USDA announces new program to help Dairy Farmers

In the past three years, weather played spoilsport for many dairy farms. From floods to hurricanes, Mother Nature wasn’t kind. As a result, many farms couldn't sell or store their milk.  

USDA has rolled out the Milk Loss Program (MLP). This program offers financial help to farms that had to dump milk due to these unpredictable weather patterns. 

Zach Ducheneaux, the person in charge, reminds us that a dairy cow can produce 6-7 gallons of milk daily. Now, if this can't be sold or stored, it's a huge blow to the farmer. The MLP aims to reduce this pain. 

The President also played a role by allocating $13 billion to help farmers, especially those dealing with milk losses. 

This aid covers various weather events from 2020 to 2022. They added tornadoes for 2022. Farmers can apply for help for each affected month, but there's a cap of 30 days in a year. 

Now, if you're thinking, "How can farmers avail this?" They’ve got some paperwork. They’ll detail their losses, show their milk sales, and give reasons for the losses. If they've worked with USDA before, they've got a head start. 

Finally, the aid amount is based on their production. Some farmers even get extra benefits. But there’s a limit to how much one can receive. 

Besides MLP, the USDA has more goodies for dairy farms. They've already given away a billion dollars through another scheme this year!