Dairy groups submitted a proposal to the USDA calling for it to reopen the Dairy Margin Coverage program. But Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue says that’s not in the plans.
“It is essentially an insurance program and the principle of insurance is that you have to have it before you need it. We’re looking for other ways to indemnify dairymen. I think we will really destroy the whole concept of crop insurance and dairy margin coverage if we allow people to take advantage after the fact. We don’t want to incentivize people to wait and not take out insurance again and then call upon congress and their members in order to have an ad hoc disaster program,” Perdue said.
Sign up for this year’s program was down 19% from 2019.
