Just how important does USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack think the farm bill's new Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy) is to dairy farmers?
He took time out of his busy schedule to fly to Dallas, Texas, to speak directly to the 1,000 dairy farmers and allied industry professionals about the importance of participating in the MPP-Dairy program one month before the 2015 sign-up deadline. At the end of this Intel, we have the audio from the question and answer session with the media.
"We hope at a minimum, that dairy producers will participate in the catastrophic dairy coverage," Vilsack told those attending the joint annual meeting of the National Milk Producers Federation and Dairy Management, Inc.
"Let's show our friends in congress that the new dairy program is important to you by signing up," he went on to say.
Earlier in the conversation, he explained that the deadline for sign-up had been extended to December 5. That deadline change had more to do with Black Friday - the shopping day after Thanksgiving - which was the original deadline for signing up the newly minted MPP-Dairy in 2015.
To hear Secretary Vilsack's direct comments on MPP-Dairy, listen to this two-minute audio file.
