USDA Announces $58 Million to Support Organic Dairies
The National Organic Coalition (NOC) is welcoming today’s announcement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) of $58 million in additional funds to help organic dairies navigate market volatility, sky-rocketing input and transportation costs, periods of drought, and other conditions that have created severe economic hardship for some organic dairy operations.
The program, the Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program (ODMAP), is intended to provide sustainability and expand markets for organic dairy by providing a one-time cost-share payment for 2023 marketing costs or by covering a portion of estimated marketing costs in 2024.
“We are encouraged to see USDA’s ongoing commitment to organic dairy farms, especially during challenging times,” said Ed Maltby, Executive Director at the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance. "The increased payment rates are a better reflection of the real costs faced by organic dairy operations and will provide much-needed relief for producers."
Compared to the 2023 program, producers will receive a higher payment rate of $1.68 per hundredweight (compared to the previous rate of $1.10 per cwt), a provision NOC had advocated for, and an increased cap of nine million pounds of production eligible for assistance.
“This support couldn’t come at a better time. We’ve faced rising costs on all fronts, from inputs to transportation. USDA’s recognition of these struggles and their continued investment in the organic sector really makes a difference,” said Eric Sheffer, of Sheffer Grassland Dairy in Hoosick Falls, NY. "With this assistance, we can stay focused on producing high-quality organic milk for our communities."
How to Apply
FSA is accepting applications from Sept. 30 to Nov. 29. To apply, producers should contact FSA at their local USDA Service Center. To complete the ODMAP 2024 application, producers must certify to pounds of 2023 milk production, show documentation of their organic certification, and submit a completed application form.
Organic dairy operations are required to provide their USDA certification of organic status confirming operation as an organic dairy in 2024 and 2023 along with the certification of 2023 milk production or estimated 2024 milk production in hundredweight.
ODMAP 2024 complements other assistance available to dairy producers, including Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC), with more than $36 million in benefits paid for the 2024 program year to date. Learn more on the FSA Dairy Programs webpage.
More Information
To learn more about USDA programs, producers can contact their local USDA Service Center. Producers can also prepare maps for acreage reporting as well as manage farm loans and other programs by logging into their farmers.gov account. If you don’t have an account, sign up today.