Roger Johnson, left, NFU President and Tom Vilsack, speaking, USDA Secretary, during National Farmers Union Legislative Fly-In in September.

“Many programs and policies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture were authorized under the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (“2008 Farm Bill”) through September 30, 2012. These include a great number of critical programs impacting millions of Americans, including programs for farm commodity and price support, conservation, research, nutrition, food safety, and agricultural trade. As of today, USDA’s authority or funding to deliver many of these programs has expired, leaving USDA with far fewer tools to help strengthen American agriculture and grow a rural economy that supports 1 in 12 American jobs. Authority and funding for additional programs is set to expire in the coming months. Without action by the House of Representatives on a multi-year Food, Farm and Jobs bill, rural communities are today being asked to shoulder additional burdens and additional uncertainty in a tough time. As we continue to urge Congress to give USDA more tools to grow the rural economy, USDA will work hard to keep producers and farm families informed regarding those programs which are no longer available to them.”

The Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) Program began December 22, 2008 and provides payments to milk producers when prices are below statutory levels set in farm bill legislation. USDA, through the Farm Service Agency, issues payments to milk producers when the Boston Class I milk price falls below $16.94 after an adjustment is made for the cost of dairy feed rations.

Legislation to extend or re-authorize the Farm Bill has not passed and therefore sign up for the MILC program will end on September 30, 2012. Applications received after the September 30th date will not be approved. The Milk Income Loss Contract payment rate for August milk production was $1.47 per hundred pounds of milk sold. To obtain this MILC payment, producers must have submitted a MILC Program application and must submit their actual milk production evidence to the Farm Service Agency on a monthly basis. To receive MILC payments, dairy producers must submit the required milk production evidence by no later than November 1, 2012. Failure to submit milk production evidence by November 1, 2012 will cause the loss of program benefits offered through the MILC Program.

For more information concerning the Milk Income Loss Contract program or other Farm Service Agency programs, contact your local Farm Service Agency office or visit the Farm Service Agency website’s MILC Page.