{"id":10217,"date":"2019-03-01T13:58:50","date_gmt":"2019-03-01T18:58:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/agriculture\/?p=10217"},"modified":"2019-03-26T11:01:10","modified_gmt":"2019-03-26T15:01:10","slug":"farm-scoop-march-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/agriculture\/2019\/03\/01\/farm-scoop-march-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Farm Scoop – March 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dairy Producers Previously Enrolled in the Livestock Gross Margin Program Now Eligible for 2018 Margin Protection Program<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Retroactive Enrollment Begins March 25<\/em><\/p>\n

WASHINGTON,\u00a0March\u00a022, 2019\u00a0\u2014\u00a0The U.S. Department of Agriculture\u00a0(USDA)\u00a0today announced that dairy producers who elected to participate in\u00a0the\u00a0Livestock Gross Margin for Dairy Cattle\u00a0Program<\/a>\u00a0(LGM-Dairy)\u00a0now have the opportunity to participate in the\u00a0Margin Protection\u00a0Program for Dairy\u00a0(MPP-Dairy) for 2018 coverage.\u00a0Sign-up will take\u00a0place\u00a0March\u00a025\u00a0through\u00a0May\u00a010, 2019.<\/p>\n

Producers enrolled in 2018 LGM-Dairy, administered by USDA\u2019s Risk Management Agency (RMA),\u00a0previously were determined by the 2014 Farm Bill\u00a0to be ineligible for coverage\u00a0under MPP-Dairy, a safety net program available through USDA\u2019s Farm Service Agency (FSA).<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 2018 Farm Bill included substantial changes to\u00a0USDA\u00a0dairy programs,\u201d said FSA Administrator Richard Fordyce. \u201cThis includes the ability for producers with LGM coverage to retroactively enroll in MPP-Dairy for 2018. It\u00a0also integrated\u00a0recent improvements to\u00a0the\u00a0MPP-Dairy\u00a0in\u00a0the new Dairy Margin Coverage\u00a0program, beginning with the 2019 calendar\u00a0year.\u201d<\/p>\n

The MPP-Dairy program offers protection to dairy\u00a0producers when the difference between the\u00a0national all-milk price and the\u00a0national average feed cost \u2014 the margin \u2014 falls below a certain dollar amount selected by the producers in a dairy\u00a0operation.\u00a0LGM-Dairy\u00a0is an insurance product that\u00a0provides protection when feed costs rise or milk prices drop.\u00a0The gross margin is the market value of milk minus feed costs.<\/p>\n

This retroactive sign-up is only for dairy producers\u00a0with 2018\u00a0LGM coverage\u00a0who\u00a0produced\u00a0and commercially marketed\u00a0milk in 2018 but did not obtain full year MPP-Dairy coverage.\u00a0FSA will notify eligible producers by postcard and provide a one-time payment for all of the months in 2018 that had margins triggering MPP-Dairy assistance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m pleased that dairy producers will now be able to take advantage of enrolling in both Livestock Gross Margin and the Margin Protection Program for 2018 coverage,\u201d RMA Administrator Martin Barbre said. \u201cThe 2018 Farm Bill gave dairy producers more options like these and when combined with the new Dairy Protection Program offered by RMA, that means more overall coverage for dairy producers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eligible producers can enroll during the sign-up period at their local USDA service center. To locate your office, visit\u00a0farmers.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Maine Maple Sunday<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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36th Annual Maine Maple Sunday\u00ae Occurs Statewide This Weekend<\/h1>\n

Members of Maine Maple Producers Association, and licensed sugarhouses across Maine invite the public for a behind-the-scenes look at making Maine\u2019s Official Sweetener.<\/p>\n

“Maine Maple Producers are waiting to welcome the public to their sugarhouses to see demonstrations on how syrup is made and taste samples of syrup and foods made with syrup. Many farms also offer games, activities, treats, sugarbush tours, music, and so much more,” says Kathy Hopkins.<\/p>\n

Maine Maple Sunday\u00ae occurs Sunday, March 24, 2019. The annual event is held every fourth Sunday of March. Visitors are invited to support Maine\u2019s maple businesses and shop, meet and learn about maple syrup and a variety of maple products that feature real Maine maple syrup as an ingredient.<\/p>\n

Many sugarhouses are open Saturday and Sunday, March 23 and 24, 2019, and throughout the season. View a map of participating sugarhouses at:\u00a0https:\/\/mainemapleproducers.com\/maine-maple-sunday<\/a><\/p>\n

Lyle Merrifield, President, Maine Maple Producer\u2019s Association:<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"Maine<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Maine Maple Statistics:<\/b><\/p>\n