The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service announced it will award 13 grant projects, an additional $9.7 million, through the Organic Market Development Grant program, bringing the total amount invested to expand markets for U.S. organic products to $85 million.
These projects will support the development of new and existing organic markets benefiting more than 119 million producers, buyers, and consumers.
“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,” Jenny Lester Moffitt, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, said.
While “organically produced goods surpassed $69 billion in the U.S. in 2023, accounting for about 4% of total U.S. food sales,” the investment by the Biden administration “recognizes how crucial the organic agricultural industry is to the nation’s economy and the investments needed to meet this incredible consumer demand,” USDA said in a press release.
The additional $9.7 million awarded in grants includes projects for market development and promotion, to simplified equipment-only, and to expand capacity. The funded projects, such as Tuscarora Grain Co. in Mohrsville, Pa., The Spicy Organics LLC, in Frisco, Texas, and The Turning Green, in Sausalito, Calif., “will increase the availability and demand for domestically produced organic agricultural products and address the need for additional market paths,” according to the USDA.
“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,” Lester Moffitt said.
A full list of awarded projects can be see on the OMDG webpage.
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