More Producers Enrolling in Dairy Margin Coverage Program

(WASHINGTON, DC) USDA says nearly 17,000 dairy operations have signed up for the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program since enrollment opened June 17th. DMC offers protection to dairy producers when the difference between the all-milk price and the average feed cost (the margin) falls below a certain dollar amount selected by the producer. To date, more than 60 percent of dairies with established production histories have enrolled in the program. Wisconsin has seen the most participation with more than 48-hundred dairy operations, followed by Minnesota (1,865), New York (1,779), Pennsylvania (1,511) and Michigan (702). USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) began issuing program payments to producers on July 11th. The program provides coverage retroactive to the first of the year and producers who have signed up will receive more than $219 million in payments for January through June. Producers interested in 2019 coverage must sign up before September 20th.