USDA Heeds Request from Rep. Huffman, Provides $5 Million in Second Round of Payments to Help Organic Dairy Producers Cover Increased Costs

September 20, 2023

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (CA-02) shared the news that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced a second round of payments for dairy producers through the Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program (ODMAP), providing an additional $5 million to help dairy 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. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has already paid out $15 million in the first round of payments for eligible producers, bringing total ODMAP payments to $20 million. 

In December 2022, Representative Huffman, along with Rep. Chellie Pingree (ME-01) and Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), led 25 of their colleagues in a bipartisan letter asking U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack for immediate assistance for organic dairy and poultry farmers who face simultaneous crises threatening their farms.

“This funding is a welcome relief for the many small organic farmers in my district who have been struggling from drought, shortages, and pandemic setbacks. I’m glad the agency heeded my calls for support and has continued to roll out assistance to ranchers who desperately need it. The challenges the industry is experiencing aren’t a one-time setback though, and more must be done to provide long-term help. I’ll keep working with the USDA to establish solutions for the long-haul,” said Rep. Huffman.

“This program is critical to keeping small, organic dairies sustainable as they continue to weather a combination of challenges outside of their control,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “In total, the Farm Service Agency is providing $20 million to give organic dairy producers additional economic support to stay in operation until markets return to more favorable conditions.” 

How ODMAP Works 

FSA accepted ODMAP applications from May 24 to August 11. Eligible producers for ODMAP included certified organic dairy operations that produce milk from cows, goats and sheep. 

ODMAP provides financial assistance for a producer’s projected marketing costs in 2023, calculated based on a cost share of marketing costs on the pounds of organic milk marketed for the 2022 calendar year (or a projection of 2023 pounds of organic milk marketed if warranted in certain situations), not to exceed 5 million pounds. For ODMAP applicants, the first payment was factored by 75%. USDA has determined that additional assistance is still needed and sufficient funding remains available so the second round of payments will provide the remaining 25% of requested assistance to each eligible applicant.

The second ODMAP payment is automatic. Participating producers do not need to take any additional action.

More Information 

ODMAP complements other assistance available to dairy producers, including Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) and Supplemental DMC, with more than $1 billion in benefits paid for the 2023 program year to date. 

Additionally, FSA recently announced the Milk Loss Program for eligible dairy operations. The program covers milk that was dumped or removed, without compensation, from the commercial milk market due to qualifying weather events and the consequences of those weather events that inhibited delivery or storage of milk (e.g., power outages, impassable roads, infrastructure losses, etc.) during calendar years 2020, 2021 and 2022. Learn more on the FSA Dairy Programs webpage. 

To learn more about FSA programs, producers can contact their local USDA Service Center. Producers can also prepare maps for acreage reporting as well as manage farm loans and view other farm records data and customer information by logging into their farmers.gov account. If you don’t have an account, sign up today.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit usda.gov.