USDA offers organic dairy producers assistance

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced $58 million available for marketing assistance to eligible organic dairy producers through the Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program 2024 to help expand the market for organic dairy and increase the consumption of organic dairy.

“The Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program continues USDA’s commitment to keep the market for organic dairies sustainable as they weather challenges outside of their control,” said USDA’s Farm Service Agency Administrator Zach Ducheneaux.

“In preparation for the launch of ODMAP 2024, we met often with organic milk industry leaders and their constituents to ensure that the assistance we provide addresses their expressed needs. Through this proactive engagement, we identified the need for and are pleased to offer increased payment rates and an increased production level eligible for marketing cost-share assistance.”

ODMAP 2024 helps mitigate market volatility, higher input and transportation costs, and unstable feed supply and prices that have created unique hardships in the organic dairy industry.

Specifically, through ODMAP 2024, FSA is assisting organic dairy operations with projected marketing costs in 2024 calculated using their marketing costs in 2023.

Eligible producers include certified organic dairy operations that produce milk from cows, goats and sheep.

Program Improvements

Dairy producers who participate in ODMAP 2024 will benefit from improvements to provisions outlined in the program. Specifically, ODMAP 2024 provides for an increase in the payment rate to $1.68 per hundredweight compared to the previous $1.10 per hundredweight.

Additionally, the production level eligible for marketing cost-share assistance has increased to nine million pounds compared to the previous five million pounds.

How It Works

ODMAP 2024 provides a one-time cost-share payment based on marketing costs on pounds of organic milk marketed in the 2023 calendar year or estimated 2024 marketing costs for organic dairy operations that have increased milk production or entered the organic dairy market.

The assistance provided by ODMAP 2024 and the original ODMAP 2023 is provided through previously unused Commodity Credit Corporation funds remaining from earlier pandemic assistance programs.

ODMAP 2024 provides financial assistance that immediately supports certified organic dairy marketing during 2024 keeping the organic dairy market sustainable until markets return to more normal conditions.

How To Apply

FSA is accepting applications through 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, with more than $36 million in benefits paid for the 2024 program year to date.

Learn more on the FSA Dairy Programs webpage at https://tinyurl.com/FSADairyPrograms.