The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today awarded an additional $9.7 million for 13 grant projects through the Organic Market Development Grant (OMDG) program, bringing the total amount awarded through the program to $85 million. These projects will support the development of new and existing organic markets to increase the consumption of domestic organic agricultural products. The projects funded through this program, are anticipated to benefit over 119 million producers, buyers, and consumers.
“This final round of awards through the Organic Market Development Grant program marks an unprecedented investment into our nation’s organic industry and we will see the impacts of this funding for years to come,” said USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt. “The projects awarded through this program are making great strides in expanding market opportunities for organic businesses and ensuring producers and processors have the infrastructure to meet the growing consumer demand for organic products.”
Consumer demand for organically produced goods surpassed $69 billion in the U.S. in 2023, accounting for about 4% of total U.S. food sales. The Biden-Harris Administration recognizes how crucial the organic agricultural industry is to the nation’s economy and the investments needed to meet this incredible consumer demand. There are more than 27,800 organic farms and businesses across the nation producing and handling delicious organic food and products of all kinds.
This round of awards includes projects for the market development and promotion, simplified equipment-only, and processing capacity expansion project types. The funded projects will increase the availability and demand for domestically produced organic agricultural products and address the need for additional market paths.
This grant program is part of the USDA Organic Transition Initiative (OTI), launched in fall 2022, which offers a suite of programs and resources to help existing organic farmers and those transitioning to organic production and processing. More information about these initiatives and more can be found at https://www.farmers.gov/your-business/organic/organic-transition-initiative .
Source: USDA
