ORGANIC DAIRY

Assistance for Dairy Producers in Crisis

Organic dairy farmers around the nation are facing an economic crisis caused by weather-related disasters, market consolidation, and skyrocketing energy and feed costs brought on by unstable global markets and inflation. In late 2022, at NOC’s urging, Congress directed USDA to find sources of funding to help organic dairy farmers stay in business. In response, USDA’s Farm Service Agency launched the Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program (ODMAP). This funding is much appreciated and urgently needed by organic dairy producers. But additional relief is needed.

In June 2023, NOC joined a group of 25 farm, non-profit organizations, and businesses in calling on USDA to:

  • Immediately distribute additional ODMAP funds.

  • Ensure that the subsequent round of disbursements reflects the higher cost of marketing for organic milk (compared to conventional milk).

  • Improve data collection for organic milk.

    Read the letter.

    Read the full list of farms, organizations, and companies that supported this effort.

In August 2023, NOC joined the Organic Trade Association, Organic Farmers Association, Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance, and Western Organic Dairy Producers Alliance to call on Secretary Vilsack to take multiple actions to increase support for organic dairy producers through ODMAP. Read the letter.

 

Advancing Organic Dairy in the 2023 Farm Bill

Organic dairy farmers across the country are facing severe economic challenges. NOC is asking Congress to provide long-needed support for the organic dairy market through the 2023 Farm Bill, including:

  • Investment in regional organic milk processing infrastructure and distribution around the country to spur the entrance of new buyers for organic milk.

  • Immediate support to address dramatically increased organic input costs for organic dairy farms.

  • Expanded USDA data collection programs to require the collection and publication of regional cost of production data for organic, as well as organic milk market data, in all federal milk marketing orders. In addition, USDA should be required to establish an Organic All Milk Price Survey, analogous to the existing NASS All Milk Price Survey, to gather and report monthly data about what organic farmers are being paid for their milk, nationally and in the largest organic milk production states.

  • USDA should work with organic dairy producers, processors, and researchers to provide Congress with recommendations for the creation of an economic safety net program for organic dairy farms, based on organic-specific milk and input cost data. 

NOC has endorsed the O DAIRY Act to advance organic dairy in the 2023 Farm Bill. Learn more.

Learn more about NOC’s priorities in the 2023 Farm Bill.

Enforcement of Organic Dairy Regulations

NOC believes that the lack of consistent enforcement regarding dairy pasture requirements as well as ‘Origin of Livestock’ rules has contributed to the oversupply of organic milk in the market.  This has had a devastating effect on organic dairy prices to farmers and has left many organic farmers and those transitioning to organic with stranded investments because there are no buyers for their milk.

Enforcing Access to Pasture Requirement:
In 2010, USDA put into place an Access to Pasture rule to ensure that all certified organic dairy farmers were giving their animals meaningful access to pasture, and to give more specificity to the access to pasture requirement in the Organic Foods Production Act. Most dairy farmers were already meeting that standard, but a few very large dairy operations were using a loophole in the regulations to skirt those requirements. NOC is concerned that in some cases, dairy enforcement is still falling short, and some large operations continue to deny their animals meaningful access to pasture. NOC is urging USDA to take immediate action to bring bad actors in the dairy sector and their organic certifying agents into compliance. NOC has also worked with members of Congress to direct USDA to enhance enforcement of organic dairy rules and pasture rule requirements through annual spending legislation for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Clarifying Origin of Livestock Rules:
In a win for the organic community, in March 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) finalized the long-awaited new rule on ‘Origin of Livestock’. NOC had identified the rules, which are needed to create a fairer marketplace for organic dairy producers, as an urgent priority to be addressed by USDA. Organic dairy rules have provisions known as ‘Origin of Livestock’ – these provisions determine which animals can be considered organic and produce organic milk. ‘Origin of Livestock’ loopholes have been a longstanding problem, causing economic distress for family-scale organic dairy producers. A rule to close these loopholes was first proposed in 2015, but USDA delayed finalizing the rules for many years despite unwavering advocacy from NOC and the organic community and a direct mandate from Congress for their completion. Implementation and strong enforcement of the new rules published in 2022 are an essential step to protect farmers’ livelihoods and the integrity of the organic seal. Learn more.

NOC News on Organic Dairy

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