USDA pushes for more organic dairy in US schools

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is investing $15m to expand access to organic dairy products in K-12 schools, colleges and universities. The initiative is called the Organic Dairy Product Promotion (ODPP) program and is funded by the Commodity Credit Corporation, a government-owned corporation. The aim is to increase consumption of organic dairy among children and young adults; diversify dairy products offered in learning institutions, and build partnerships with local organic dairy producers. AMS will enter into co-operative agreements with the University of California, Fresno; University of Tennessee; Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets, and the University of Wisconsin to implement the scheme. All four organizations lead Dairy Business Innovation (DBI) programs – which also support business, marketing and processing innovation for dairy producers – and will use this know-how to develop region-specific projects to distribute organic dairy products to K-12 schools, colleges and universities, and other youth and young adult focused programs and institutions. With $15m available to fund ODPP projects, the four organizations may choose to sub-award funds for procurement to dairy businesses, educational institutions including K-12 schools and colleges/universities, or other organizations with industry expertise to implement the program. To get involved in an ODPP project or find out more, producers need to approach one of the four organizations. California: the Pacific Coast Coalition Tennessee: The Center for Profitable Agriculture Vermont: The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center Wisconsin: The Dairy Business Innovation Alliance The USDA AMS has already funded the Vermont agriculture department and the three universities to provide support to the dairy industry under various DBIs. For example, in California, the Pacific Coast Coalition – Dairy Business Innovation Initiative is in its fifth phase of supporting dairy producers in California, Oregon and Washington, with funding of $690,000 for FY24. The aim is to develop higher-value uses for milk, diversify markets and income, realize increased returns and provide workforce training. Over in Tennessee, $3.45m has been awarded to the Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative to provide support to the dairy industry across 12 states; the funding will be sub-awarded in the form of various grants and scholarships. In Vermont, the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center is also in receipt of $3.45m for FY24, having awarded 333 projects with a total of $31m in funds since 2020. And in Wisconsin, the Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives were allocated $3.45m for FY24 to support producers in 11 states, including through a grant program and a technical assistance program. IDFA applauds USDA investment Michael Dykes, D.V.M., president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) said the initiative would ‘improve access to nutritious dairy products’, stating: “IDFA applauds USDA on this new effort to increase consumption of organic dairy products among children and young adults. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans highlights that between 68% and 76.2% of school-age males and between 77.4% and 94.3% of school-age females are not consuming enough dairy. “Programs like the ODPP will work to improve access to nutritious dairy products for children and young Americans while building partnerships between dairy businesses and school districts. We encourage USDA to continue to focus on creative ways to increase consumption of nutritious dairy foods including conventional, organic, lactose-free, and value-added dairy, especially among communities that historically under consume nutritious dairy.”