USDA Looking at Request for Extension of Dairy Program Sign-up

Randall Weiseman Cattle, Dairy, Livestock

dairy cows in milking parlorSign-up for USDA’s Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy) continues and will until at least September 30 for producers interested in 2017 coverage. We told you a couple of weeks ago that House and Senate lawmakers want the Agriculture Department to extend the enrollment period for MPP. Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, Texas Republican Mike Conaway, along with other committee members and Senate counterparts, have called on USDA to extend the sign-up period because they say the move would encourage additional participation in the program. In a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, the group of lawmakers say an extension of the deadline to December 31 “should be made permanent to give producers additional time to make informed decisions and to improve program participation.” And Farm Service Agency Administrator Val Dolcini says the agency is looking at that request.


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