U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency Administrator Val Dolcini recently announced almost half of all dairy farms in America have made their annual elections for 2016 coverage under the Margin Protection Program and reminded producers who have not yet enrolled that they have until Nov. 20 to select coverage. Established by the 2014 farm bill, the program provides financial assistance to dairy producers when the margin—the difference between feed costs and the price of milk—falls below the coverage level selected by the applicant. FSA estimates that based on current participation rates, had the program existed before the 2014 farm bill, producers in 2009 would have invested $73 million in premiums and received $1.44 billion in financial protection during that historically weak market period. Enrolled dairy operations must pay a $100 administrative fee annually to receive basic catastrophic coverage. Greater levels of margin protection are available for a higher premium and provide expanded coverage based on historic dairy production. Once enrolled, producers can change their levels of coverage each year. Source - http://www.hpj.com