Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the deadline to enroll for the dairy Margin Protection Program for coverage in 2016 has been extended until Nov. 20, 2015. The voluntary program provides financial assistance to participating farmers when the margin falls below the coverage level selected by the farmer.

“The fall harvest is a busy time of the year for agriculture, so this extension will ensure that dairy producers have more time to make their choices,” said Vilsack. “We encourage all operations to examine the protections offered by this program, because despite the very best forecasts, markets can change.”

Producers should visit the Department of Agriculture’s Farm Agency Service (FSA) online Web resource to calculate the best levels of coverage for their dairy operation.

Last week the National Milk Producers Federation asked the Secretary for the extension. Jim Mulhern, President and CEO NMPF, provided the following statement regarding the extension. “We appreciate the decision today by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to extend the sign-up deadline. When we asked the Secretary last week to extend the deadline past September, we expressed concern that the upcoming September 30 deadline to enroll in the MPP coincides with the fall harvest in many parts of the nation, as well as with the USDA ARC/PLC enrollment deadline. This MPP extension is consistent with Congress’s goal in creating the program – a goal shared by NMPF – which is to maximize the opportunity for dairy farmers to utilize this crucial risk management tool.”