The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) extended the deadline for the new Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program (ODMAP) to August 11, 2023. This extension means organic dairy producers have just over a week left to apply for the program.
ODMAP helps producers mitigate market volatility, higher input and transportation costs, and unstable feed supply and prices that have created unique hardships in the organic dairy industry. The assistance is designed to help keep organic dairy operations sustainable until markets return to more normal conditions.
Through USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), $104m is available to organic dairy operations to assist with projected marketing costs in 2023. Eligible producers include certified organic dairy operations that produce milk from cows, goats and sheep. ODMAP assistance is calculated using a producers’ marketing costs in 2022. For new, transitioning or expanded organic dairy operations, assistance is based on projected marketed production in 2023. Eligible producers include certified organic dairy operations that produce milk from cows, goats and sheep.
FSA will make an initial ODMAP payment to eligible applicants factored by 75%. If funds remain at the end of the application period, an additional payment, not to exceed the remaining 25%, may be issued to eligible producers.
To apply, producers should contact FSA at their local USDA Service Center and to complete the ODMAP application, they must certify to pounds of 2022 milk production or to a projection of marketed pounds in 2023, if applicable, and submit a completed application form by August 11, 2023.
At the time of application, organic dairy operations are required to provide their USDA certification of organic status confirming the operation as an organic dairy in 2023 and 2022 along with the certification of 2022 milk production in hundredweight.
ODMAP complements other assistance available to dairy producers, including Dairy Margin Coverage and Supplemental DMC, with more than $611m in benefits paid for the 2023 program year to date. January-May DMC payments averaged $36,147 per dairy operation enrolled in 2023.