From the World Dairy Expo on Wednesday, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced that starting Monday, Oct. 5, dairy producers can begin enrolling in the 2027 Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program. According to the details Rollins shared during a press conference at the Expo in Madison, Wisconsin, the DMC program has been reauthorized through 2031 and is now “stronger than ever.” 

Under the changes Rollins outlined, an additional one million pounds of milk is eligible for DMC’s Tier 1 coverage level. It allows producers to secure coverage through 2031 with premium costs discounted by 25%. “Over 13,500 of our dairy farmers in this country take advantage of those benefits or have taken advantage through 2026, with total payments to our dairy farmers exceeding $98 million nationwide, including $23 million here in Wisconsin,” Rollins said. 

The DMC program is a voluntary risk management tool for dairy producers administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA). The program offers financial assistance when the margin between the all-milk price and average feed cost falls below a coverage level chosen by the producer, according to the FSA.

Rollins also announced the USDA will invest nearly $13 million to support dairy operations through four dairy business innovation (DBI) initiatives across the nation. DBI initiatives support dairy businesses in the development, production, marketing, and distribution of dairy products, according to the Agricultural Marketing Service.

Rollins Fields Questions on Trade, Labor, Diesel Prices 

After the announcements, the secretary fielded several questions on topics that all reach dairy farmers in some way: China trade relief, the reopening of livestock ports, H-2A, beef imports, and diesel prices.

“We see it and we get it,” Rollins said of diesel prices. “I don’t want to jump ahead of the president, but there will be an announcement very soon on this specific issue.

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