New USDA program promotes school organic dairy

Oct 29, 2024
By Farms.com

$15 Million invested in youth organic dairy access

The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service has unveiled a new initiative, the Organic Dairy Product Promotion program, with a funding of $15 million to facilitate the introduction of organic dairy products into educational institutions and youth programs. This initiative was announced in Vermont by USDA Under Secretary Jenny Lester Moffitt.

Funded through the Commodity Credit Corporation, the ODPP program targets increasing the consumption of organic dairy among youth while simultaneously providing growth opportunities for America's organic dairy producers.

"Expanding access to a variety of organic dairy products in schools and community programs promotes healthy consumption habits and strengthens local dairy markets,” explained Moffitt.

The program involves cooperation with institutions that lead Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives, such as the University of Tennessee and Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets. These institutions will develop tailored projects to provide organic dairy products to a variety of youth-focused settings, including K-12 schools and higher education institutions.

Additionally, the program aligns with the USDA's larger goal of supporting sustainable agricultural practices and enhancing local and regional food systems. This approach aims to increase the affordable food supply for Americans, promote climate-smart agriculture, and ensure equity among producers.

Through strategic partnerships and dedicated funding, the USDA's new initiative promises to improve dietary options available to young people and enhance the market for organic dairy products, ultimately benefiting both consumers and producers in the agricultural sector.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.