopt certification and administrative rules under chapter 15.86, including rules on on‑site visits, recordkeeping, product sampling for analysis, and a fee schedule to recover program costs; collected fees must be deposited in an account within the agricultural local fund and used solely for the chapter without requiring an appropriation. It permits employing necessary personnel to carry out the chapter. The provided text does not identify which specific department is meant, does not include the full definitions of “producer,” “overburdened communities,” or “vulnerable populations,” and does not specify appropriation amounts, contracting selection or oversight procedures, or the specific fee amounts and how fee reductions would be implemented.

If enacted, the state agency in chapter 15.86 would be required to produce an organic agriculture action plan by June 1, 2027 and, subject to funding, hire a qualified 501(c)(3) to run a low-barrier microgrant program that can award up to $25,000 to farm producers with at least two years in operation who are adopting regenerative, climate-smart, sustainable, or organic practices. This creates a new, targeted funding opportunity for small and transitioning farms—with priority for projects led by or located in overburdened communities and vulnerable populations—and it also gives the agency authority to set up an organic/transitional certification program with fees meant to cover the program’s costs and to hire staff to run it. The groups most affected are small and transitioning producers who may gain access to microgrants and technical recommendations from the state plan, 501(c)(3) grantmakers with relevant experience who could win the contract to administer grants, and the department which will take on planning, rulemaking, fee collection, and oversight duties. Important uncertainties remain: the bill does not name which department, does not specify how much money will be appropriated for the microgrant program, leaves selection and oversight details for the nonprofit contract unclear, and does not set specific fee amounts or the exact definitions of “producer,” “overburdened communities,” and “vulnerable populations.”