Dairy farmers have until Nov. 20 to enroll in the dairy Margin Protection Program, a seven-week extension past the busy harvest season, said the USDA. The program, created by the 2014 farm law, pays producers when the difference between the farm-gate price of milk and the price of feed is narrower than the trigger selected by the farmer. The deadline for enrollment originally was Sept. 30. More than half of the dairy producers signed up for coverage in 2015, the first year of operation for MPP. When the sign-up for 2016 opened on June 1, the USDA said participants would remain in the program through 2018, when the farm law expires.
The National Milk Producers Federation, which had requested a two-month extension, said the additional time will “maximize the opportunity for dairy farmers to utilize this crucial risk management tool.”