Organic dairy producers have more time to submit applications for the USDA’s Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program (ODMAP). The program was established to help mitigate several factors that have created unique hardships in the organic dairy industry. The funds will assist with projected marketing costs in 2023, calculated using their marketing costs in 2022.
“We made that available earlier in the year and we extended the deadline just to ensure that everybody that is interested and was eligible for that program can get into our offices,” said John Berge, Acting Deputy Administrator for Farm Programs at the Farm Service Agency (FSA). “So, we extended it to August 11. We initially opened it up on May 24. We anticipate a number of producers coming in and seeing their county offices.
The program provides financial assistance that will immediately support certified organic dairy operations during 2023 keeping organic dairy operations sustainable until markets return to more normal conditions. It complements other assistance available to dairy producers, including Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) and Supplemental DMC, with more than $300 million in benefits paid for the 2023 program year to date.
To apply, producers should contact FSA at their local USDA Service Center. To complete the application, producers must certify pounds of 2022 milk production, show documentation of their organic certification, and submit a completed application form.
“And we’ll take it from there,” Berge said. “We’ll see about their eligibility, and we’ll go from there.” More information is available on the USDA website by clicking here.
Sabrina Halvorson
National Correspondent / AgNet Media, Inc.
Sabrina Halvorson is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in agriculture. She primarily reports on legislative issues and hosts The AgNet Weekly podcast. Sabrina is a native of California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley.