Participating farmers will remain in the program through 2018 and need to pay a minimum $100 administrative fee each year. Producers have the option of selecting a different coverage level during open enrollment each year.

More about the MPP Dairy Program

The MPP-Dairy program is a voluntary, safety net program established by the 2014 Farm Bill that continues through December 31, 2018.
The program provides eligible producers with indemnity payments when the difference between an all milk price and average feed cost (the margin), falls below coverage levels producers select on an annual basis.
To be eligible for MPP-Dairy, operations must produce and commercially market milk in the U.S., provide proof of milk production when registering, and NOT be enrolled in the Livestock Gross Margin for Dairy program (LGM-Dairy) along with meeting conservation compliance provisions required to participate in the MPP-Dairy program through FSA.
USDA has a web tool which allows dairy farmers to quickly and easily combine unique operation data and other key variables to calculate their coverage needs based on price projections to help determine the level of coverage under the Margin Protection Program that will provide them with the strongest safety net under a variety of conditions.
The online resource is available here. Producers can also review historical data or estimate future coverage needs, based on data projections.
The secure site can be accessed via computer, Smartphone or tablet 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Once enrolled, dairy operations are required to participate through 2018 by making coverage elections each year.
Producers can mail the appropriate form to the producer’s administrative county FSA office, along with applicable fees without necessitating a trip to the local FSA office.
If electing higher coverage for 2017, dairy producers can either pay the premium in full at the time of enrollment or pay 100 percent of the premium by Sept. 1, 2017.
Premium fees may be paid directly to FSA or producers can work with their milk handlers to remit premiums on their behalf.