Northey says dairy programs should be ready by summer

by | Mar 6, 2019 | 5 Ag Stories, News

The dairy industry is hurting. There is no other way around it. Many producers in the Midwest are facing a tough decision about whether to hang on for a little longer. Many of these producers are owners of multi-generational farms. These aren?t easy choices to make. The new Farm Bill promised relief, so where is it?

United States Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Bill Northey spoke at the National Farmers Union Convention. He says the dairy safety net programs should be ready to go by mid-2019. One of these programs is livestock margin coverage.

Those producers who were using the now-replaced Margin Protection Program (MPP) from the 2014 Farm Bill, are going to be seeing some rebates.

MPP was replaced by the Dairy Margin Coverage Program. Producers won?t see much change in how the program works. However, it offers higher coverage opportunities.

Dairy producers are needing every advantage they can get. This is only the first step in recovering an industry in dire straits.