The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has extended the application deadline for the dairy Margin Protection Program (MPP) until Dec. 19, 2014. Producers must visit their local Farm Service Agency office to enroll before the new deadline.
Dairy producers are urged to act now to protect their businesses against unpredictable market swings and to take advantage of increased protections offered in the first year of program, according to the USDA.
MPP was established by the 2014 Farm Bill to protect participating dairy producers when the margin—the difference between the price of milk and feed costs—falls below levels of protection selected by the applicant.
Also, farmers can comment to help shape the MPP program for the future by submitting comments to the USDA via the regulations.gov website at http://go.usa.gov/GJSA or send them by mail to: Danielle Cooke, Special Programs Manager, Price Support Division, FSA, USDA, STOP 0512, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, D.C., 20250-0512.