USDA announces additional assistance for dairy farmers
| The Agriculture Department this week announced the details of two programs of assistance for dairy producers – a second round of payments through the Pandemic Market Volatility Assistance Program (PMVAP) and a new Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program (ODMAP). The update to PMVAP and the new ODMAP will enable USDA to better support small and medium dairy operations that weathered the pandemic and now face other challenges, USDA said.“ The Biden-Harris administration continues to fulfill its commitments to fill gaps in pandemic assistance for producers. USDA is announcing a second set of payments of nearly $100 million to close out the $350 million commitment under PMVAP through partnerships with dairy handlers and cooperatives to deliver the payments,” said Agriculture Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt. “USDA is also announcing new assistance targeted to small to medium-size organic dairy farmers to help with anticipated marketing costs as they face a variety of challenges from weather to supply-chain challenges.” The Organic Trade Association (OTA) said the Organic Dairy Marketing Assistance Program (ODMAP) will help small and medium dairy operations that, after weathering the pandemic, are now facing catastrophic economic challenges as the availability of organic feedstuffs has declined dramatically, resulting in costs climbing significantly over the past 18 months.“ Beyond the ODMAP, organic dairy and poultry farmers still need further support – OTA will continue to advocate for appropriate and relevant risk management tools to address the unique needs of organic producers,” OTA said. |
–The Hagstrom Report
