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OMAHA (DTN) -- Dairy farmers will have a few more weeks to apply for aid under the Milk Loss Program, which was created to compensate producers who were forced to dump milk due to certain disasters in 2020, 2021 or 2022.

USDA on Friday announced enrollment in the program is extended until Oct. 30.

"We recognize that MLP benefits are critical to the financial recovery of dairy operations significantly impacted by weather-related disasters that inhibited their ability to deliver or store their milk in one, or even multiple years," said Zach Ducheneaux, administrator for the Farm Service Agency. "We also understand that dairy farming is a 24/7, 365-day commitment. We hope the application deadline extension ensures that all dairy farmers in need of assistance will now have adequate time to apply."?

The Milk Loss Program will pay producers for up to 30 days of lost milk production per year from 2020-2022. The MLP provides aid for producers who dumped milk or saw their milk removed from the commercial market without compensation for disasters including "droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, floods, derechos, excessive heat, winter storms, freeze (including a polar vortex), and smoke exposure that occurred in the 2020, 2021 and 2022 calendar years. Tornadoes are considered a qualifying disaster event for calendar year 2022 only," USDA stated.

"We are grateful to USDA for giving dairy farmers extra time to enroll in the Milk Loss Program," said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF). "This essential program will compensate producers for milk dumped due to disasters over several years. This extension will allow farmers more time to prepare their applications and fully benefit."

For more details on MLP, check with your local USDA service center or go to https://www.fsa.usda.gov/….

Chris Clayton can be reached at Chris.Clayton@dtn.com

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