"I understand that things (milk prices) aren't as robust as they have been. We are going through one of those cycles, and I know that there are concerns about the dairy Margin Protection Program," said USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to those attending the joint annual meeting of the National Milk Producers Federation and Dairy Management Inc. "I am here to tell you today that we are listening to those concerns," he told the audience at the October 28, 2015, meeting in Orlando, Fla.
"We know that we have to address the issue of intergenerational transfers. We don't necessarily want to penalize that process (farm transfers), so we are looking at ways we can improve the program in that respect," he said while discussing a wide array of dairy and ag-related topics before talking about MPP-Dairy. "We also are moving forward with a change in the catastrophic coverage as requested and suggested by producers.
"And I know that there is a deep concern about the feed differential. Depending on what part of the country you come from, feed that may be more or less expensive. As we look at this Margin Protection Program (MPP-Dairy), we continually try to figure out ways to improve it," said Vilsack.
"We (USDA) want to be a good partner," Vilsack reassured the audience of dairy farm leaders. "That is why we extended the sign-up time for the Margin Protection Program until November 20. That was a response to producer concerns that we (USDA) were asking you to do this right during the heart of harvest. That would make sign-up difficult for folks to do," he went on to explain.
"We will continue to look for ways to work with you on this program," he said in concluding comments on MPP-Dairy.
(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2015
November 2, 2015
