Leahy, Welch encourage dairy farmers to sign up for new insurance program; announce statewide informational workshops

This morning at Fairmont Farms in East Montpelier, Senator Patrick Leahy and Representative Peter Welch encouraged Vermont’s dairy farmers to enroll in the new Margin Protection Program (MPP) and announced a series of workshops for interested participants. 

MPP is a voluntary insurance program included in the new Farm Bill that protects dairy farmers from market fluctuations in milk prices.  The program replaces the expired Milk Income Loss Contract Program (MILC). 

Senator Leahy, the most senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and a Senate conferee during House-Senate negotiations on the bill, along with Senator Bernie Sanders and Rep. Welch, successfully fought to include this vital safety net program in the bill signed into law by President Obama in February.

In a joint statement, Leahy, Sanders and Welch said: “Wild swings in milk and feed prices have driven many Vermont farmers out of business.  After a long fight in Congress, dairy farmers finally have a real safeguard against the booms and busts of the market.  We strongly encourage farmers to take a good hard look at this important program.  These new information resources will help.”

The new program opened for enrollment on September 2, 2014.  Farmers have until November 28, 2014, to enroll for coverage in 2014 and 2015. 

Next month, UVM Extension and USDA Farm Services Agency are conducting enrollment workshops from 10:00 a.m. to Noon in five locations across Vermont:

     St. Albans:  Monday, October 13, American Legion, 100 Parah Drive

     Middlebury:  Tuesday, October 14, American Legion, 49 Wilson Road

     Rutland:  Wednesday, October 15, Holiday Inn, 476 Holiday Drive

     White River Junction:  Thursday, October 16, Fairfield Inn, 102 Ballardvale Drive

     Newport:  Friday, October 17, East Side Restaurant, 47 Landing Street

Additional information is availableatLeahy.Senate.Gov; Sanders.Senate.Gov/Legislation/Issue/Dairy-and-Agriculture and Welch.House.Gov/VTDairyFarmers. Interested participants can also visit their county Farm Service Agency office for enrollment information.  

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