MILC PROGRAMS CHANGES SHOULD HELP FARMERS
Thursday, November 6th, 2008 -- 12:17 PM
The 2008 Farm Bill was passed back in late-May, but officials are just beginning to sort through all the changes.Clark County Dairy and Livestock agent Maria Bendixen says there was a bit change to the MILC program, which is a safety net for dairy farmers.
Historically, the program has paid farmers when the price of milk fell below a certain rate, now, the formula will also consider feed costs.
"We actually think we might have payments from October," Bendixen explains, "It's going to take us a while to get it all figured out because we have to get the feed prices."
So, farmers might not get payments as fast, but this formula should be much better for them?
"They've added something saying, 'you know, maybe $19 milk isn't enough is corn is $7. It's going to be a nice safety net compared to before," she says.
Bendixen says farmers that were previously enrolled in the MILC program shouldn?t need to do anything different, FSA should take care of the changes.
The $288-billion bill is?as you might imagine?huge, and changes are still being made.
They are planning an informational meeting at the Loyal Legion on December 10. Both FSA and NRCS will be on hand to explain the changes.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.