Minnesota Congressman Proposes 1X Update to Dairy Production Histories

March 11, 2020

Jim Dickrell

Minnesota Representative Tom Emmer (R., 6th District) introduced a bill last week that would allow dairy producers to update and recalculate their milk production histories one time under the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program.

The bill would amend the 2014 farm bill to allow dairy producers “to recalculate the production history of the participating dairy operation to be equal to the annual milk marketings of the dairy operation during the full calendar year before the date of the enactment of this paragraph.”

Currently, a farm’s DMC production history is based on the operation’s highest milk production in 2011, 2012 or 2013.

“While the dairy program is proving to be a critical improvement for dairy’s risk management tools, this legislation will give producers options that allow the program to better serve our dairy farmers,” says Emmer.

The Minnesota Milk Producers Association supports the proposed amendment. “Many dairy farmers—those under 200 cows that made improvements in the past 10 years—could use this flexibility,” says Lucas Sjostrom, MMPA executive director.

milkbusiness.com