Organic dairy industry gets boost from new legislation

By Blake Jackson

Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) has introduced the Organic Dairy Assistance, Investment, and Reporting Yields (O DAIRY) Act of 2023 to support organic dairy farmers and help them address economic challenges like feed shortages and increased costs. The bill will increase investments in the organic dairy industry to ensure resiliency and longevity and work to improve data collection for organic milk production to enhance price accuracy and transparency.

"Wisconsin is one of the nation's top organic dairy producing states, driving our local economies, feeding families from coast to coast, and keeping our state's heritage of America's Dairyland alive and strong," said Senator Baldwin. "In the face of recent headwinds, I'm committed to delivering the support our dairies need to keep their operations open for generations to come."

The O DAIRY Act would:

• Extend emergency assistance to organic dairy farmers facing losses, including any time a farm's net income decreases by over 10% in any given year.
• Invest $25 million annually in dairy infrastructure investments, research, and innovation.
• Call for increased industry organic data collection that will be shared with farmers so they can plan better.
• Direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to study the viability of an organic safety net program, which would get aid to farmers faster when disasters hit in the future.

The bill is led by Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) and also co-sponsored by Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). The O DAIRY Act of 2023 has broad support of farms, dairy cooperatives, producers, and associations across the country, including the Organic Farmers Association, Organic Valley, the National Organic Coalition, and the Center for Food Safety.

The O DAIRY Act is a critical step towards supporting and strengthening the organic dairy industry in the United States. By providing emergency assistance, investing in infrastructure and innovation, and improving data collection, the bill will help organic dairy farmers to overcome current challenges and thrive in the future.
 

Photo Credit: gettyimages-vwalakte