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Dairy Margin Coverage Enrollment Deadline Today

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds dairy producers that the deadline to enroll in the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program for 2019 is Sept. 20, 2019.

Authorized by the 2018 Farm Bill, the program offers reasonably priced 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. 

“More than 19,100 operations have signed up for DMC since the new program opened enrollment on June 17,” said FSA administrator Richard Fordyce. “DMC is a great risk-management tool that protects against narrowing margins caused by downturns in the market and increased feed costs.”

For 2020, dairy producers can sign up for coverage under DMC Oct. 7 – Dec. 13, 2019. At the time of signup, dairy producers can choose between the $4.00 to $9.50 coverage levels.

Participating dairy operations that had an intergenerational transfer between 2014 and 2019 will have a one-time opportunity to increase their established production history during the 2019 and 2020 annual coverage-election periods. Retroactive payments based on the increased production history will apply for 2019 and not prior years. To learn more, visit the farmers.gov DMC webpage, or contact your local USDA service center. To locate your local FSA office, visit farmers.gov/service-locator.