WASHINGTON, DC, US — Several specialty organic grain millers were among 70 projects recently awarded over $60 million in grants through the Organic Market Development Grant Program (OMDG) administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service of the US Department of Agriculture.
The program supports the development of new and expanded organic markets to help increase the consumption of domestic organic agricultural commodities. The program focuses on building and expanding capacity for certified organic production, aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, distribution and development of consumer markets.
The OMDG program aims to increase the availability and demand for domestically produced organic agricultural products and address the need for additional market paths. Priority was given to projects addressing specific market needs for organic grains and livestock feed, organic dairy, organic fibers, organic legumes and other rotational crops, and organic ingredients currently unavailable in organic form.
The program offers three project types: 24-month simplified equipment-only with funding between $10,000 and $100,000; three-year market development with funding between $100,000 and $3 million; processing capacity expansion with funding between $100,000 and $3 million.
Businesses awarded grants include:
- California Craft Maltings, Alameda, California, US: simplified grain milling equipment to produce organic milled grains and organic sprouted grain flours, $99,033.
- Wehah Farm, Inc., Richvale, California, US: processing capacity expansion for expanding the US organic rice market by investing in production, processing and marketing infrastructure, $3 million.
- Double Eagle Dairy, Inc., Murtaugh, Idaho, US: processing capacity expansion to create a marketplace for purchase and consumption of organic animal feed, $708,000.
- Aurora Mills & Farm LLC, Linneus, Maine, US: simplified equipment for expanding soybean production capacity and increasing organic acreage by providing a market for regionally grown soybeans, $100,000.
- GF Grains LLC, Three Oaks, Michigan, US: simplified equipment for expansion of supersack handling capacity for identity-preserved organic grains, $75,450.
- Big Sandy Organics, LLC, Big Sandy, Montana, US: processing capacity expansion to upgrade and expand food processing line for organic grains and pulse crops, $3 million.
- Cold Springs Organics, LLC, Bozeman, Montana, US: processing capacity expansion to install a pelleting line for pelletizing organic alfalfa and leguminous grains to improve market access, lower costs and enhance transportability, $648,254.
- Reedy Fork Farm, LLC, Elon, North Carolina, US: simplified equipment for organic feed mill expansion to meet increased needs of small producers in Southeast US, $100,000.
- Tony Horton, Zebulon, North Carolina, US: simplified equipment for grain drying system for organic food-grade grains, $94,750.
- Healthy Oilseeds, LLC, Carrington, North Dakota, US: simplified equipment for organic oilseed processing capacity expansion, $100,000.
- Gianforte Farm LLC, Cazenovia, New York, US: simplified equipment for purchase of an on-farm grain storage system for value-added grains to help meet demand for domestically and locally produced livestock feed, $95,173.
- Farmer Ground Flour, LLC, Trumansburg, New York, US: simplified equipment to increase the processing capacity of food-grade organic grains in New York, $99,897.
- Camas County Mill, LLC, Eugene, Oregon, US: simplified equipment, pearler to grow processing of organic wheat, spelt, rye, emmer, oats, and buckwheat, $99,999.
- Grange Cooperative, White City, Oregon, US: processing capacity expansion for organic grain for livestock feed, $1.5 million.
- Thornhill Farm, LLC, Greensboro Bend, Vermont, US: simplified equipment, grain drying and cleaning equipment for Thornhill Farm Grain Center, $48,552.
- Bickford Farms Inc., Ridgway, Wisconsin, US: simplified equipment, grain infrastructure enhancement to expand on-farm cleaning and handling capacity to facilitate market pathways organic grain growers in the Upper Midwest, $97,165.