Federal grant funding to highlight organic agriculture in Texas

The Texas Department of Agriculture will receive nearly $200,000 in federal grant funding over the next three years to aid promotional efforts for organic producers in the state.

The amount stems from $9.75 million in Organic Market Development Grant awards announced by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service in January. The funds will aid projects encompassing a range of promotional and educational activities showcasing the diversity of the organic agriculture industry in Texas, according to a news release.

“Texas' organic producers work diligently to meet the substantial demand in the global organics market,” Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said in the release. “This grant offers crucial funding to spotlight these producers and their remarkable contributions to organic agriculture."

The Organic Market Development Grant program supports the development of new and expanded organic markets to help increase the consumption of domestic organic agricultural commodities, the release said. The program focuses on building and expanding capacity for certified organic production, aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, distribution and development of consumer markets.

Several Texas industries — including organic produce, grains, fiber and dairy — will be featured, according to the state agriculture department, which said it anticipates assisting producers through programs intended to bolster the Texas agriculture industry's visibility and facilitate access to essential resources.

"The certification of organic products signifies a level of quality that consumers trust,” Miller said. “Championing Texas producers in marketing their organic products is vital to their economic success. The Texas Department of Agriculture is proud to support this effort.”