SYRACUSE, NY — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on January 8 a second round of payments for dairy producers through the Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program (ODMAP) 2024. This second round provides an additional $8.7 million to help dairy producers mitigate market volatility, unstable feed supply and unique hardships in the organic dairy industry. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has already paid out $23 million in the first round of payments for eligible producers, bringing total ODMAP 2024 payments to more than $31 million.    

“This funding gives organic dairy producers critical support as they continue to weather a combination of challenges outside of their control,” said Jim Barber, FSA State Executive Director in New York. “The payments are intended to help producers stay in operation until markets return to more favorable conditions.”

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

Farmers can find more information about USDA resources and local agriculture data at their local dashboard: www.farmers.gov/dashboard. More information about FSA is available at www.fsa.usda.gov.

Editor’s note: This information was released prior to January 20. At press time, it is unclear what effect, if any, the new presidential administration will have on this funding.