Articles Tagged with ''Dairy Margin Coverage''

After years of trial and error, lawmakers have finally arrived at a subsidy program that milk producers can live with, but the dairy industry is heading toward the next farm bill sharply divided over possible reforms to the federal pricing system for milk.

Leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee heard from Michigan producers who represent a broad range of commodities, scale and farming practices as the panel formally started hearings on the next farm bill.

A New York Times video opinion piece attacking U.S. agriculture has caught the attention of top USDA officials as well as farmers. The video’s title, which pretty well describes the tone and thrust of the piece, is “Meet the People Getting Paid to Kill our Planet.”

The Agriculture Department is taking new steps to shore up the dairy industry by putting $400 million into the distribution of surplus dairy products to needy families while also boosting payments to farmers under the Dairy Margin Coverage program.

A fiscal 2022 funding bill for USDA and the Food and Drug Administration is headed to the full Senate Appropriations Committee. The bill, which was approved Monday evening by the committee’s Agriculture subcommittee, includes about $7 billion in supplemental assistance for farmers who have been affected by drought and other natural disasters.

Congressional leaders reach agreement with the White House on a $900 billion COVID-19 relief package that will include a new round of aid to various agriculture sectors while also ensuring the deductibility of expenses used to get forgiveness of Paycheck Protection Program loans.

Like most dairy producers in late 2019, Ryan Klussendorf of Medford, Wis., was optimistic about 2020 dairy prices and he did not sign up for USDA’s Dairy Margin Coverage program. But after seeing the extreme volatility of this year, he’s not taking any chances for 2021 and said other producers shouldn’t either.

The window is closing fast for Congress to agree on funding the government as well as providing more coronavirus assistance to schools and sectors of the economy still reeling from the pandemic.

President-elect Joe Biden continues to roll out his Cabinet picks, though there’s no word yet on key picks for agriculture, environment and trade. Today, he’ll introduce the members of his economic team, including Janet Yellen, who he intends to nominate for treasury secretary, and Neera Tanden, his pick to run the Office of Management and Budget, which has broad authority over the spending and regulatory matters.