Farm Bill Meetings For Dairy Producers

Beginning Oct. 6, 2014 Milk Margin Protection Informational Meetings will be held along the I-29 Corridor to answer dairy producers questions concerning the 2014 farm bill.

These MPP-Dairy Informational meetings will feature Dr. Marin Bozic, Assistant professor in Dairy Foods Marketing Economics in the Department of Applied at the University of Minnesota along with local Farm Service Agency (FSA) Representatives in each state.

Bozic will present MPP rules and case studies, and through a set of engaging interactive activities, dairy producers will have the opportunity to examine what stability and profitability advances this program offers their operation. The official FSA decision-support tool will be available to help dairy producers make the best decision with the new MPP for their operation.

The MPP-Dairy program is a voluntary safety net program established by the 2014 Farm Bill that continues through December 31, 2018.

"The program provides eligible producers with indemnity payments when the difference between an all milk price and average feed cost (the margin), falls below coverage levels producers select on an annual basis," said Tracey Erickson, SDSU Extension Dairy Field Specialist.

To be eligible for MPP-Dairy, operations must produce and commercially market milk in the U.S., provide proof of milk production when registering, and not be enrolled in the Livestock Gross Margin for Dairy program (LGM-Dairy).

Eligible dairy operations must register for MPP-Dairy coverage at the FSA office where their records are stored. The registration period for 2014 and 2015 coverage began on September 2, 2014 and continues through November 28, 2014.

These meetings are hosted by SDSU Extension, Southwest Minnesota Dairy Profit Group, Midwest Dairy Association, NDSU Extension Service, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, University of Minnesota Extension, South Dakota Dairy Producers, Minnesota Milk Producers Association, Iowa State Dairy Association, North Central Risk Management Education Center and United States Department of Agriculture. These meetings are being supported by USDA-NIFA under award number 2012-49200-2032.