Final Round Of USDA Organic Awards Announced

Building capacity building infrastructure, building demand, all aspects of the USDA grant program centered on organic growers and the organic industry.

“We're excited to announce our 4th and final round of the Organic Market Development Grants. This is $9.8 million in funding for 14 projects in nine states.” 

Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Moffett, said with this announcement, the total money award from this grant over the past eight months now tops $85 million in 36 states across the nation, as well as the District of Columbia.  She added the grants will focus on organic sector projects addressing specific pinpointed market needs, meaning a variety of commodities will benefit from these grants, including organic grain production.

“So, things like distillers and bakers and all of these other different ways in which grain producers can sell to higher value markets.  And that increases the ability for them to be able to diversify into organic production and expand into organic production. We've funded and we will be funding some projects in the dairy sector as well, expanding the whole supply chain and the critical points that are needed for organic dairy producers to be able to have access to domestically produced feed all the way to domestic and international markets that they can have for the product that they're producing through organic dairy production.” 

A number of Northwest projects received funding, including work taking place at:

Double Eagle Dairy, Inc., in Murtaugh, ID
Oregon Organic Coalition, in Lyons, OR
Mainstem Malt SPC, in Walla Walla, WA
Grace Harbor Farms, in Custer, WA
Puget Sound Food Hub Cooperative, in Mount Vernon, WA
Snowgrass Farm LLC, in Leavenworth, WA
Wilridge Winery, in Seattle, WA 

For a list of all the grant winners, nationwide, visit AMS' Website.

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