Picked tasks to benefit more than 31.8 million customers and more than 27,000 manufacturers
Anaheim, Calif., March 14, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) today granted roughly $40.5 million for 60 grant tasks through the Organic Market Development Grant program. These tasks will support the advancement of brand-new and existing natural markets, support the facilities to enhance processing capability, check out emerging innovations to promote natural items, and purchase devices to assist satisfy the increasing need for natural products. USDA expects the jobs moneyed through this program will benefit more than 27,000 manufacturers and over 31.8 million customers by increasing natural market chances. USDA Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small and Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt made the statement today at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, Calif.
” Farmers who pick to grow Organic typically access brand-new, more and much better markets,” stated Agriculture Deputy Secretary Torres Small. “At USDA, we are devoted to making it simpler for farmers who make that option through programs like the Organic Market Development Grant Program, which supports farmers and increases access to fresh, healthy foods. Today’s statement is simply among the numerous methods President Biden is purchasing rural individuals and a more resistant food system.”
“This round of awards through the Organic Market Development Grant program will resolve important requirements within the country’s growing natural market– financing tasks that even more our objectives of developing and broadening markets for manufacturers,” stated Under Secretary Moffitt. “The program is a crucial element of USDA’s Organic Transition Initiative and will increase worth included farming chances for natural manufacturers in rural America.”
In May 2023, USDA revealed an overall of $75 million readily available through the Organic Market Development Grant program to increase the accessibility and need for locally produced natural farming items and to attend to the requirement for extra market courses. This 2nd round of Organic Market Development Grant awards for the marketplace advancement and promo, streamlined equipment-only, and processing capability growth task types is moneyed by the Commodity Credit Corporation. In January 2024, USDA revealed $9.75 million for the preliminary of awards through this program. USDA will make the last award statement for this program in the coming months.
Receivers of this financing consist of:
- Almar Orchards LLC in Flushing, Mich., a family-owned natural apple orchard, got financing to acquire and set up a cleaning and arranging line that will allow the orchard to broaden into the baby/kid grocery store. This will lead to increased domestic sourcing and the orchard will function as an aggregator for other growers in the area. The increased capability will likewise enable Almar to broaden natural apple production onto 100 extra acres.
- The Georgia Organic Peanut Association, Inc., in Camilla, Ga., is utilizing grant funds in a collaboration with Oliver Oil Company, a little family-owned processor of cold-pressed cooking oil, to obtain parallel processing devices that will make it possible for,